I have a puddle that forms under the opti on my 95 z28, and cant tell where its actually coming from. I checked the water pump, not only does it work fine but i see no evidence that it is the source, and the opti doesnt appear to be getting leaked on. The car has a little over a 100,00 on it and I am aware that things will go out. It has new spark plugs and wires, a new belt and the radiator has been pressure tested along with lots of service done to it at a shop, and I changed out the thermostat. I recently put a 160 in(the wrong type) but was experiencing major driving problems so replaced it with a new 180, and will test drive again soon. I dont think Im having an overheat issue because I just put a thermocap on the radiator and it didnt get above 220 idling in my driveway before it slowly dropped down. However I am still dealing with the leaking problem and am concerned. If anyone could help it would be greatly appreciated.

 

I just rebuilt my LT1 myself. For the first few days, not a leak in sight. Now, after driving it for a week, it will drop about a 2" round puddle right where you are talking about. Dosen't look like it's coming from the opti or water pump. It also dosen't look like it's coming from the crank hub seal. I think my oil pan gasket may be leaking right in the front, where the oil pan goes over the timing cover. I'm thinking yours may be leaking there as well?

 

It very well could be, me and my buddy are going to look it over real good tom. but it looks like I have 2 leaks. One where I mentioned and another right below the oil plug but its coming from above the plug? Looks like it goes into the oil pan and has a wire coming out, possibly sensor?

 

Scotty that is your low oil level sensor,When you replaced the thermostat did you bleed all the air out of the cooling system?Your intake manifold could be leaking,as could the lower part of your throttle body,unless you did the tb bypass.

 

Yes I opened the bleed screws, but didnt do a throttle body bypass. Thanks for the info on the low oil level sensor. Ive also got a low coolant light that stays on even when the coolant level is fine in the radiator and reservoir. I think it might be a bad or dirty sensor seeing as the coolant is rusty looking.

 

97Z28,did you use rtv sealant on the corners of the block?where the pan gasket and timing cover meet?You should also have used it on the rear of the pan.

 

You could try cleaning the sensor,if that dont fix it repalce it.I just repalced a wp for a guy down the street from me,his wp was not leaking but the gaskets were.needless to say he bought a new water pump anyway to be on the safe side.

 

The car is on ramps right now as I am wroking on it, and doesnt appear to be leaking at all where I mentioned but I see no signs of it coming from the wp. As I mentioned it runs fine, no overheating, so I think the wp is working fine. I wonder if its a sign the water pump is going out and it just isnt leaking right now? What do I check for on the wp besides the weep hole above the belt? I am still a little new to this as this is my first sports car.

 

Just wondering, is it a major problem for the coolant to have a really rusted color to it?

 

Sounds like you have Dexcool antifreeze in it..that would be a normal color,looks kind of rusty.Yes the wp could be getting ready to go.

 

Yes I put 50/50 dex-cool in it usually, I bought a Prestone Backflush kit today with the flush and cleaner it recomends. I plan to do my own backflush of the complete cooling system and hopefully it will clean it up some. My question for you is this: should I get a top of line mechanical water pump to replace it with or an electrical Meziere pump?

 

I wouldnt use an electric pump on the street,an oem replacement pump is what i would use.

 

Yeah been doing research online and thats what Ive been reading. Lots of people saying they're not the best thing to use on street vehicles. Do you recommend a certain brand?

 

A "puddle" of what? Is it coolant, or oil? Or both, since you now indicate there are two leaks.

An OEM water pump will be fine for an "all out race car" as well..... perhaps even better. I'm pushing 800HP, a buddy of mine make 1,125HP on his 30th Anniv. SS..... with the stock water pump. The shop that built the engines refused to even consider electric water pumps, because they flow less than the stocker at high RPM, and that's where an "all out race car" will spend most of its time.

 

Also got a problem with the temperature gauge. It doesnt work right, hasnt for as long as Ive had it. Ive taken the dash (that is also cracked, and in several pieces) apart more times than I care to to try and fix it. When I got the car it had a light up gauge face on it but was not hooked up properly, also didnt light up so I couldnt see any of my gauges. So I took it out, but had to remove the needles to do so. I have finally gotten all of them to work pretty good except the temp. It right now will not read above 160 on the gauge until the actual temp rises into the 200s. This has been the thorn in my side now for months. I dont know whether to replace the cluster or the sensor going to the gauge. I have looked on shbox.com and have found the location of the sensor. This has been the biggest problem with this car. Seeing as I cant accurately tell what temp Im operating on, and the damn low coolant light has been on for forever.