JazzGuru

Greetings All

I am a new owner of a 1993 Anniversary Edition.
45,000 miles, new tires etc.
I am planning on using this car as my daily driver during the summer - 40 miles round trip to work each day etc.
I have a 90 day warranty - starting tomorrow when I get the car.
Two questions to all you smart guys out there:
Question 1
The brake pedal seems extremely stiff - like in the old days before power brakes (yes I am a geezer - old enough to remember driving cars with out power assisted brakes)
The dealer says the brakes are fine. They work fine, just takes some leg muscle to push the pedal, no issues with the pads or rotors, no sounds or general stuff.
I have read about a vacuum leak issues, and wonder if there is anything else I should look at.
Question 2
I want to take it on a 1500 mile round trip in a couple of weeks - anything I should be aware of or stuff to look out for before I go.

Thanks
Greg

TheBlaster9001

Could be the booster is shot. My pedal was soft, but after I replaced brake fluid (and pressure bled both M/C and lines) it is much more stiff. I prefer it that way. Girlfriend's 86 has a soft pedal, but even after bleeding it was soft. I suspect the ABS system has something to do with that. Her car stops just as well as mine, only mine takes more effort to lock the brakes up.

drcook

Sit in the car before it is started up in the morning. Pump the brake pedal up till hard and hold it. Start the car. The power booster should pull the pedal down enough that you can feel it. My 96 is very hard, but you can still feel the P.B. working when starting it up.

Mr. Peabody

Welcome to the world of C4. If your going to be daily driving in the summer be sure to read the sticky's at the top of the "general" section of C4 and this one in particular
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...peratures.html

Our cars were designed to run hotter that what many consider "normal" without distorting the engine and always rely on the digital temp readouts not the analog

Sorry, mind's getting old and forgetful.... what I meant to say is that late model C4's like my 95 seem to have a rather "stiff" brake pedal feel. Everything works fine but you do have to press a lot more firmly than you do with my C5.

65Z01

I would check cold inflation. FYI I like to run ~35psi cold for best handling/ride on the highway.

Congrats on your "new" Vette. Enjoy the experience and save the wave.

Patsgarage

The brakes on my 89 have a hard feel as well, but then again it is not a Cadillac. Maybe post a request in the Northeast section to try the brakes on another C4 and see if they feel the same. If you are ever by the Jersey Shore let me know, you can try mine.

JazzGuru

All

Thanks for the ideas and help!
Seems it is just the nature of the beast.

Greg

ctmccloskey

It sounds like a "dealer" transaction per your reference of the warranty. I would strongly suggest you get a independent evaluation of this car before the cash crosses the table. Trying to get most shops to spend money on your "new to you" Corvette after you have taken possession can be harder than pulling teeth out of a charging Elephant. I wish it were not so. I bought a Corvette from a fairly reputable dealer who must have laughed his butt off after I left the lot. I was fairly Corvette savvy at the time and they still got me, a mechanical, Mechanical Engineer who had decades of car experience. Find a Corvette club or somebody with Corvette experience to help you out if necessary. Do Not trust anybody trying to separate you from that much money for a Corvette, especially a dealer.

You are going to need a good Corvette mechanic unless you can do it. The C4 was a whole new world for GM and the technologies used in them was different than most previous models they made. The very FIRST thing you need to do is get the Factory Service Manual set for your particular year. If they offer two volumes buy both! On my year they had two separate volumes, one for the Corvette and the second was Electrical systems. Do not ever wash a C4's Engine compartment with a hose!

These cars were awesome in their early years and when new were probably fairly reliable if taken care of properly. Today I would find very few Corvettes out there from the C4 category that could be used as "Reliable" daily transportation. There are thousands of C4's that could but those C4's have either been meticulously maintained of just plain not driven. I have a nice C4 but I don't think it would like 80 mile round trips very long. Please understand, I LOVE CORVETTES as much as the other guys here. I like them so much I have two of them a 1968 L71, 4 sp, conv. and a 1988 Coupe. These cars are not like all other cars out there, they need a good deal of "love" in the form of maintenance.

A 1993 Corvette is not just any car it is a "Corvette". These cars are not just "Transportation" they get you to your destination quickly, comfortably and safely.

Seriously though there are lots of guys who "know" the engine in the 1993 Corvette better than I. I hope they pipe up and add things to look for or not too look for.
Get a CARFAX, get one, it tells the truth about your car.
Verify the car's V.I.N. with your new ownership paperwork.
Have you ever heard of the device called an "OPTISPARK"?
As far as the rest of the car do all the body panels fit nice and consistently?
When you drive the car are there any funny sounds that you are not familiar with?
Does AC work properly by getting cold?
Do the AC Fans come on when the AC is turned on?
Pushing down on each corner of the car, listen for any squeaks or sounds as you push each corner down and lift it back up?
Any oil spots on the ground where it was parked?
What does the oil smell like? Transmission fluid, power steering?
Try every switch and function of every gadget
How does it drive?

