Hi all,
I'm from Tahiti and we don't have official corvette servicing here.
I have the only C7 in the country.
I hope you guys can help me.
2014 C7 Corvette Convertible 19 000 km
Sunday morning I went for a short cruise (20min) and when i came back home everything was fine. I stopped the engine 2 minutes to drop something and when i turn the engine back up it said change oil.
Then the temperature alarm started and steam start to come out from the hood. I stopped the car to let it cool but when I came out of the car the engine cooling fluid was all over the floor.
Any ideas?
Thank you

 

Randy,

Welcome to the forum. You have the perfect weather for a Corvette - summer all the time!

The oil change message pops up every 12 months or sooner based on time, mileage, and a few other factors. Chevy recommends an oil changes every 12 months. You will get the message in 12 months even if the car is not driven.

From looking at your pictures, it seems the coolant is coming from the passenger side behind the front wheel underneath the coolant reservoir.

Overheating for causes other than a coolant leak would cause coolant / pressure to be relieved at the pressure cap on the reservoir.

Also look at the obvious things such as fan belt is there, radiator and heater hoses don't show obvious leaks, bottom part of radiator (seen from above) not wet...

You should fill the coolant system and then run the engine to observe what is happening:

- is the radiator fan running? Try with and without air conditioning on. (a few threads of fan not always running when needed)

This is the start of troubleshooting.

I see you have a dry sump Z51.

Also - when engine is warm, check oil between 5 and 10 minutes after shutoff just to be sure level is OK. Oil also provides engine cooling.

The 2014 owners manual is available here:

2014 Owner's Manual

I expect the better mechanics will chime in as you report back.

Good Luck!

Ron

 

^^^
This is great advice. The LT1 is a pretty straight forward engine. While you may have the only one in the country, I'm sure you'll get this resolved without much frustration.

PS more pics of the C7 in Tahiti.

 

Thank you Ron for your expertise and time !
I'll do what you wrote and keep you informed as soon as possible.
Thanks again;

 

Very good info from the 1st guy here also fill it up but do it with the car front end of the car up a little higher in the air then the rear. Keep the cap off the car & run the car & fill it with the A/C on. Then make sure you keep checking the temp so it dont over heat then let it fill to the point you see the water start moving from the cap being off the car.

You will have to get ALL the air pockets out of the system or it will over heat for sure. WHEN YOU see the water moving really good & the temp doesn't get any hotter than around 200 & no higher you will be good to go. NOW START looking to see where you leak is man.. THIS car is really bad if the fans dont come on are the over fill tank get low you will get a AIR pocket & it will over heat & do what you have said here... Robert

 

If the system is too full or overheated (which would case more expansion of the coolant from more pressure) it would leak out of the reservoir. Filling the car up to its proper level and then running it will help you find any OBVIOUS leaks, but make sure you're monitoring temps while you're doing this because if you have a leak then you're gonna have some air in the system which will cause it to heat up quickly.

The BEST method for checking for a coolant leak is to get a cooling system pressure tester. They are cheap and can be rented form almost any auto parts store. This will allow you to have the engine off and attach a pressure tester to the cooling system. At this point, any leak will be heard and seen easily since the engine will be off and it will be quiet. If you find a leak, then then you solved your problem. If no leak, then either the system was too full or it overheated.

As others have said, checking the oil must be done 5-10 minutes after the car has been fully warmed up to operating temp (oil at 170 degrees) and while car is off.

If you can get your hands on a pressure tester and need any assistance in how to use it, let me know.

When everything is done, make sure you bleed the system. From my understanding these systems take some time to bleed, so again if you need any help with that let me know.

 

I know this is a long shot, but just sharing the root cause of my coolant leak. Look under the nose at the skid plates. Are they bent in anyway (like the car may have rubbed or bumped a curb)? If so, be aware that the bottom of the radiator in a Z51 (may be all models but Im a Z51 so I can only confirm that) is bolted to the frame of the skid plates...and if they are bent, they can bend or crack the bottom radiator housing and cause a leak, which will set off your temp warnings on the dash.

Again I know its a long shot, but Im just trying to help you rule out all possible root causes. Below is a picture of the damage we found done by the previous owner of my Vette - the red circle is where the bolt USED to be that attached to my radiator:

 

Hi all, sorry for the late reply.
I would like to thanks everyone who helped me.
My Corvette seems to run fine now.
So what I did was :
- refill the oil coolant and waited 10 minutes for leaks. no leak
- turn on the car while checking the temp 10 min while checking the temp. no leak
- turn on the heater 5 min. no leak
- turn on the A/C 5 min no leak
- cruising at around 40Mph around my home just in case while checking the temps (the temps never went above 220F. no leak

It'strange. But I suspect I suspect the oil coolant reservoir cap. When it' tight the cap still moving I don't know if it"s normal never opened it before. Is there a safety catch on the cap or clicking sound ? Because mine doesn't maybe when the pressure rise all the oil when through the cap ?
I ' ll try to push the engine while checking the temp this week end.

I couldn't find a pressure tester in Tahiti I ll buy one in october when I come to the US.

I 'll keep the post updated

Thanks again everybody have a great week end !
​​​​​​​

 

^^^^ good to know man glad you posted this up.. Robert

 

Randy,

I'm glad your problem is resolved.

The coolant pressure cap does not click. There is some free play between when the cap starts to tighten and when it starts to loosen. It is normal for the top of the cap to feel a bit loose when you start to tighten or loosen it.

You should check the coolant level frequently - as one of the other posters noted, it may take some time for air to work itself back to the reservoir.

Remember to use a mix of antifreeze and water. I know you are not concerned about freezing, but antifreeze has corrosion inhibitors and also raises the boiling point of the coolant.

Enjoy the vette!

Ron

 

Hello Ron,
Thank you for your help,
Just in case I'll order a new cap. All I could find in Tahiti was the Prestone 50/50 I hope it's ok.
Thanks again

Randy

 

Randy,

Coolant should be labelled Dex-Cool. This has been the GM spec for many years. The manual calls for 40% antifreeze / 60% water for most ambient temperatures and 50 / 50 for a bit colder. So - 50% / 50% Prestone is OK if labelled Dex-Cool.

All of this should be in the owner's manual for which I gave you the link. Lots of good information can be found in the C7 General / Sticky Threads section.

Prestone Dex-Cool - 5 year replacement. Note Dex-Cool on the label:





Regular Dexcool - wrong stuff - not sure when it will need changed - used to be 2 yr



Ron