hi my name is Justin and i have a 93 corevette in which my dad gave me as my first car i love her to death. but i have a problem and iam perplexed with how to handle. the other night my car overheated and i wated 4 hours to try to start it up and it was making a knockin sound so i left it on the side of the road and walked home got a ride this morning and checked the oil for leakes from coolant and vice versa found nothin now when i start the car the knockin is gone but will only ide for a lil while then shut off and i dont know what going on if there someone that can point mein the right direction and a guestamate of how much it would cost it be greatly appreciated i dont want to put my baby down but i need to know what iam lookin at

How is the coolant level in the overflow bottle and in the surge tank? Do you know how to use the bleeder screws to purge trapped air out of the engine? Is there a sign of water leaking from the weep hole on the bottom of the water pump? Did you get a check engine warning on the dash?

i turn it on now its gone the check engine warning and i dont know how to purge trapped air out of the engine u think it will be expensive to fix

Could be.

What do you mean overheated? How high did the coolant temp get to? Did you shut the car off, or did it, did you see steam pouring out the hood?

Remove the oil cap, does the underside have milky looking stuff on it? Or in side the valve cover right under it?

Quote:

First check the oil. If it looks milky there is probably water/coolant in it - do not even start the car. Assuming it is not knocking and no sign of a leak at the water pump then next step, if the oil is good and the levels for oil and coolant are good, then I would purge the air out of the block. Look at the t/stat housing (where the lower radiator hose hooks up) and you will see a brass colored slotted screw. That is the bleeder screw. Wrap some paper towels or rags around it so nothing drips down on the optispark. Start the engine and open the screw until coolant comes out, close the screw and keep the motor running (the surge tank cap should be off). Surge tank is the one up by the windshield on the passenger side. Once it reaches operating temperature and the t/stat opens then bleed it again. Of course add coolant to the tank if necessary and put the cap back on when done.

Now go back to the original issue. How hot did it get and for how long? Did you shut it off or did it shut down? Any leaks or white smoke out the exhaust?

I just reread your first statement. It actually sounds like you should scan it for fault codes first.

the oil was fine i was driving down i 75 and it started over heating and there was no where to pull of yet it got to 270 a lil past the red line i saw white steam commin from the the hood and the car did shut itself off and yes there is white smoke commin out the back

oh and also i was losing oil pressure and i was also the oil temperature was rising

Where is the car? Maybe a local guru can stop by and take a look at it.

Ouch! From your last two posts it sure sounds like you cooked the engine big time. Usually the first thing to go is a head gasket, then a cracked or warped head. Loss of oil pressure and rising temps often mean a spun bearing. I suggest you get a reliable local shop involved as there isn't much more to be done without a hands on.

I-75? Where?

florida

ouch were talkin about 3 grand arent we

Quote:

Big state,
Where exactly? We have gurus throughout Florida.

Quote:

Good thing your here. With all the technical threads available you'll be able to tear that sucka down and get her running in no time. Get a Factory Service Manual ASAP. Sounds like your going to need it. Get ready to take some pics.

Where is Prozac?

Where on I-75?

I would have to say the motor is toast.

If you hit 270, and steam, and a loss of oil pressure... yuck. I am not even sure of a rebuild will be doable. If the block is scored. The crank is suspect, too.

I would hit the salvage yards and start looking for an LT1. An F-Body unit will work just fine.

Contact www.vette2vette.com once you get a better idea of what is going on.

Quote:

When the engine cut-off, do you know if it actually locked up (seized (locked back wheels)) or did it just stop producing power?

What engine oil are you using and when was it last changed? (good quality modern oils can provide a lot of protection under some extreme situations).

Possibly the engine is cooked or a head gasket is blown, but """if""" I understand correctly (the experts on here can confirm or correct me... please), there is a weak point on the engine design where inlet manifold gaskets can let go and allow coolant into the combustion chamber, if so this might produce white smoke and hydraulicing which in extreme cases can produce a 'knock'.

If you are still starting the engine to check things, watch out that the water pump or anything else isn't leaking onto the opti-spark.

Just my (not a guru by any means) thoughts.

PS: Good luck and hope it fixable.

Quote:

Sorry, but the LT1/4 engines have a dry intake..(no coolant in the intake passage) so if there is coolant getting into the combustion chambers best case scenario is head gasket....worse case cracked block....in between the two would be a warped/cracked head...

ok thanks guys your like a family i never had lol but i stay in tampa florida off of bruce b downs and to answer fluffs questions the car just shut off the car was still rollin but if shut completley off and sputtered when i tried to turn back on. ANd i was using mobil 1 synthetic 5w 30

Quote:

No sorry Aboutguy, many thanks for correcting me

It doesn't sound real promising. One way to assess if you have bearing damage is to drain your oil into a clean container and then slowly pour it through some very fine cloth - any bronze-colored residue would likely indicate bearing damage.

Quote:

First off, you need to get the car home.

Then start the debugging process.

1. Drain the existing oil. Inspect for debris and or coolant. If there is coolant, it will either turn the oil into a chocolate milkshake or, will spread random green drops everywhere. You see, coolant, ethylene-glycol, is a solvent. E-G is an alcohol base and will eat the bejeebus outta motor oil. Once mixed, it turns oil into liquid sand paper and has bearings for lunch.

2. Remove the filter, cut open and do the same. You are looking fore shavings of metal, really. If you see silver, bad... very bad.

3. If those tests look good, then refill with fresh oil. I would NOT waste the money on M1 right now, just use Castrol GTX 5-30. We are still not sure if all is right, so why waste the good stuff?

4. Pull a sparkplugs. If liquid comes out, or the spark plug is REALLY REALLY clean, you have a problem. Both indicate head gasket/head/block failure. This means coolant got in, super heated and steam cleaned the plugs. If liquid is still there, well, that's just icing on the cake.

5. Now it's time to get busy... drain the coolant. See how much is left (as best you can). Also look for oil in the coolant. This will more than likely look like black spots streaking in the coolant. Remember, there is a lot more coolant than oil, and when the boundry is breached, more coolant will come in than oil will go out. Oil may be under higher pressure, but the thinner solvent will have the oil for lunch.

If all is bad, and for some reason, I expect it to be really bad, it's time to make a decision.

What can you afford? What is your goal? Have you planned a new engine or is this a real pain in the ass right now?

I reiterate my point from above, consider a used long block. They are much cheaper and will get you on the road very quickly. Coming from a good salvage yard, they offer a warrantee. I have had good luck with http://www.jimsauto.com/about.htm. I dealt with their import arm a few years back, good prices, very professional.

Also, www.vette2vette.com. Tell'm we/I sent ya. Jason is a stand up guy.

AVOID THE SPECIALITY SHOPS. Ever since Chris Petris moved his shop out of Orlando, I don't know who I would recommend.

If you go used, get either a Vette or Camaro/Firebird engine. Get one from a 93-97 Camaro. Just the engine. You will need to reuse your intake and exhaust manifolds.

Do you have a manual or automatic transmission? Did I miss that detail?

i have an automatic transmission

In order to drain all of the coolant, you'll need to remove the knock sensors (there's one on each side of the block). You can see one just below the middle of this picture:




Note that there will be a metal shield partially covering them that needs to be removed. Also be prepared to have a bucket handy and your face out of the way when you remove the sensor - it gushes out of there pretty good.

if this winds up being my engine is gone then iama have to make my dad proud and get her back up to code with a new motor and a turbo but aint thinkin about that right now iama start taking pictures and videos for you guys to see.... Gurus give me strength

My biggest concern is if the block isn't toast... it could have died. It might have died, causing this failure.

We are here! Worry not!

any updates?