This one had a fuel pump problem last Saturday and I had to go fetch it off the interstate- it quit while he was driving home. Came up less than 10 minutes short lol.
Kurt ordered a new pump and sending unit and installed them yesterday. I know I bought the pump that failed so I was a bit surprised it failed as it does not have 4000 miles yet. As memory serves I had to exchange it shortly after purchase too.
89 Corvette Mostmint #43
Moderators: MostMint, wxo, Fred32v, Basement Paul, ttamrettus
Re: 89 Corvette Mostmint #43
[quote="Basement Paul"]Is that a mint rocketship on the hood?? :shock:
-BP[/quote]
-BP[/quote]
Re: 89 Corvette Mostmint #43
What brand of fuel pumps are you using?
Re: 89 Corvette Mostmint #43
I'll have to check which pump next time I go to the garage
This car has been cutting the outside edges of the front tires, so today I went to work to address it. The tires were towed in about 1/2", and both had positive camber. I took two shims from each mooring bolt on the left and one each on the right. The car now has -.2 / -.3 camber. Left side was super easy to adjust. For some reason right side I had to remove the center of the fender to reach the mooring bolts.
There is also some clunking when you turn the steering wheel. The rack may be a little loose, or the knuckle going in may be loose. This is next to address.
At the end I decided to rotate the tires, and during the swap I found both rear wheel bearings to be loose.
This car has been cutting the outside edges of the front tires, so today I went to work to address it. The tires were towed in about 1/2", and both had positive camber. I took two shims from each mooring bolt on the left and one each on the right. The car now has -.2 / -.3 camber. Left side was super easy to adjust. For some reason right side I had to remove the center of the fender to reach the mooring bolts.
There is also some clunking when you turn the steering wheel. The rack may be a little loose, or the knuckle going in may be loose. This is next to address.
At the end I decided to rotate the tires, and during the swap I found both rear wheel bearings to be loose.
[quote="Basement Paul"]Is that a mint rocketship on the hood?? :shock:
-BP[/quote]
-BP[/quote]
Re: 89 Corvette Mostmint #43
Fuel pump being installed is a Delphi.
I checked my records I can't confirm where the failed one came from - I bought one from NAPA that failed with almost no use - which they warrantied. If I had to guess that is the one that failed again.
Adjusted the steering rack. Spec said adjuster nut should be 50-70 degrees rotation away from bottoming out. It was a little over 120. This improved the problem but it is still there.
To complete this round of work I finished installing the air pump bypass pulley, plugged the lines off the headers with NPT thread caps, plugged the lines to the converter with plugs I clamped into the hoses. I also removed the "flywheel" weight off the front of the water pump. In total 17 lbs came off the car, though a few went back on with the bypass pulley brackets.
Took it for a test drive - this car runs better than it deserves.
I checked my records I can't confirm where the failed one came from - I bought one from NAPA that failed with almost no use - which they warrantied. If I had to guess that is the one that failed again.
Adjusted the steering rack. Spec said adjuster nut should be 50-70 degrees rotation away from bottoming out. It was a little over 120. This improved the problem but it is still there.
To complete this round of work I finished installing the air pump bypass pulley, plugged the lines off the headers with NPT thread caps, plugged the lines to the converter with plugs I clamped into the hoses. I also removed the "flywheel" weight off the front of the water pump. In total 17 lbs came off the car, though a few went back on with the bypass pulley brackets.
Took it for a test drive - this car runs better than it deserves.
[quote="Basement Paul"]Is that a mint rocketship on the hood?? :shock:
-BP[/quote]
-BP[/quote]
Re: 89 Corvette Mostmint #43
I was told by a Delphi customer service rep that their fuel pumps have a limited lifetime warranty. Just FYI.
I guess they realize how bad they really are.
I guess they realize how bad they really are.
Re: 89 Corvette Mostmint #43
Another round of Christmas gift work recently:
The car has been running poorly and finally it got to where it wouldn't run well enough to move itself. It ran well enough to load on the trailer so we brought it over here. It was a bit hard starting and would backfire quite a bit.
Kurt had changed 6 of the 8 plugs and wires a while back. Between those and the coil I kinda figured there is a problem with ignition. I ran it in the dark looking for wires arcing but found none. I've experienced plug wires that started having problems after they ran for a minute or so which made this the first attempt. Unfortunately none of this changed the way the car runs.
Also tackled replacing the valve cover gaskets. Getting them out was a bit of a challenge. The passenger side required removing the A/C compressor from the brackets. This uncovered the tensioner bracket was a bit loose. It also require removing a tube for EGR from exhaust to intake. After removal I spent a fair amount of time cleaning them. Also this gave us a chance to look inside the engine. It's not perfect but it is a lot cleaner inside than when we had it open to change out the intake gasket a few years back. The new gaskets looked to be about an inch too short but they stretched pretty easy and that also helped hold them to the cover during installation.
