The last week or so I have been doing some catchup maintenance.

My 92 has just over 106k miles on it. And generally runs very good. However, I went to NC a couple of weeks ago and noticed it was running rather warm. The average temp was just over 202 or so. A little more than I like. With a few spikes into the 210 range. a bit disturbing. Add in a slight antifreeze smell, and I thought I had a leaky heater core.

At a gas stop, I checked it and found a bit of weepage around the rad cap...

So... last Saturday, with the assistance of a friend, Travis, we drained the radiator, installed a t-stat (AC Delco - I bought it when I bought my new WP 2 years ago, not knowing the pumps included one!) and fresh coolant.

A few months back, I bought new knock sensors, too.

So...out came the old knocks, and in when new... out went the nasty coolant, too.

Installing the new coolant, 1 gallon of Prestone and 3.5 gallons of distilled water, result in a car that never goes over 197*!!! and thats STOPPED in traffic!!!

no more coolant smell!!! :thumbs:

The other realization... knock sensors... those were the original parts. According the Travis, and this makes sence, they degrade over time. By installing new ones, I honestly picked up a measurable SOTP power increase.

If you feel for any reason that your Vette is running poorly, replace the knocks... you might get a pleasant suprise. :)

This afternoon, after watching the Rolex 24, I went out and replaced the radiator cap (I still need to add a bottle of Red Line Water Wetter) and the power steering fluid.

I like $2.49 fixes that sound and act like $250.00 fixes!!! The fresh Valvoline Synpower PS fluid is a gem. The morning sickness groans are all gone!!!

As far as I know, the PS fluid was original. And it looked like coffee. :U

those are my repairs. I hope these tips help others.

sometimes, its the small things that get missed.

 

Snipped from original
"Installing the new coolant, 1 gallon of Prestone and 3.5 gallons of distilled water, result in a car that never goes over 197*!!! and thats STOPPED in traffic!!!

no more coolant smell!!! :thumbs: "

:D :rolleyes: I always suspected those antifreeze companies were ripping us off when they told us to mix coolant and water 50/50! :cheers:

Of course if it gets cold where you are, this whole mix could turn to mush :( and if it reall gets cold where you live, the mush will turn to hard ice!

One other thing you might want to do to keep your temps down is pull out the radiator and clean out the copius amounts of leaves and other crap that can accumulate in there.

:steering: [ I love that Lil Guy! }

PS! You got 4 and a half gallons of water and coolant into your cooling system? Wow!

 

Interesting. New knock sensors really make a difference? I think I still have my original knock sensor (L98). Are they hard to replace?

 

to answer... I checked the owners manual, and they say "1 gallon of coolant in a 4.5 gallon system". 18 quarts...

I was able to get 3.5 in total, 1 gallon coolant and 2.5 gallons of water. its a bit low, now, but I need to add some Water Wetter.

I suspect I am ok down to about -10*. The 50/50 is a joke... if you use distilled water, the deposits will be less likely to form. Also, water does a better job of heat transfer than glycol ever will.

Doing knock sensors... it ain't that bad. you just have to jack the car up, remove the heat shields, make sure you have a bucket to catch the debris and let er rip. Mine used a 22mm wrench. it only takes a few minutes for each. oh, the knocks are located on the side of the block.



[Modified by bogus, 8:24 PM 2/2/2003]

 

They are acually very easy to replace! There is only one in the L98 and is just as easy to get to as the Oil filter. My car runs MUCH better with the new one in there.... I did the job in about a 1/2 hour... mainly cleaning up, lol.... The only thing is the Knock sensor is tapped into the waterjacket.... Dont do it on a hot motor and make sure there is no pressure..... When I did mine I was in a rush, drove down to the shop 28miles away, threw it on the lift and started working..... I knew what was going to happen.. But it had to be done.... Needless to say antifreeze went everywhere, but atleast I got all the Ugly stuff out and got some new antifreeze in there......

Do it on a cold motor and be quick switching it and you will not lose much antifreeze at all.... Simple stuff

 

This is great, My 160,000 mile vette probably needs one.Where exactly is it on the L98 and how much do they cost?Thanks a lot .Rick :cheers:

 

If I found the right invoice, the LT1 sensors were about 18.00. I know you have an L98, but it does create a reference point.

There were 2 invoices... each had 2 "sensors" listed... however, on invoice had a corrisponding return! That was a miss shipment of O2's...

hence, through a process of elimination, I figured out the invoice... I need to make notes on them!!!