Topic: Now What?
in Forum: C3 Cooling and Heating Systems
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Lifetime MemberIndianapolis, IN - USA
Joined: 9/3/2006
Posts: 2429
Vette(s): Silver 1974 Convertible - L82 4 speed
Low miles (was only 8,900 when I bought it in March 2006) - Now 54K miles. Original owner bought it as an investment for son's college expenses.
2008 Jetstream Blue Convertible
As noted in Terry's post regarding "Drive your Corvette off a cliff day," post, I had a major heating issue this morning. Just about two miles from home, I beleive the heater core went out - but I'm not sure. There was a large burst of steam from the passenger floorboard. Immediately, I got a stong whif of antifreeze. I took a quick right turn and got home with the car spraying and spewing steam, but before the temperature gauge made it fully to the red.
I did not have time to check the car as I needed to get off to work, so I left it in the garage to cool off. Tonight, I jacked it up and climbed underneath. Obviously, there was antifreeze everywhere. I had almost hoped to see a heater hose off of the heater core or a melted heater hose from the exhaust (I just had the exhaust replaced last week). Alas, twas not to be. I could "see" nothing that decisively told me what had happened. To add to the mystery, the floor on the passenger side of the car is not wet.
So now what? I had a plan to bypass the heater core to try to kill the heat inside the car before leaving for Mystic anyway, but do you think the heater core is really the problem? At this point, I figure that is the easiest "check." Someone in my other post mentioned getting a 5/8" to 3/4" heater hose reducer adapter at "any auto parts store." I figure if I get one of those, connect the two hoses, then fill'er back up with antifreez (properly mixed), the worst thing that could happen would be I get another leak and I immediately shut'er down and get it towed to the shop.
Now that I've written a book explaining my problem and what I plan to do to solve it, please give me some advice (besides telling me to learn brevity) as to whether I'm taking the right road.
Thanks for reading!!
I wanted a Corvette my whole life, but I never dreamed of all the wonderful people I would meet because of it!
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Lifetime MemberIndianapolis, IN - USA
Joined: 9/3/2006
Posts: 2429
Vette(s): Silver 1974 Convertible - L82 4 speed
Low miles (was only 8,900 when I bought it in March 2006) - Now 54K miles. Original owner bought it as an investment for son's college expenses.
2008 Jetstream Blue Convertible
As if I didn't put enough above, two more things...
1 - I was able to get the heater hoses off the heater core
2 - In case any of you are wondering, yes, antifreeze tastes just like it smells
I wanted a Corvette my whole life, but I never dreamed of all the wonderful people I would meet because of it!
Lifetime MemberIndianapolis, IN - USA
Joined: 9/3/2006
Posts: 2429
Vette(s): Silver 1974 Convertible - L82 4 speed
Low miles (was only 8,900 when I bought it in March 2006) - Now 54K miles. Original owner bought it as an investment for son's college expenses.
2008 Jetstream Blue Convertible
Update - I got a heater hose reducer - 3/4 to 5/8. I used it to connect the two hoses from the heater core. I filled the radiator and started it up. Things seemed ok as I warmed it up, but as I puled out of the driveway, I could see a large puddle.
I pulled it back in and jacked it back up a little. The splice was not wet. The fluid was coming from above the splice.
At this point, I'm thinking one of the hoses sprung a leak. I'm going to pull the hoses from the engine and see if I can see the leak. My plan then is to replace the hoses.
If anyone has any other ideas as to what it could be, please let me know asap. If it's much more than this, I'm going to need to take it in, and I need the car back in a week to head to Mystic!
I wanted a Corvette my whole life, but I never dreamed of all the wonderful people I would meet because of it!
if you bypassed the core from the engine, and if the core has a leak somewhere in the core, theres probley still some antifreeze still in the core or heater box trying to work its way out, but if you have a bad hose then it might not be the core, do a vacuum or a pressure test on the core, if it holds then its the hoses, keep the test on for an hr. or so
Lifetime MemberModerator
Duncanville, TX - USA
Joined: 11/8/2003
Posts: 20214
Vette(s): #1-1974 L-48 4spd Cp Med Red Metallic/Black deluxe int w/AC/tilt/tele./p/w-p/b/
Am-Fm/map light National/Regional/Chapter NCRS "Top Flight"
#2-1985 Bright Red/Carmine Cp.L-98/auto
Member: NCRS, NCRS Texas, Corvette Legends of Texas
Like Joe, I'd suspect there is coolant running out of the heater core still.
There are a couple of other possibilities....there is a hole/leak in one of the heater hoses, there may be a freeze plug leaking, or....sit down please...the head gasket could be spitting coolant out. That's a worst case scenario there, but it has happened.
You say you could tell the leak was coming from above where you have the hoses spliced, so that kinda rules out a freeze plug. You might want to just plug off the heater hose nipples at the engine, and eliminate any hose issues, until you have time to replace the hoses, or the heater core.
I'd bet you'll find a hole in one of those hoses, IF it's not in fact just still draining coolant from the core....
There are a couple of other possibilities....there is a hole/leak in one of the heater hoses, there may be a freeze plug leaking, or....sit down please...the head gasket could be spitting coolant out. That's a worst case scenario there, but it has happened.
You say you could tell the leak was coming from above where you have the hoses spliced, so that kinda rules out a freeze plug. You might want to just plug off the heater hose nipples at the engine, and eliminate any hose issues, until you have time to replace the hoses, or the heater core.
I'd bet you'll find a hole in one of those hoses, IF it's not in fact just still draining coolant from the core....
Joel Adams
C3VR Lifetime Member #56 
My Link 
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"Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comforting to cry in a CORVETTE than in a Kia"
Hey Marshall,
I can't offer any more advice than what was said above (Yeah, what he said.). I agree with the possibility of there being some antifreeze left in what may be a leaky heater core. Although, I hope it's as easy as just changing the heater hoses.
Keep us posted.
Kevin
Lifetime MemberIndianapolis, IN - USA
Joined: 9/3/2006
Posts: 2429
Vette(s): Silver 1974 Convertible - L82 4 speed
Low miles (was only 8,900 when I bought it in March 2006) - Now 54K miles. Original owner bought it as an investment for son's college expenses.
2008 Jetstream Blue Convertible
I found the leak in one of the hoses. I replaced them both (I figured if one burst, the other probably wasn't too far behind). Sealed everything back up and started it up again.
Short story long, it leaked again. I figured there must have been another problem, so I drove it to the shop for them to work on it Monday (shop is just a few miles away). When I got it to the shop, I popped the hood and found the source of the new leak. When I ran the new heater hoses, I had one of them against a belt, and it cut through the new hose.
I give up. The car was already at the shop and too hot to drive home, so I just left it. They'll fix it Monday and I'll have it back in plenty of time to go to Mystic.
I wanted a Corvette my whole life, but I never dreamed of all the wonderful people I would meet because of it!
in Forum: C3 Cooling and Heating Systems
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