Thanks for reading. So I got this '94 z28 for free. It starts, and WAS running just fine. The body is in good condition and all it really needed was some new tires. 103k miles on it -i think I lucked out.

I drove it for a while, but found that it was overheating when idling for too long or moving at slow speeds. Aside from that it was running beautifully, sounded great, didnt seem to have any issues. Easy - the radiator fan wasnt turning on at all, hot conditions or heater blowing. So i did some troubleshooting, tested relays (all were fine but i replaced them anyways); checked all connections which looked good; unplugged the coolant temp sensor and suddenly the fan would come on. So i replaced that sensor, but no fix. Somehow in the midst of all of this I have jacked something electrical up - now my battery won't charge while the engine is running, it actually loses voltage. Also, it suddenly runs like crap as the voltage is dropping. Now it will only run for about 2 minutes after jumping it until the battery drains and engine sputters out. Before I did all this troubleshooting, this was not the case. Maybe I did something wrong. Ive reseated the battery, made sure everything related to cooling and intake was plugged in correctly (as thats the only area i worked on) and made sure relays and fuses were seated snug. My only obvious guess is something to do with the alternator - but i dont understand how it could work one day and crap out the next while just sitting in the parking lot. The only thing I did to the car in between today and the day before, when it was running and working just fine, was fix a problem with the door panel and test/replace the relays.

I'm at a loss here. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Im no expert with cars, I have my trusty haynes manual but i havnt delved into this kind of work yet.

 

i would say take the alt. out and have it checked. it takes a certain amount of amps and volts to run the ingnition, you are just giving it enough charge to run for a few minutes when u jump it. the less voltage there is the worse it runs untill it dies. it probly dosnt have anything to do with what you were working on. most alternators charge directly back to the battery through the larger positive wire between the two. most likely looking at needing a new alt. but better have it checked to make sure. there not cheap.

 

Thanks for the help. So I removed the alt. and had it tested, it was bad. Now with a new alt its working great. EXCEPT for the damn radiator fans. Once again, i replaced the relays, i even bought a multimeter to check the alternator so i used it on the relays and the block. Everything checks out. I replaced the coolant temp sensor and it still wont come on. I know the fans work because they come on immediately when the coolant temp sensor is unplugged.

Any ideas?

 

I have a '96 z28 and the fans actually never came on for me either until I put a 160 thermostat in and got my pcm retuned. I don't think that's the easiest way to go about it but you may have a thermostat thats stuck closed, might be worth replacing it since a new one only costs $25.

 

has the ses light been on from the time you put the new battery in? if so check for stored trouble codes. theres two cooling fan relays that control the fans. the book points to those as a posible cause. also the ecm.

 

if a new thermostat doesn't fix it, try just putting a switch in for your fans, that should fix your problems, it's a free car, so installing a small switch in an unnoticible location won't put you at much of a loss.

 

I agree put a switch on it if it isnt working with a new thermostat. Then use it in Traffic and keep it off on the highway. Just make sure you keep reminding yourself you got the fan switch. Mount it somewhere where u can always see it, you dont wanna blow a headgasket, its not a fun time lol.

 

I Appreciate the help guys. Im going to install a manual switch this weekend. I found out that the seconday fan is coming on at a temp around 230 on the gauge, but doesnt seem like the primary is coming on.

So after some driving i've noticed a new problem. A coolant leak! After noticing this I replaced the water pump myself just in case. I think i did a crappy job because its leaking from the weep hole, but ill fix that with some new gaskets and a real torque wrench if theyre not already sealed to the block.

Anyways, I can't really tell where the coolant is leaking from until it gets to the bottom of the engine. It drips down near the middle on the passenger side. However, this only happens when the engine is warm! I can run it until about midway on the temp gauge and then all the sudden i smell burning coolant and can see a puddle of coolant on the ground closer to the passenger side. I wonder if a block drain plug is busted or something? Any help is appreciated with this.

Also, I have the smell of gas in my oil. I hear this is common with cars that havnt been driven for a while or are only driven short distances. But im also kind of worried about a busted head gasket. I checked for all the telltale signs of a busted gasket and nothing seems obvious in that respect. Should I be worried enough to really get it checked out by a real mechanic???


***Update 050609
So I applied the right amount of torque to the bolts on the water pump and crossthreaded them in the right order. The leak from that area has stopped. However, its still leaking from the passenger side of the engine. The weird thing is, on one trip I warmed her up and drove about a mile, then checked for the leak and a puddle was forming. When I returned home, the leak stopped? I checked to make sure i still had coolant, and the radiator was almost full.

I'm real confused by this problem. Any ideas out there?

 

So i drove her around town today. I checked at every place i stopped and there was no coolant leaking.


Im real confused?


Is it possible that I overfilled her and the coolant leak was a result of that? If so, wouldnt the leak come from the overflow tank?

Do coolant leaks often times fix themselves?

 

could be from the airconditioning. it swets and freezes and when u stop and let it set it will melt and leave a puddle. otherwise your heater hoses are on that side and the heater core is on that side. could be one of those that is only leaking when the pressure gets up. the only other is the overflow tank leaking, head gasket or a soft plug.