Hi, I'm going to be looking at a 93 soon that has 34K miles on it. Is there anything I should pay extra attention to on an 18 year old vette with so little miles?

Thanks

A lot would depend on how those 34k miles were accumulated. If it was driven and maintained on a fairly regular basis, there probably isn't much to be concerned about. If instead it has sat for a long time, then you'll want to pay close attention to gaskets and seals, check for corrosion in the coolant, and also make sure the fuel system and injectors are in good shape. A few years back I read about a C4 that was parked with 300-some miles on it, and they had to replace much of the fuel system to bring it back to life. In any event, make sure the tires aren't old and dry-rotted.

Good luck!

What Brad said... plus...

A few other things (worst case scenario):

Brakes... the fluid is tar by now.
Belts
Hoses
Sensors - temp sensors that soak in old coolant can get icky.

Why does the car have such low mileage?

Is it a manual or auto? If auto, seals are a real concern.

Check weatherstripping... paint... if its been garaged, should be ok.

I parked next to a 1990 ZR1 yesterday at a local cruise-in with less than 2,500 miles on the odo. He bought it a couple years ago and it had been kept in someone's basement rec. room for years. Apparently there was a garage door to get it in and out but the car had been kept climate controlled at all times. The only replacement items on the car now is the battery, tires and fluids. Other than that he said the car is still essentially like new. He had a professional shop polish and buff the paint as it did have some fine swirls just from sitting in the persons rec room but this car was unbelievable right down to little details like the LT5 plug wires that looked like they were brand new. All the seals and weatherstrip looked great. No grundge in the door jambs. Just like a new ZR1.

I decided long ago that I can't buy a car that I feel bad about racking up a ton of miles on. I own them to drive them not make them a garage queen. If I had a big block C2 I would want it to be a numbers incorrect car so I could drive it and wear it out and rebuild it and drive it some more. Life's too short......

Hey there guy's. I am in the same boat. About 4 weeks ago from a collector (thru ebay) I bought a 1991 Steel Blue Coupe , automatic with only 13,282 miles on it. It had mice nests built inside the console (mouse piss stinks) and also built nests all up under the intake runners. I will be needing lots of tips and advice from you Gurus.

Welcome to the Guru VQ, I don't think there is a C4 question that someone here does not know about. That's to bad that the PO let that happen to such a low miles car. I would be concerned about the wiring that they may have chewed up......post some pics if you can.

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Ya, outside of cleaning up the mess you have to find what they liked for a snack. See what's working and what isn't. Standard troubleshooting proceedures apply. If you have specific operational questions give it a shot in C4 Technical. Someone will help you from there.

Look for any sign of chewed through split loom - that's the black plastic stuff the wire is protected with.

Inside, look for signs of nibbled on wire.

I would be cautious. If you find any sign of damaged wiring, I would then take the approach there is more. And go accordingly. IF that means gutting the interior, to properly clean the carpets and get rid of the odor, and inspect all harnesses, I would do it.

I know it sucks... I am so very sorry, but the last thing you need are two wires, on the wrong side of the harness, to touch... the rest is smokey history.

being a recent pack rat victum i will say if you find one nibbled wire there will be alot more. ck the air inlet screens below the windshield if there is a chewed hole there u can bet they got into the dash. which i am attempting to fix as we speak. Welcome i hope you find everyone here as inviting and helpful as i have!!
JIM

If you run into a big mess, it will be worth buying a few tools... one is the Helm Factory Service Manual. They are year specific.

Another is a good soldering iron! I am a big fan of the Weller SP80. Hot isn't the word for it, and it's reasonably priced.

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Yea, you can't work on these cars without a Helm's.

I need an SP 80, have the smaller one. Definately don't buy a Weller gun type, they're junk.

And the fancy solder stations are just that - fancy! The basic SP80 will do all you need.

A couple other thoughts... if you have a Harbor Freight, get one of their cheapo butane torches. Great for melting heat shrink tubing.

Also, get the good heat shrink tubing. It has a goo inside that will melt and create a very good seal. Excellent stuff.

Finally, a good DVM is always nice to have. I am a big fan of Fluke meters. Their basic unit will do all what we need.

Don't forget a test light, either. These are basic cheapy tools for probing a circuit and such. Find a ground, clamp, power to the wire and poke until a light comes on. A good clamping point is the steering column or one of the ground points inside the car.

Some of the stuff is available at Harbor Freight, if you have access to a store called Frys, they have the heat shrink and the Weller SP80 (under $40.00). Also, they sell Fluke meters.

The SP80:

http://www.frys.com/product/2834684?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

1/4" "lined" heat shrink. Same deal. Has the goo!
http://www.frys.com/product/4700479?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

The Fluke 114:
http://www.frys.com/product/4998671?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG

Harbor Freight - the torch!

http://www.harborfreight.com/micro-torch-42099.html

I have that torch and it works really well. No complaints.

Cheapo Test light:

http://www.harborfreight.com/circuit-tester-30779.html

I have the Fluke 111, I think it is now out of production, but the 114 should be the replacement. Check Sears for options.

Radio Shack used to be a good source of product, but these days, it's a joke. The staff doesn't know heat shrink from hot water. They try hard, real hard (at least around here), but they are just not well trained any more.

The Weller SP80 is being marketed these days for stained glass work. It is a killer iron, no question. Also consider getting a good stand for it. Don't bother with the expensive stations, no point in that, really. You don't need less heat! And you are not dealing with circuit board level repair, just get this hot one and be really happy. It will do all repairs for a car or in house. I use mine for RC car racing, too. The only thing it can't do is circuit board level repair, and gee, I don't know many here who can do that. Well, I can, short of pulling a memory chip off a board and putting on a socket, but that's it... and even then, be delicate or you will ruin the tracings in the board!

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I can.... But my eyes are not what they were in the 80s. Probably from soldering under a scope every day....

I soldered every day for a living for many years back in the dark ages (1978-1984). I have soldered everything from F-16 PCB and harnesses to underwater submersible equipment for the Navy to gold chip mounted wire bonds under a Scope for programs that don't have a name. Oh, and I taught solder school for a while too...

My favorite soldering tool is still my old 1980s era Weller soldering station.



However I will say that the little Weller SP80 is OK for most automotive work. I have one but still drag out my old Weller Solder Station for most work because I can dial in the temp I want and change tips pretty easily to what type of work I'm doing. Anyhow, Andy has give some good suggestions. I also like to have a damp sponge available to wipe my tip off periodically and re-tin it. Frequent re-tinning of the solder tip will keep it from oxidizing while it sits idle and it will last longer and prevent cold solder joints. Also, when you are done for the day, tin that tip again but really put a good glob on it and let it cool with the glob of solder on it.

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When I bought my 94 a couple of years ago it had 32,000 miles on it. It had been driven annually in summer and stored in winters. It had spring oil changes with Mobil 1 but other than that nothing had been touched. I replaced all the fluids and the belt and the hatch weatherstrip and it's been fine.