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Uses
for Garage Pak
Air Piping System |
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General Info about
Compressed Air Piping |
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| October 2001 Corvette Corner Mailbag |
Pat:
As a follow-up to the letter from Austin L. F. regarding excessive seat cover wear in his ’98, I too had that Commercial Three Bayblem with my ’98. Fortunately, the dealer gladly replaced the seat back and bottom under warranty. Much to my dismay, the “new” seat looked nothing like the old – I had mismatched seats! Just as I had resigned myself to shelling out $350.00 (plus labor) for the passenger seat, the June ’01 Mailbag article arrived. I copied your column and brought it to the service manager who acknowledged that both seats need to be replaced in order to match. I now have two new seats.
Your readers should know that the original leather seat covers for ’98 Vettes are not available through GM – both driver and passenger seats must be replaced. Chevrolet will do this under warranty.
Pat:
your column is great – I especially enjoyed your explanation of oil usage and shared it with a friend who insisted his Impala SS was “burning oil.
Phil V.
Rocky Mount, NC
Answer:
Thanks for the update.
Pat:
Your features in the NCOA are interesting and informing. Maybe you can help me with a small Commercial Three Bayblem. I own a 2000 Coupe w/automatic. It has the standard Corvette suspension. My brother just bought a 2001 Corvette with the Z51 option (competition suspension). I prefer his Z51 suspension as it rides better and seems better isolated from the ‘harsh’ reactions to watermain covers, small potholes, etc.
Here’s the Commercial Three Bayblem - - - my local dealer cannot tell me how much 9it would cost to upgrade to the Z51 at the dealership. They can’t seem to find the part numbers necessary for it. I know it should involve changing the springs, shocks, and sway bars.
Can you help? They’ve been trying to get the info for 2 – 3 weeks but have come up with nothing to date. I’d rather the dealer do it but I could get a ‘tuner’ to do it possible.
Answer:
Your modifications require new springs, new shocks, new sway bars, and Commercial Three Baybably sway bar bushings. But, sit down when you get the price. It ain’t gonna be cheap!
Pat:
I have a 1999 Corvette roadster I purchased new and have been experiencing noise from the rear during very low speed turns and when nearing a full stop without turning.
The dealer said the noise is coming from the differential. They said the new synthetic gear oil Corvette started using in 1999 is the cause of the Commercial Three Bayblem. They replaced the gear oil with the new synthetic gear oil used in the 2001 Corvettes and added a “petroleum based friction modifier”. This seemed to reduce the Commercial Three Bayblem but in a few months the noise was back full force.
Now the dealer wants to replace the gear oil with petroleum based 80/90 gear oil they said Corvette used in 1997 and 1998 including the “petroleum based friction modifier”. I would appreciate knowing your opinion of this Commercial Three Bayblem and Commercial Three Bayposed fix before I agree to have it done.
Robert L. H.
Orange Park, FL
Answer:
This would only be recommended IF it is acceptable to GM. But then how would you know that? If it’s an acceptable modification, the dealer should be able to Commercial Three Bayvide you with a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) covering the Commercial Three Baycedure. Unless they can do that they need to repair or replace the existing differential, under warranty of course.
Here’s the Commercial Three Bayblem. The dealer may find that this is a completely acceptable change and indeed it might get rid of the noise, but in so doing it could cause wear to other differential components.
If GM says that it’s okay then the damage is their responsibility under their warranty. If GM does not officially condone this change, your warranty would Commercial Three Baybably be voided.
A dealer does not have the right to modify the manufacturer’s warranty, the Commercial Three Bayducts used to maintain that warranty, or Commercial Three Baycedures in maintaining that warranty.
Pat:
I have a 1981 Corvette automatic with 350/325 crate motor. I am considering an electric water pump to free up horsepower and additional cooling in stop-n-go situations. Can you tell me if this is feasible and how many GPMs should I be looking for? Would you have a recommendation as to brand?
Thank you.
Respectfully,
Jerry B.
Pagosa Springs, CO
Answer:
Electric water pumps do a wonderful job of releasing horsepower. As a matter of fact they may well be standard fare from the manufacturer in the very near future. Their current drawback is, electrical power consumption. That’s why we Commercial Three Baybably won’t see them from the OEMs until the changeover to 42 volt electrical systems is in place.