I also decided that EGR tube needed to be eliminated so I fabricated some plates to cover the EGR openings in the intake and the exhaust manifold.
After the ignition repairs had no effect I put the fuel pressure gauge on it and found its only generating 22 PSI of pressure. With that info I ordered a fuel pressure regulator - but its not here yet. After that I tried putting some shims in there (layers of cardboard) to increase the pressure but it changed nothing. At this point I am questioning if the pump or filter is the problem. I have a couple options to try another pump - a good spare or borrow the unit from my 89.
More to come...
The car has been running poorly and finally it got to where it wouldn't run well enough to move itself. It ran well enough to load on the trailer so we brought it over here. It was a bit hard starting and would backfire quite a bit.
Kurt had changed 6 of the 8 plugs and wires a while back. Between those and the coil I kinda figured there is a problem with ignition. I ran it in the dark looking for wires arcing but found none. I've experienced plug wires that started having problems after they ran for a minute or so which made this the first attempt. Unfortunately none of this changed the way the car runs.
Also tackled replacing the valve cover gaskets. Getting them out was a bit of a challenge. The passenger side required removing the A/C compressor from the brackets. This uncovered the tensioner bracket was a bit loose. It also require removing a tube for EGR from exhaust to intake. After removal I spent a fair amount of time cleaning them. Also this gave us a chance to look inside the engine. It's not perfect but it is a lot cleaner inside than when we had it open to change out the intake gasket a few years back. The new gaskets looked to be about an inch too short but they stretched pretty easy and that also helped hold them to the cover during installation.
- dirty but not bad
- cleaned and stretch fit gaskets installed
- loose bolt on the tensioner
After the ignition repairs had no effect I put the fuel pressure gauge on it and found its only generating 22 PSI of pressure. With that info I ordered a fuel pressure regulator - but its not here yet. After that I tried putting some shims in there (layers of cardboard) to increase the pressure but it changed nothing. At this point I am questioning if the pump or filter is the problem. I have a couple options to try another pump - a good spare or borrow the unit from my 89.
- low PSI
- used a cardboard box to make some shims
- put the shims in the cover
- this heater core line insert was brittle and broke during valve cover removal
- idler pulley has a few thousand miles and is already leaking out grease
- plenty of junk sitting on the intake - mouse and or chipmunks were here
[quote="Basement Paul"]Is that a mint rocketship on the hood?? :shock:
-BP[/quote]
-BP[/quote]
-
Basement Paul
- Posts: 3538
- Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2005 9:27 pm
- Location: In the dirt.
Re: 89 Corvette Mostmint #43
Hopefully those critters didn't get to something electrical... Might be part of the problem?
-BP
-BP
Re: 89 Corvette Mostmint #43
Possible but hickory nuts are what I found and there are none of those at Kurt's place.
I'll keep it on the list as a possible.
The regulator that was supposed to be here last Saturday now scheduled to be here tomorrow.
I'll keep it on the list as a possible.
The regulator that was supposed to be here last Saturday now scheduled to be here tomorrow.
[quote="Basement Paul"]Is that a mint rocketship on the hood?? :shock:
-BP[/quote]
-BP[/quote]
Re: 89 Corvette Mostmint #43
Updates:
1) Fuel pressure issue is resolved. I removed the fuel pump/sending unit and found the plastic clamps on the hose connecting the pump to the sending unit to be broken.
2) Starting the car uncovered the gauge cluster not working properly. In this adventure I learned there are several issues the main being the polarized layer on the digital dash. The material just gives up which leaves every lighted part bright. I could buy all the parts but I decided to buy a rebuilt one. It's on the way.
3) This car starts but when its cold it won't idle on its own. In a minute or three depending on outside temps it will idle on its own. the main potential culprit here is the idle air controller solenoid (IAC). It could be faulty, or the wiring, or the air port it controls could be blocked.
1) Fuel pressure issue is resolved. I removed the fuel pump/sending unit and found the plastic clamps on the hose connecting the pump to the sending unit to be broken.
- found some bad grounds on the way to fixing the fuel issue
- bad clamps on newer unit - no way these are 3 yrs old
- polarizing film leaves all lighted sections bright
[quote="Basement Paul"]Is that a mint rocketship on the hood?? :shock:
-BP[/quote]
-BP[/quote]
Re: 89 Corvette Mostmint #43
1) The rebuilt gauge cluster finally came in and got installed. It looks good.
2) It seems I was way off on the idle issue.
