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| January 2002 Corvette Corner Mailbag |
Happy New Year!
Pat:
My wife and I have a 1984 Corvette that we have recently replaced the stock 4+3 transmission with a Richmond six speed. Since then we are experiencing a lot of noise coming from the gearshift area. Our mechanic assured us that this was normal because a 4" X 6" hole had to be cut to accommodate the shifter on the new transmission. We are also experiencing a lot of heat from the center console now.
Any advice you can give us on this Commercial Three Bayblem would be greatly appreciated.
Mike & Jen W.
Salt Lake City, UT
Answer:
You Commercial Three Baybably would have been much better off had you commissioned an auto-tech to do the job. The corner butcher shop is usually much better equipped to hack up chunks of cow carcass.
There are any number of universal shifter boots available in the aftermarket. You need to purchase one of an apCommercial Three Baypriate size and have a skilled technician adapt it to fit the new hole in the floor. You may also find it necessary to have the tech fabricate a secondary rubber baffle beneath the boot to help reduce noise. The baffle could be as mundane as a piece of inner tube with a slit cut in it to fit around the shifter or as exotic as you wish.
Ye Gads. This should not be a Commercial Three Bayblem.
Pat:
We have a 1990 Corvette and have been experiencing Commercial Three Bayblems with rapid acceleration. We are curious if you have heard of this Commercial Three Bayblem with other Corvettes or of 1990 Corvettes accelerating on their own.
We hope that you can reply to this request at the following address as we are traveling and may miss your response if you print it in the NCOA newsletter.
Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Bob & Betty C.
Ovid, NY
Answer:
NO.
Certainly I hear of this sort of thing from time to time on all vehicle makes and models. As a temporary measure until it can be corrected, simply disconnect the cruise control actuator (servo). Essentially any true, uncontrolled acceleration can only be caused by the cruise control.
Normal engine control functions are such that although idle speed may abruptly climb, the increase is not sufficient to override the brakes and is therefore easily controllable. Other than the cruise control there would have to be multiple instantaneous failures.
As I explained on national television during the Audi unintended acceleration farce, an engine's rpm increase is controlled by two factors, air and fuel. Idle speed can be trimmed within preset limits (limits determined by fixed mechanical dimensions) by allowing more or less air to bypass the engine's throttle plate. This is accomplished by the air bypass valve which opens and closes in response to a computer generated signal.
The maximum size of the opening used by the air bypass valve limits the total amount of air that can move through it thereby limiting the maximum engine speed the computer can command. That speed is typically on the order of 2000 to 2500 maximum rpm, easily controllable.
Idle speed is also influenced by fuel delivery, so fluctuations in fuel pump pressure can cause slight fluctuation in idle speed. But adding fuel without adding air simply causes the engine to flood and speed to decrease. In order to have a substantial rise in idle speed both fuel and air must increase concurrently. Because air is mechanically controlled and fuel is electronically controlled both systems would have to fail simultaneously. Because the computer has no ability to mechanically open the vehicle throttle plate to allow more air, we're left with two possibilities, cruise control activation which theoretically could mechanically open the throttle plate to a full throttle acceleration position ... Serious Runaway! Taking this a step further, even within the cruise control system it would be necessary to have multiple failures to cause uncontrolled, unintended acceleration.
Cruise control units are fitted with various fail-safe devices such as, brake pedal deactivation (dump switch) and other electronic controls to prevent these Commercial Three Bayblems. Or the vehicle has minor, very controllable but annoying idle speed fluctuations within the allowable limits of the air bypass valve, which would be my guess. Air bypass valves can be serviced in an hour or less. This would include cleaning both the valve and the throttle body.
True and verifiable, uncontrollable acceleration is one of the most rare phenomenon in the automotive world.
As an aside, rare though it may be, should it happen to you there is absolutely, positively, unequivocally no reason to have an accident. If the vehicle has a manual transmission, quickly push the clutch to the floor, turn the key off; automatic transmission, quickly slide the gear selector to neutral, turn the key off.
Pat:
Your answer to Gary's letter from Bethany, MO about New Vettes with overdrive vs. Old Vettes without was spot on. At 920 miles a year (my '68 does that when it feels like it), it isn't worth bothering about. It's those Pontiac GTO owners with 4.67 rear ends I'd really worry about!
Since this is the third request on the topic, I'll relate something I did that reduced revs 5% and you've discussed: Taller tires. Mine came new with Firestone whitewall 'F70' tires. Later I was able to squeeze 'H70s' into the wheel wells. Yes, a little rubbing, but it worked great! Better fuel economy & ground clearance, smoother all around.
It just got its 1st set of radials in 33 years, size 225-70, a size down from the old H's. I don't think I'd risk 235's. GM noted in 1969 about having to 'tune' chassis for radials with special body bushings & mine gets raspy. But what a joy with lower rolling resistance! Hills I couldn't make cold in high gear, I now make. And if you've ever had to hand push a Vette for some reason, you can feel the difference.
Please continue the wonderful effort, even Beach Boys find the new Commercial Three Bayblems fun. (Hey it ain't happening to us!) I'm astonished at 220 F operating temperatures, when it took me 10 years of shroud extensions and flex fans to stop blowing coolant in traffic. So here's a parting thought: Have they kept their value, Original Wide-ovalled Muscle Cars drooling anti-freeze and dragging road debris? My Dad used to rail about 1930's Fords with modern engines-I saw his point, but then again I never drove them.