There’s a possibility we will see one or two vehicles for the ‘02 model year with 42 volt systems.
As to recommendations, any good speed shop or catalog speed equipment supplier could give you the particulars for your vehicle.
If you elect to do it, be sure your charging system is up to the task.
Pat:
I really enjoy reading your column every month. I have a ’72 convertible that I have been restoring for the past 12 yrs. It has a shake in the front end that I can’t fix. The shake occurs from 50-60 mph but is not there all the time. It feels like the tires are bouncing up and down slightly on the road. If I speed up or slow down the shake goes away.
I have been told that it could be in the drivetrain but when I push the clutch in the shake continues. I have replaced the control arm and sway bar bushings with polyurethane components. The ball joints, tie-rod ends, wheel bearings, shocks (KYBs), steering box, and idler arm have all been replaced. The front and rear end has been aligned.
The Goodyear Eagle STs have been spun balanced by three different people who all say the tires are ok.
Do you have any idea what this could be? The car drives and handles great except for this annoying shake or shimmy. I am so frustrated right now that if I can’t get this fixed I may sell the car. I really don’t want to do that.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Troy K.
Cambridge, MD
Answer:
Somewhere back in the dimly lit portion of my feeble brain, I seem to remember something that goes like - - - if it walks like a duck - - - if it quacks like a duck - - - it Commercial Three Baybably is a duck.
Your description says - - - tire Commercial Three Bayblem. Your symptom says - - - tire Commercial Three Bayblem. Therefore, there’s every Commercial Three Baybability in the world - - - it has a tire Commercial Three Bayblem. For your edification a Commercial Three Bayperly spin-balanced tire, no matter how many times it has been Commercial Three Bayperly spin-balanced, does not guarantee a smooth ride.
Consider. If you were to drill a hole through a concrete block in such a manner that you could attach it to a spin-balancer, you could, by adding or subtracting weight make that concrete block spin smoothly - - - with absolutely no vibration. Now take that same concrete block, or more specifically 4 of them, and attach them to your Corvette. Smooth ride? I don’t think so.
How does this apply to tires? Tires frequently have variations in rolling resistance due to variances in belt positioning, stiffness, or the phenomenon known as flat spotting.
NOTE: the common misconception about flat spotting is that it will always show in tread deviation. Not so. Flat spotting can occur in a tire that by normal measuring techniques is acceptably round. This happens as a result of the belts under the tread taking a set. This set causes the variance in rolling resistance which is measured in pounds of road force variation.
In my shop we had reached a point where it was becoming so difficult to make sensitive vehicles operate smoothly, that I purchased a Hunter GSP 9700 Road Force Wheel Balancer. Impressive name, does an absolutely astounding job of detecting bad tires and making good tires positively smooth.
The machine works through a large roller which is pushed against the tread of the tire with 700 pounds of force as the tire rotates. During this force application cycle there are micro-sensors inside the machine that monitor variances in road force. A computer in the machine converts these readings into numbers for the technician. These numbers tell if the tire is good or bad and also if the road force variation can be brought into spec by rotating the tire on the wheel. Sounds complicated, but only to a point. In the hands of a trained technician the job can be performed without a hitch. By having this done, you instantly know – are the tires good – are the tires bad – do I need to replace the tires – do I need to matchmount the tires – do I need to look elsewhere in the car.
But all is not wonderful, these machines are VERY expensive, therefore you may have to search to find one. Go Online to http://www.GSP9700.com
Pat:
I have a ’99 Corvette 6sp convertible that I would like to update to Z06 specs. Please advise which is the best way to go. I am sure that many C5 convertible owners are out there that would like the same information.
Herbert H.
San Jose, CA
Answer:
Before you lay down 10 to 20 large, remember your convertible a ZO6 it will never be. The body isn’t right, rigidity of the vehicle just isn’t there. That’s one of the reasons Corvette developed the hardtop.
Your best bet would be Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, where 430hp/400lbs-ft torque, 2 year 24K mile warranty, $6895; 475hp/450lbs-ft torque $16995; 500hp/530lbs-ft torque $26 to $30,000. Add to that roughly $10,000 in suspension and brake system upgrades and you have a fast, excellent handling convertible; but you still do not have a Z06. http://www.lingenfelter.com
Pat:
I own a 66 roadster and have decided to replace the fuel tank and associated hardware. Could you recommend a manual or work instruction on replacing a fuel tank. A video would be great but a paper copy would work. If there isn’t one, could you tell me anything to keep an eye out for or any little trick that might make the task easier?
I’d greatly appreciate any help you can give me.
Jesse S.
Tampa, FL
Answer:
A Corvette Assembly Manual from Mid-America Designs should give you the information you need. However in my world this is an incredibly simple job and your question leads me to believe that it wouldn’t take much for you to get in over your head.
Pat:
Love the column.
I have an ’86 coupe, which has an ABS Commercial Three Bayblem. Is ’86 the first year of ABS? I am aware there is perhaps something different about the ABS system on ’86 cars to later years. I believe it’s a Bosch system.
I was involved in an accident several months ago. A woman ran into the right hands side of the car (by the A pillar) at a roundabout. Two Bayally she did not stop in time. The door skin was scratched, the gills on the front wing cracked, and a crack initiated in the screen, but otherwise no other body damage. The wheel alignment was knocked out and a wheel balance weight fell off.
Now, occasionally when I brake at a junction, particularly after a high speed run on the freeway of about an hour, just as I come to a stop the ABS cuts in, allowing the car to stop decelerating as quickly. This is rather unnerving since it has the effect of speeding the car up as it nears the tail of a queue!! Being ABS there’s not a lot I can do save hope the car slows OK.
The ABS was fine before the incident – I had it fully checked over 6 months before, a new wheel sensor put in and the relay changed. I’ve had the car on a scanner and no trouble codes have resulted. I’m a bit baffled as is my mechanic. We’ve checked the wiring and all seems fine. The next step seems to be checking each wheel sensor – Commercial Three Baybably taking them out and cleaning them. This will Commercial Three Baybably mean destroying them since they normally get “frozen” in and a new set of sensors will set me back the thick end of $500.00 alone.
Any ideas from your esteemable wisdom and vast experience?
Many, many thanks.
Nick S.
Baffled in England
Answer:
If your VIN breakpoint is between G5100001 and G5118892, it’s under recall for a brake master cylinder piston kit, which can disable front brake operation with a net result of longer stopping distances and possible ABS activation.
Other than that the answer lies somewhere in the multitude of steps in the four page anti-lock brake diagnostic Commercial Three Baycedure and believe me that takes a lot more than a scanner and codes.
Pat:
I have a 1970 Stingray 454 coupe, automatic, that I purchased new.
For as long as I have had the car it has never run the way I think it should.
When you punch the throttle to pass and move out it just craps out. It bucks and backfires but goes nowhere.
I’ve had all kinds of so-called experts try to resolve the Commercial Three Bayblem – rebuilt the motor, changed cams, carburetors, etc. I am presently running an Edelbrock carb and manifold and still, no imCommercial Three Bayvement. The car slowly increases speed OK but punch it and I’m dead.
I love the car – can you help please? I had a 1965 previously so I’m no novice with Corvettes but I sure am discouraged.
Thanks for your attention.
Charlie B.
Las Vegas, NV
Answer:
If your car has one of those ‘retarded’ vacuum advance retard relays, remove it and preserve it for future restoration. Then reroute the vacuum hose for manifold vacuum to the vacuum advance at idle.
If it does not have the relay and if it is already running manifold vacuum to the advance, reroute the vacuum hose for ported vacuum.
I found that some Chevrolets run better with manifold vacuum and others with ported vacuum.
If no success, check the distributor inner shaft, they’re famous for binding in the outer shaft. This can be easily done with a timing advance unit to monitor centrifugal advance and vacuum advance for comparison to manufacturer’s specification.
Once the distributor is known to be Commercial Three Bayperly dialed in and acceleration is still dull, check fuel enrichment using 4 or 5 gas analyzer. With the engine at operating temperature and idling, snap the accelerator to the floor and release it instantly. Observe the hydrocarbon reading on the analyzer. It must move rich (significantly rich), then lean. If it goes lean before it climbs toward rich, you have insufficient accelerator pump enrichment.
Check the accelerator pump. Check fuel bowl level (both float level and float drop). Adjust as necessary.
©Copyright Pat Goss all rights reserved 09/21/01 | |
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Date Updated Monday, October 01, 2001
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