Flmac02Z

Hey guys, i've got a couple of problems with my '96 Z28 and i'm trying to get on them during this summer...any help with some of these issues i've been having would be awesome

1. The power has been draining when the car is off and also the idle has been low at times like it doesn't have enough power and it just feels like it wants to die, i've had to hold up the RPMs at lights and it seems to be a little less powerful when accelerating, i've replaced the starter, alternator, and battery and still it's loosing power somewhere. It started happening around the same time as I discovered a pinhole in my radiator just below where the cap screws on and it was misting my battery with coolant.

2. I've been loosing coolant for quite a bit now...i've replaced my radiator, the reservoir next to it, as well as all of my coolant hoses and i've bypassed my heater core, i'm not sure what is causing the loss of coolant...

3. Noticed some black sludge like stuff coming from the exhaust whenever I start it up for the first time or after running it hard.

Also, there is burn marks on the bottom of my water pump, which was recently replaced by a shop, could this be because it might be re manufactured?

and finally, my dad and I have noticed some vapor coming from the exhaust when starting it up...i dunno if it could be coolant, but I don't see any white smoke, could this possibly be a gasket?

I appreciate anyone's help...thanks.

~Kevin

2000GTP

You may want to investigate for parastic drains from an accessory as that could be the reason for your battery draining down. As for the coolant, how does the oil look in appearance? Are there any visible leaks and/or puddles on the ground? As for the black stuff coming from the exhaust, that is most likely a combination of carbon and moisture, which is normal.

Flmac02Z

No visible leaks at all...nothing when running, nothing when parked or starting up, each time i've been focusing on the water pump but i've checked elsewhere, that's why I was thinking it might be being burned...
I plan on draining the oil sometime soon to check it out...

What would be a good method to investigate for parasitic drains?

Thanks.

~Kevin

BennyBoy

I started to lose coolant slowly. I couldn't find a leak though. It slowly got worse, and I still couldn't find a leak. Oil and coolant looked fine. Then finally she was steaming out the pipes and running like crap. I towed it home. I assume the head gasket went between a coolant passage and a cylinder. Hopefully you don't have the same problem.