If you are going on a trip someplace 1500 miles away then you should have every belt checked as well as replacing things like fuel filters and air filters. I would certainly want to be able to trust the car on a trip like that. Have somebody go over it for you as well as the more eyes have a better chance of spotting issues or problems.

Enjoy this new Corvette, Just be safe and "learn" the car. Take your time before modifying the car. Too many new owners make changes before they get to "Know" their Corvette. Anytime you have questions you know where to ask them, this Forum is awesome.

Welcome to the Forum!! And Welcome to the Wonderful World of Corvettes!

JazzGuru

Whaleman

20 day-2000 mile return seems very honest to me. Dan

ctmccloskey

I would have to agree, 20 days or 2000 miles seems very fair and should give you plenty of time to shake down the car before your trip. I apologize regarding the negative stuff I said about dealers.
Finding a car that has not been driven in the rain.... that is quite a find now a days! Congratulations on that alone! I would love to have a nice Corvette ride in upstate New York. That is one of my favorite parts of America, I lived in Manlius, New York for one 10 month period while my Dad went back to College. They used to joke that Syracuse has two seasons, Winter and the Fourth of July. They were not kidding, we had the furnace running in June. Just prior to living in Manlius my family lived happily in Guatemala City, Guatemala where it never got hotter than 85 or colder than 65. It was heaven on Earth until we all loaded into our Station wagon and pop up camping trailer and headed for New York, after three weeks of day in day out driving we made it there.

I apologize at my rantings about all the things regarding C4's. There are so many people that buy them with NO previous mechanical experience, this era of cars requires you to be a decent mechanic and good with electronics. We see so many people here on the forum who buy their first Corvette and it is just not fast enough for them. I saw one where the guy was out buying parts for the new to him Corvette as he was asking us what to look for on his car. The prices are low enough on some of the earlier models that you can buy a C4 for a great price. These older cars are not for the folks who expect it to be a reliable form of transportation right away.
I too raced Motorcycles when younger and then I worked as a Motorcycle courier in Washington D.C.. The motorcycle experience got me working with my hands and I love it. I still have a older 1984 Yamaha RZ-350. I still love the old two strokes but just more manageable sized ones. What did you ride when racing? I went road racing on an old factory Bridgestone 175, it was entertaining at least. I "almost" got to race at Daytona back in the mid 1970's.

There are so many things that you can do to make your C4 a better car but for now just learn the car. You are right about the "loosening up" of the car as you drive it. That car has led a privileged lifestyle being garage kept and only driven in good weather. By driving it the car will become more fluid as you and it work together. I do not drive my Corvettes enough but I love it when I do. I have two kids in College and I kept the Corvettes off the road while they were learning to drive and living at home. The keys are locked up and only available to me or my wife.

It sounds like you are about to start your first "Love Story" as this Corvette will change your life. My wife wanted to keep me away from Motorcycles and especially race tracks so she agreed to let me buy my first Corvette. I found a barn find down in White Stone, Virginia. It was my 1968 L-71 and it was sitting with the bird poop and mice tracks every where. I had to install an exhaust manifold to make the car legal and from there it was the 140 mile ride home. I must have had a big bunch of bugs in my teeth because I never stopped smiling all the way home. I keep finding these little reminders like the mummified mouse in the air duct or nut shells saved up in some corner under the hood.

On my C4, a 1988 Coupe with the automatic I had different issues after I bought it, the EGR was not working at all, the car had a loose member of the suspension that made it get ***** at about 72 mph. When I hit 72 the car would shift right about 3-5 degrees, upon decelerating the car would straighten out. It felt like the right front wheel was being pulled back when it occurs. It scared the hell out of me the first time it did it. I spent a lot of money replacing every bushing in the rear of the car and it was still there. Finally a gentleman on this forum was able to help explain why it was doing what it was doing and we seemed to have fixed it. Rear Steering is not an option on old C4's but it can happen when things wear out

Do you have a good Volt Ohm Meter? This is a necessary tool when working on a C4's electrical systems. I have a tool that I use regularly when working on my Corvettes, it is called a "Power Probe" and you can find them on Ebay or Amazon. They are up to a model 4 now and it is even more useful now on your C4. I have used mine on cars, boats, aircraft and motorcycles.

I hope that you and your (New to You) Corvette have many enjoyable miles cruising the roads of Upstate new York and anywhere else you feel like going! Be safe and have a GREAT TIME!

VikingTrad3r

Patsgarage

Did you bleed the brakes afterward ? I have heard of this method in regards to moving a trapped air pocket from the ABS unit into the lines, but not for a stiff pedal.

VikingTrad3r

Patsgarage

Gotcha. I tried the same thing for a soft pedal on my 99 Suburban and it worked like a charm. I did bleed the brakes afterward though.

JazzGuru

JazzGuru