Hello, I just bought a '97 Z28 on January 30th (last week). The seller said all it needed was a new water pump...so the next day, I bought a new water pump, battery, thermostat, and antifreeze.

We removed the old water pump and old thermostat and replaced them with brand new ones and well as used the antifreeze. I went and ran a test drive, and almost immediately it began to overheat and smoke from the mufflers and underneath the hood, and the thermostat was removed. When I got home (let me mention I am working with another person who knows a lot more about cars and is making the decisions and such) I...we...used a sealant to fix the head gasket and warp heads. After running the car as the directions said to, massive pressure built up underneath the radiator, and the cap blew off and liquid shot out. The car then began to shut down. The next day, we used the bleeder valve to bleed it, and it ran about 5-10 miles perfectly, and then it began to overheat again. There is also no heat from the heater.

The antifreeze was drained and some gunk came out, and for now the car is on water, and the thermostat is still removed, as well as the air flow tube. What could the overheating possibly be caused by? The engine light is on, and it does need an oil change (the meter jumps around wildly while the car is on) and the temperature meter is constantly on low (and we know it works because it has moved once and simply fell back down to 0).

Sorry for the wall of text and thank you kindly for the assistance. I'm beginning to think the "water pump fix" was more than just that.

 

If you have a blown head gasked, which seems to be the case, the mechanic in a can is not going to fix it.

 

car was overheated from the bad waterpump, and blew the headgasket...all the symptoms match up...look in the oil, im betting it will be milky like

 

I'll check the oil tomorrow and do something about the blown head gasket if that's the case, thanks.

 

if it blew the cap off the radiator then it might very well be a cracked block. when u take the heads off u will need to have a real close look at the cylinder walls. if theres a bunch of stop leak stuff in the cooling system u may also be looking at replacing a radiator and heater core in the near future. u will need to take the heads in to a machine shop to check for cracks, flatness and for reconditioning

 

Or he can just squeeze the whole car...... and make some lemonade!



Sorry dude but you may have bought someone else's problems

 

that all depends. if he bought the car "as is", in other words, agreed that it was not in running condition, then he probably got the thing for $1,000 so even if the engine is completely shot, $1,000 wouldn't be bad if the exterior and interior were in good shape.

Check out this rebuilt engine for $1800 incl shipping

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/93-94...item3a5703192f


now if the OP paid a sum of money that you would for a running vehicle, then that's a different story and you may be right.

I'd buy a 97 with a questionable motor if the interior and exterior were in good shape (good shape is the key) for $1,000 all day long

 

The interior is very clean, the dashboard isn't cracked as bad as I have seen, and there is a small rip on the bottom of the passenger seat which is fixable. The exterior has no dents and all it needs is a paint job which I planned on doing anyway. The radio is working, as well as all of the power windows, locks, and seat adjusters. The guy was starting to fix it up before he sold it to me.

I bought the thing for 1600, and the damn guy said all it was, was the water pump, but alas...lol. I guess we'll find out once my "assistant" and other friend check out the head gaskets whenever they have the time to.

Oh, and the oil isn't milky, according to my friend who checked it out. I'm the noob to cars here, so I'm just relaying information back and forth, haha.

 

Try to give the car back and get your money back !!! ASAP !!

 

"as is" sales come with no warranty....caveat emptor

that is why, a word of advice from torque_is_good to all you young un's (under 25)

DO NOT buy a vehicle on emotion. bring a disinterested adult along who has purchased and sold lots of cars and let them be the negotiator and there is no harm in pointing out problems to sellers and discussing true market value

cracked dash and needing paint and having mechanical problems puts that car barely at $1k market value. Lemme guess, it also needs tires because there is probably minimal tread on them and the brakes are probably in need of new rotors and pads and possibly calipers.

With tires and brakes alone, if you don't do the brakes yourself, you are looking at $1200 right there and it still has interior/exterior/mechanical issues and you are at $2800.

Not a big deal, but probably a $900 lesson learned to bring with you into the future and you won't do that again

CAVEAT EMPTOR- if you don't know what it is, ask your folks