Hi,

I'm looking at purchasing a 91 Z28 with the 350tpi from the orignal owner.. The car has 46k on it and was stored winters (so it sat unstarted for periods at a time) problem is it is loosing antifreeze (not on the ground) the owner had it looked at by a mechnic (quick look) was told maybe a head gasket or cracked block but wouldnt really know until it was broken down... According to the owner it showed antifreeze in the oil (becuase of extra volume in there but not foamy or white... The car runs smooth and DOES NOT blow any white smoke out the exhaust..
Just looking for any ideas or possible fixes for the leak..
Thanks for any help in advance!!!

 

Could be leaking from the intake as well. Coolant has a tendancy to become acidic after it get old and corrodes the intake manifold/gaskets. Or it could be just what you have already sggested. Have someone use one of the hand pumps that you check radiators with and test to see if you have a pressure leak by pumping up the radiator. If it has a bad gasket/or cracked block or head it should show up. Sometimes the cracked blocks or heads don't show up unless the engine is warm

 

Most likely its the intake manifold gaskets. Cheap gaskets,expensive labor. They arent too hard to replace,but the TPI intake is a PITA to put back together if you havent done it before.

 

Intake gaskets are a very common TPI problem. My '87 got a new shortblock at 50K because of it. Antifreeze in the oil will trash the bearings quickly. I wouldn't buy it unless it's cheap. And if you do buy it, don't start it until it's fixed.

 

My 89 had a head gasket go and it only has 30,000 miles on it.

Tread carefully.

 

I have a 92 RS B4C that I bought from this guy who got it from State Patrol, and it had the same problem. Ricekiller's right. Be careful it's a pain. Go slow, and don't strip the bolts. You can buy new intake manifold gaskets, some come with new bolts. I hate the Torx bolts that they have on them stock.

 

Same here; intake gaskets replaced around 100K, luckily my brother in law was a head mech at GM--saved me alot on labor cost (that is an expensive job if done by somebody else). Interestingly, 46K miles is pretty low on a 91??? How long has he noticed this problem???

 

Regardless of the source (intake most likely) antifreeze in the oil will quickly trash the bearings. If there was enough coolant for there to be "extra volume", I'd be very careful and be looking for a good deal.

I have an '87 IROC with a replacement block because the intake leaked at 40K and trashed one of the mains.