On A Sad Note...

[22229stingray81]

We had a blizzard here today in northern va... 18 inches in a day... well my carport couldnt support the weight of the snow and ice... its collaped on my vette.... sent a pole right through my passanger side mirrored t-top, completely shattered and unrepairable.. they were less then 2 years old.. they were a graduation present from my parents.. gonna set me back $800.. can you believe this luck? I couldnt get a much better examination because it is so dark and the weather is so bad.. I hope nothing else is broken...im sure scratched paint. I put my foldable rag top (rain coat) I had for it on, then the car cover, then a tarp on top of that.. not only is it broken, but now it is exposed to the elements.. what a bad day.. Im moving to florida...

-Tatortot

[69MyWay]

It rained cats and dogs here yesterday, but I spent the day in my shorts and t-shirt.

C'mon down, we need another shark cruising the neighborhood!

[Derek]

Your home insurance should cover that damage

[GS Diva]

Originally posted by Derek
Your home insurance should cover that damage

Wouldn't your auto insurance cover this??

Elaine

[Eric]

Major bummer man, sorry to hear that. This stuff has to stop soon, I hope.

I'm having worries of something similar happening. Our garage is no-post 24x22. The front side has almost no snow due to the drifting but the back side has about three feet. I'm pulling car three out of the garage just in case but the Vette has a dead battery:eek.

I'm with the others though, insurance should handle at least part of it.

Good Luck!

[chockey]

I believe Derek is right in that the homeowners insurance should cover the damage but it must frost you knowing your Vette is damaged. They are like extensions of ourselves and we want them to never get damaged, I can only imagine your anger yet everything should work out.

This has been a winter to remember and you folks in the Maryland, Virginia area are getting it worse than upstate New York this year. Think spring and hope the snow melts soon, went to our local hardware store this weekend and the sign in the window said " 35 days til spring, finally"

Chuck

[Yoda]

-Tatortot,

Hang in there young man. I hope all works out for you and your baby. Check out your folks homeowners insurance and your auto insurance, call your agent as soon as you can, take photo's of your baby covered by the debris and as you remove the snow and covers, in other words photo Document everything. Also provide your insurance company with photo's of your baby before the damage.

When documenting the damage don't forget about the interior too, seats, door panels, carpet etc.

Above all else -Tatortot KEEP THE FAITH you have all of us pulling for you and if we can help, We'll be there for you.

Give as much information as you can to your insurance companies. The Damage is DONE, now look forward and start getting your focus on the next phase of this adventure, getting baby fixed ;)

[vettedoc]

Too bad about the pole and all. Unless your deductible is real high you should recover something on it. We are in the middle of what you had right now. I'm lucky, my '89 gets to stay indoors.

Just remember....it is better to have one damaged t top vette than none at all. Keep smilin:)

[Ctfoodguy2000]

Sorry to hear about "Mother Nature's" accident and your Vette. It can & will be rapaired. I agree with others, perhaps your homewowners will cover this. Good Luck.

[Mr Dark]

Many moons ago, I used to sell insurance here in Minnesota. Here's how it would have been covered here, back then. The damage to the carport would have been covered under the homeowners policy, minus the deductible. The damage to the car would have been covered under the auto policy (comprehensive coverage - usually no deductible). Homeowners almost never pays for anything to do with cars (there are some exceptions, like personal property stolen from a car). Call your insurance person. Good luck and I hope it works out well for you! :)

[Tom Bryant]

I used to be a claims adjuster many moons ago and I agree with what Mr Dark says completely.

Tom

[GerryLP]

Tatortot,

That 's some rough reality you are going through. This bad mix of
wheather is recking havoc accross the eastern 1/3 of the country. Keep the faith!

[22229stingray81]

Wow, thanks for all the replyes everyone, it really helped me to look at the bright side. It is really good to know I have people who are trying to help me out. Also, I called my insurance company today, only insurance I have is liability on the vette.. cannot afford anything else... I didnt even think of the homeowner insurance.. Ill have my pops call asap... im trying to look at the bright side... now I can fix it up better than it was in the first place! Thanks again everyone for the kind words, and rare, ill be sure to take pictures regardless of the auto insurance problem.


