Head Gasket?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,616
Likes: 111
Head Gasket?
I already have a master cylinder or slave cylinder issue since I have to keep adding fluid when the clutch pedal goes soft to the floor...after today's joyride with my neighbor's 2004 Z06 Commemerative Edition playing around....I noticed a smell of antifreeze....nothing on the floor (that I can see anyway)...after pulling over I see antifreeze on top of the mini intake, and the passenger side valve cover, and fried up all under the hood...
....the car normally runs around 183-185 degrees coolant temp. with the thermostat I run, but noticed when I left after inspecting under the hood, the temps. were over 200 degrees and went down to 195 or so while driving...at a stop, temps start climbing over 200 again....is this a possible head gasket failure??
....the car normally runs around 183-185 degrees coolant temp. with the thermostat I run, but noticed when I left after inspecting under the hood, the temps. were over 200 degrees and went down to 195 or so while driving...at a stop, temps start climbing over 200 again....is this a possible head gasket failure??
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 17,700
Likes: 1,667
From: moraga ca
Sometimes antifreeze on top of the intake can come from coolant oozing from the intake to head gasket. Try cleaning the coolant and seeing where exactly it's coming from. It could be from the coolant hose going to and from the throttle body. If it is the intake gasket, try retorquing the intake. Head gaskets if they leak usually are on the header side of the motor.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 7,999
Likes: 14
From: Life is just one big track event. Everything before and after is prep and warm-up and cool-down laps
Cruise-In III Veteran
Cruise-In IV Veteran
St. Jude Donor '12
LT1/LT4 - intake is dry, and none of the intake bolts penetrate a water jacket.
Check the weep hole on your water pump. its possible that it is starting to leak and water slung up from there. Have your coolant checked for exhaust gasses is the easiest way to check for head gasket problems.
What temp thermostat are you running?
Could also be the vaccum affect where the radiator gets choked with debris.
Check the weep hole on your water pump. its possible that it is starting to leak and water slung up from there. Have your coolant checked for exhaust gasses is the easiest way to check for head gasket problems.
What temp thermostat are you running?
Could also be the vaccum affect where the radiator gets choked with debris.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 17,700
Likes: 1,667
From: moraga ca
LT1/LT4 - intake is dry, and none of the intake bolts penetrate a water jacket.
Check the weep hole on your water pump. its possible that it is starting to leak and water slung up from there. Have your coolant checked for exhaust gasses is the easiest way to check for head gasket problems.
What temp thermostat are you running?
Could also be the vaccum affect where the radiator gets choked with debris.
Check the weep hole on your water pump. its possible that it is starting to leak and water slung up from there. Have your coolant checked for exhaust gasses is the easiest way to check for head gasket problems.
What temp thermostat are you running?
Could also be the vaccum affect where the radiator gets choked with debris.
Last edited by 383vett; Aug 24, 2009 at 10:11 AM.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,616
Likes: 111
No my friend has the blue with silver striped, commerative edition 2004 Z06 that runs very, very, close to mine at the track...he is also runnin a Billy Boat cat-back and is very, very loud.....our cars are about neck and neck at the track.... both run mid to high 12's on street tires depending on the 60'.......anyway, here's the update after looking around tonight......
someone must have changed the lines going into the firewall that carry the coolant; I've owned the car since 2001 and never noticed even with all of the modifications we have done...... but anyway.... on my car, there is a line going into the firewall tha t's off and there is a rubber type thimble (I'll call it) that is clamped on on where it t's off basically by-passing something...looks like this should go somewhere, but it does not....the rubber piece basically split and threw antifreeze all over.......thank God it was not a head gasket, but maybe this line was supposed to go to the throttle body......I don't have coolant going to mine......
someone must have changed the lines going into the firewall that carry the coolant; I've owned the car since 2001 and never noticed even with all of the modifications we have done...... but anyway.... on my car, there is a line going into the firewall tha t's off and there is a rubber type thimble (I'll call it) that is clamped on on where it t's off basically by-passing something...looks like this should go somewhere, but it does not....the rubber piece basically split and threw antifreeze all over.......thank God it was not a head gasket, but maybe this line was supposed to go to the throttle body......I don't have coolant going to mine......
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,616
Likes: 111
me too.....I thought maybe we had a little too much (at the track).....drove em down to Defiance and back that day.....beautiful weather..I've been adding coolant and water to the radiator....must have thrown a lot of coolant out before I noticed it....
Last edited by 856SPEED; Aug 26, 2009 at 12:05 AM.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski