| State of the C4 |
Subject: State of the C4 by bogus on 2015/5/3 5:18:47 Even though the Guru is open and appreciates all generations of the Corvette, we are still rather C4 centric. I would like to think we are one of the best sites for C4 tech on the Interwebs... We have a tech brain trust here that is second to none, in my humble opinion. Owners, enthusiasts, hobbyists and professionals who have done just about everything you can imagine to keep their C4's on the road. However we are going to be running into an epic problem... one that could unravel the C4 for good: PARTS. So far, the following parts are now unavailable, short of lost NOS somewhere in a warehouse in North Dakota or something: * Dual Mass Flywheel * 1992/93 Engine Controllers * 4+3 parts (IIRC) * Clutch parts, 1989-96 * Shock activators (FX3) * EGR Solenoid I am sure there are other parts, but those are pretty serious. The following aftermarket parts have shown nothing but heartache for owners: * Optisparks, period * Clutches * Pick your poison, anything reman'd (alternators, starters) * Sensors (coolant temp sensors are a bitch) * Door courtesy light switches * Easy access to oil for the ZF6 As an outlier: * Engine controllers (92/93) - this is a real problem, if one does fail, there isn't anyone out there who can properly fix the damned things. They either don't know how, don't have the diagnostic tools, or use shit parts to repair it with. This is going to make keeping a C4 operational is going to get harder and harder. Replacement Optisparks failing every 15k miles... Coolant Temp Sensors that last all of 20 miles, if they survive the first startup! Reman'd alternators that last all of 8 months. Then comes the aftermarket... there is some support, but it isn't cheap... and, to make matters worse, much of it is blingy garbage or seriously expensive. And if you have a C4 Mark 1 (84-88), good luck getting much from the aftermarket. It does exist, yes, but the options are much more limited. What I suggest to my fellow C4 owners is this: If you intend on keeping the car, start hoarding parts. Keep a stash of spare parts on hand. Do maintenance well in advance of a suspect part breaking. Don't be cheap. Don't buy the lowest price part just because, you will get boned for that down the road. I have been... and I know what I am doing. Practice due diligence and you will be ok. Finally... a few trusted vendors I deal with: * MidAmerica * RockAuto.com * TireRack.com * Vette2vette.com * Corvette Central * Dino's Corvette Salvage * Power Torque Systems |