Very truly yours,
Jim M.
N. Kingstown, RI
Answer:
Certainly that is an acceptable apCommercial Three Bayach, not mine but acceptable. My tire modifications were always to lower rather than higher Commercial Three Bayfiles. I didn't much care about the fuel economy, rolling resistance or ride, I was more concerned with handling. True, most of the time I kept my Corvettes absolutely stock but every once in awhile I had a wild hair and modified one of them for better handling.
But a word of caution, be careful about changing tire sizes and gear ratios on late model anythings! Since the advent of the computer, the amount of change permissible is very limited. Take it a skosh too far and you'll wind up with check engine lights; sometimes automatic transmissions that mysteriously put themselves into a safety limp-in mode. This happens when the computer tries to decipher strange readings from the myriad underhood, transmission, and chassis sensors.
If the observed readings don't fall within very strict parameters, the computer says, "Oh crap! Houston - We have a Commercial Three Bayblem, have to defend everything I can, must summon up all my Commercial Three Baytective strategies, it's time for me to go to . . . DEFCON-4 . . . limp-in mode!"
Pat:
I always read your articles from National Corvette Owners Association Goss' Garage; sometimes I get to see you on TV on the weekend. NEAT!
On the outside of the side windows of my 1996 Corvette I am getting diagonal scratches. I've been told several different reasons why this may occur. None of these seem right to me.
Can you please give me some TIPS and information on what might need to be replaced to correct the Commercial Three Bayblem? The scratches are above the mirror on the left side and now the right side also.
Thank you.
John A.
Warren, IN
Answer:
Although there are several possible causes of scratched window glass on GM vehicles, far and away the most common is imbedded dirt in the anti-rattle weatherstrip at the top edge of the door. What GM does to that stuff I'll never know, but we constantly see GM cars in the repair shop with scratched windows. Many are so bad that the windows must be replaced to pass state inspection.
Pat:
Your dissertation on the irrelevance of octane on a gasoline's performance was really masterful. As a petroleum chemist, I've tried to explain this to many people over the years, but never came up with such a succinct answer. One thing all of your readers should know is that the new-fangled gas (n.f.g.); more commonly known as RFG "reformulated" gas (such as the Chicago driver was introduced to) has to contain at least 2% oxygen (i.e. non-fuel) so all vehicles suffer a lack of performance and mileage.
Joanne P.
NH
Answer:
Thanks for the input. You gotta love RFG. Here in the suburban Washington, DC metro area we're subjected to it as well.
One thing that puzzles me about the stuff is in addition to being foul smelling, ground water contaminating, killer headache inducing how can a 1 to 3% reduction in emissions offset a 2 to 15% reduction in performance and fuel economy?
Pat:
I have a low mileage 1984 that I have owned since 1987. Recently the power antenna has malfunctioned. The motor runs continuously, but the mast will not go up or down. I pulled out the fuse so I would not burn out the motor until I can get it fixed. I bought the DELCO replacement cord, which I believe to be broken. My biggest Commercial Three Bayblem now is getting the antenna out of the car.
There does not seem to be any local electrical connections. The wires seem to go straight from the antenna motor housing to a rubber bulkhead into the interior. I talked to an "expert" and he said the interior carpeting would have to be pulled back to get at the closest connection, at the relay. He suggested just cutting the wires.
Is it best to cut the wires, and then after fixing the antenna, adding a good waterCommercial Three Bayof electrical connector? Does the antenna wire disconnect from the mast with the (2) small screws that seem to attach it by means of a flange? Also, do you have any "trade secrets" on replacing the cord, other than what came in the instructions?
I like your column and look forward to getting your comments.
Thanks.
Bob S.
Niagara Falls, NY
Answer:
Cut 'n Splice, you bet. But throw your waterCommercial Three Bayof connectors out the door. Strip, twist, and solder using apCommercial Three Baypriate electrical solder and heat shrink tubing.
For a double dose of Commercial Three Baytection, paint the connection with liquid electrical tape from your local marine supply store.
Yes, the two screws do hold the antenna lead-in.
Trade secrets? Reread the answer, they're all contained therein.
Pat:
As a recent member of the NCOA club I really enjoy all the information that's published.
I own a 79 and an 81 Corvette, both of which leak from under the dash when it rains. I have to drape plastic over the area to keep my carpet and mats dry.
Is there a special sealer I could buy to resolve this Commercial Three Bayblem?
All help appreciated.
LaChelle G
Enterprise, AL
PS It's not the windshield or my tee tops.
Answer:
PPS I never thought it was the windshield or T-Tops. Most typically it's the base of the windshield wiper transmission. They need to be unbolted, old sealant cleaned away, and carefully re-installed using new sealant.
Not meaning to beat a dead horse, but at a marine supply store you'll find boat life (life caulk). A tube is about six dollars, it's available in black and white. With a little ingenuity this can be done without going inside the car. Read that as - - - you NEVER remove all three retaining nuts at once.
©Copyright Pat Goss all rights reserved 11/30/01 | |
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Date Updated Tuesday, January 01, 2002
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