I took off the throttle body and found the gasket to be sketchy, and I cleaned it up a bit. There was some carbon build up near the blades. I also inspected the IAC including resistance tests and it was in spec. Test after reinstall found the idle to be too high. The factory manual actually says it should idle around 450 RPMs. I'm targeting 600 but it was more like 900 in gear. So I tried backing down the idle air adjustment, reducing the timing by a couple degrees to no avail. At this point I reasoned that there was some kind of vacuum leak so I pulled the throttle body again. Gasket looked good. I pulled the IAC out and found it had some type of sealer on the threads (maybe one thread width) that had long dried out and was cracking. I replaced that with Teflon. I also tightened up a vacuum line plug, the PCV line from the throttle body to valve cover, and the plate I used to cover the EGR port in the back was removed, trimmed down and new gasket installed. It looked like this plate may have been catching a little on the intake manifold or possibly the bolts were just a thread too long to hold it down all the way.
Anyway all this worked. It started on its own, and when it got up to temp it was idling at 500. I used the throttle body stop to let in a little more air so it would idle at 600 in gear. Cold start now has it idling at about 1000 in park which is a little higher than I like but acceptable.
3) I had also noticed the hose from the radiator to the overflow bottle was routed incorrectly, had dry rot cracks and some kinks in it, and the water level was a bit low. So I replaced that with a fresh hose (and clamps which it did not have), and topped off the system. I suspect there may also be an issue with the radiator cap but I just cleaned it and we'll keep an eye on it.
I'm done with this round of gift repairs it's headed back to Kurt's soon.
- surprised the color difference in cicuit board the old one looks quite faded. seller said he repairs them does not replace the board
I took off the throttle body and found the gasket to be sketchy, and I cleaned it up a bit. There was some carbon build up near the blades. I also inspected the IAC including resistance tests and it was in spec. Test after reinstall found the idle to be too high. The factory manual actually says it should idle around 450 RPMs. I'm targeting 600 but it was more like 900 in gear. So I tried backing down the idle air adjustment, reducing the timing by a couple degrees to no avail. At this point I reasoned that there was some kind of vacuum leak so I pulled the throttle body again. Gasket looked good. I pulled the IAC out and found it had some type of sealer on the threads (maybe one thread width) that had long dried out and was cracking. I replaced that with Teflon. I also tightened up a vacuum line plug, the PCV line from the throttle body to valve cover, and the plate I used to cover the EGR port in the back was removed, trimmed down and new gasket installed. It looked like this plate may have been catching a little on the intake manifold or possibly the bolts were just a thread too long to hold it down all the way.
- sketchy gasket
- have not used one of these in quite a while
3) I had also noticed the hose from the radiator to the overflow bottle was routed incorrectly, had dry rot cracks and some kinks in it, and the water level was a bit low. So I replaced that with a fresh hose (and clamps which it did not have), and topped off the system. I suspect there may also be an issue with the radiator cap but I just cleaned it and we'll keep an eye on it.
I'm done with this round of gift repairs it's headed back to Kurt's soon.
[quote="Basement Paul"]Is that a mint rocketship on the hood?? :shock:
-BP[/quote]
-BP[/quote]
-
Basement Paul
- Posts: 3538
- Joined: Sun Jul 17, 2005 9:27 pm
- Location: In the dirt.
Re: 89 Corvette Mostmint #43
Woo! That's a lot of stuff. That's a pretty good xmas present!
-BP
-BP
Re: 89 Corvette Mostmint #43
FWIW I started mine today and when its cold it idles at 1300, and idles down fairly quickly after it warms up a little. I know exactly what I would change if this thing had a Megasquirt ECU!
For future updates to the car:
1) still has a sketchy idler for the serpentine belt. I have the air pump it might be best to turn it into an idler or possibly find a replacement pulley
2) battery is from 2018 and was not holding a charge too well. Might be OK if it gets driven regularly
3) I don't like the brake pedal I think there is a bit too much travel before engaging. Is there a gap between master cylinder and brake booster?
4) control module for headlights is not attached to the car. It's located in the cavity in front of LF tire
5) might be a slight exhaust leak on left side manifold
6) windshield washer squirter hoses not functional
7) hood latches are out of alignment and both sides do not stay latched down
For future updates to the car:
1) still has a sketchy idler for the serpentine belt. I have the air pump it might be best to turn it into an idler or possibly find a replacement pulley
2) battery is from 2018 and was not holding a charge too well. Might be OK if it gets driven regularly
3) I don't like the brake pedal I think there is a bit too much travel before engaging. Is there a gap between master cylinder and brake booster?
4) control module for headlights is not attached to the car. It's located in the cavity in front of LF tire
5) might be a slight exhaust leak on left side manifold
6) windshield washer squirter hoses not functional
7) hood latches are out of alignment and both sides do not stay latched down
[quote="Basement Paul"]Is that a mint rocketship on the hood?? :shock:
-BP[/quote]
-BP[/quote]