I have a 85 Vette with 90,000 miles. Can anyone give me an idea of what should be replaced. I bought it used so I have no idea if the water pump, fuel pump, or oil pump have been replaced. The car runs good and there are no faults on the ECM read out.

In the USAF this was referred to as "mean time between failures".

Thank you.

 

Eventually I replaced everything in the 86, between 117K and 150.

At 90, probably the shocks are bad. If the charging/electrical system is good then don't worry about it, but eventually the alternator will go. Various sensors and relays will go but my MAF lasted forever without replacement, it is easy to replace but not cheap.

Wheel bearings and U-joints are the biggest expense that will come up.

 

my maf still going strong in my 85.....you'll probably need to look at new fuel pump/relays nearing 100,000 ..also injectors...if it runs good, drive it like you stole it......buy a fsm and join the crowd here....these guys will keep you going....Paul

 

Few more things Trans tailshaft seal fluid/filter if an auto, rearend gear lube, fuel filter, fuel rail O-rings, regulator diaphragm, and such. Kinda at the same point with my 86 I bought, it's at 89k and I collected parts over winter too mod it as well as keep everything in well working order.

 

Fluids, belts and hoses if original or showing dirty (fluids) and check hoses and belts for cracks or bulges. Unless you are bored or just have money to burn I wouldnt replace anything until it breaks. Maintain it and enjoy it!

 

clean out the radiator and condenser and the compartment they reside in. My '86 has less than 50K miles and I could not believe the junk in there.

 

Thanks for the information. I will let everyone know what breaks in the future.

 

I'm of the mindset, if it isn't broke, don't fix. Beside regular maintenance I wouldn't do anything else but enjoy the car.

 

I would take a honest look at the belts and hoses. At the next oil change I would replace the fuel filter and air cleaner. Just the normal PM things. I would not do things beyound the normal PM things unless needed.

 

I would also suggest the following:

Bleed the brakes until fluid until it is clean especially if the fluid is dark.
Flush the power steering fluid.
Check your break pads and parking break shoes.
Check the condition of your vacuum hoses and RR as needed.

The better you get to know your vehicle the better you will be able to take care of things before a problem arises.

 

Hi and welcome to the forum

If you leave the car standard it should be very reliable, there are some issues that need to be checked.
As the other posters have said, if you are going to keep her replace the fluids radiator and heater hoses including coolant (50/50 mix), serpentine belt and fuel filter.

The "star wars" dash has lights tend to overheat the electronics, be a good idea to replace them with the cooler running lights.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Xenon-Bulb-Kit-C4-Corvette-Digital-Cluster-Gauge-Instrument-Panel-Gauge-Dash-/111360076709?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3ACorvette&hash=item19ed93eba5
The universal joints are a heavy wear item, all the power goes through them and they need to be checked. Clicking noises are the common sound when they have lost their grease and are about to fail.
The half shafts need to be checked, the universal joints closest to the brakes go first.

The early automatic transmissions tend to pop the front seal if you are doing a few quarter mile runs in a row, the later transmissions have retainers the seal clips on to.

Get a shop manual that will become your best friend with all the diagnostic stuff to help you fix any issues that may occur, the ECM will store codes that are easy to be retrieved and lets you know what is out of specification.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1985-Chevrolet-Corvette-Shop-Manual-/191187392590?pt=Motors_Manuals_Literature&hash=item2c83a8184e
The TPI engines respond really well to headers, that is the best bang for buck.
Stay clear of "performance chips" they are a waste of money.

The brake pads need to be a high friction compound, corvette central have some hawk street brake pads that will make the car stop like it should. While on brakes the plastic brake booster tends to crack with all the engine bay heat, you can get metal copies so keep that in mind.

Oh do be carefull with the mirrors, the housings are bolted to the door and should you or anyone else accidently hit them against something they will damage the door before breaking away

Enjoy cruising around and getting good gas milage
Do not worry about the 190-230 cooling temp, that is where it is supposed to be for emissions.