-Tatortot

[Tom Bryant]

You should always keep comprehensive on your car even if it is in storage. It's cheap. Only $15. a half on my '59 and $27. a half on the '81. Covers almost anything that can happen to your car while sitting in the garage and also from hitting animals and glass breakage. I only have liability on my clunker '85 Ciera work car, affectionately known as Barf, but I have comp on it too. A few years ago they were working on the road I travel to work and the insurance bought me 3 windshields in one summer. Cost to me ZERO.

You can't afford not to have comp on everything you drive or store.

Tom

[22229stingray81]

Thanks tom, ill look into it.. my understanding was that it was much more.. that doesnt sound bad at all...


-Tatortot

[Tom Bryant]

I depends a lot on the company, how much they like Corvettes and the part of the country your in too. Also some states insurance laws that require companies to cover certain things have an effect on rates. Of course year of car and value plays a part.

Tom

[22229stingray81]

I realize that tom, and thanks for the extra information. My 21 year old sister has a 2001 mitsubishi marage and they were charging her $500 every half year.. she only had one ticket 5 years ago too... so, I guess well have to see.. im hoping the age of the car will give me a break... Thanks again.



-Tatortot

[Tom Bryant]

Seems like a lot. I'm just talking Comprehensive here. Not collision coverage. Tickets should have no effect on comp.

[Derek]

Talking about insurance...

Im coming over in June for the 50th.travelling in the caravan from Ca
was thinking of bringing my vette,from Australia.
They want US$4000 for cover while its in the US..

Ouch...does that sound right?? :eek

[Nut]

tatortot..... I sent you a private message. If you need some help I'm only 45 min away.


Derek..... that sounds INSANE to me. Maybe $4K to get your car from Australia to the US but for a weeks insurance? No way. Maybe 69MyWay can weigh in on this but that sounds ridiculous. Hope you make it up with or without the Vette.

.............. Nut

[22229stingray81]

Well I just went outside and pulled the tarp and cover off in the daytime... i see now that it made a direct hit on my passanger side mirror.... scraped off paint.. and the mirror pivot inside has broken right off... the mirror kinda hangs out of the housing now... oh.. and it looks like my original paint color was baige... good to know i guess? I thought it was just faded old paint at first.. but it looks a lot like the baige offered in '81.. anyways.. not too bad of a fix hopefully.. i just hope more of the paint isnt messed up.. i really really really cant afford a paint job now...


-tatortot

[IH2LOSE]

Originally posted by 22229stingray81
Well I just went outside and pulled the tarp and cover off in the daytime... i see now that it made a direct hit on my passanger side mirror.... scraped off paint.. and the mirror pivot inside has broken right off... the mirror kinda hangs out of the housing now... oh.. and it looks like my original paint color was baige... good to know i guess? I thought it was just faded old paint at first.. but it looks a lot like the baige offered in '81.. anyways.. not too bad of a fix hopefully.. i just hope more of the paint isnt messed up.. i really really really cant afford a paint job now...


-tatortot

I am so sorry for your LOSS, I have a car stored in a neighbors garage and I actually hired guys to shovel his roof of his garage because I was afraid of it colapsing and hurting my caddy. Ps I also had to shovel my own roof also .we had around 24" of snow in my home neighborhood (with out snow drifting)

[22229stingray81]

Well I tried to clean her up more today... I vaccumed all the glass I could.. you wouldnt believe the places i found it! And a lot of it turned into a fine dust.. It was sooo hard to get it off the seats.. some is still there.. kinda shimmers in the light... its okay for now though. The battery went completely dead for sitting so long in the cold.. maybe its time for a new one, its been in it since '98... t-top didnt arrive today like it should have.. ill give em a call if it doesnt arrive tomarrow. I called the vette mechanic and he said to drop it by anytime, to look it over, plus to work on my choke problem (choke never wants to disengage, new choke coil didnt help problem) Oh, and I found a lot more paint damage.. on the passanger side fender.. one of the poles must have made a direct hit.. scrapped all the way down to the bare fiberglass... and a few other little specs... Hopefully wont be too noticable.. im gonna try and use some of that touch up paint, but I dont expect much improvment. Im useing this accident to better her though.. im going to re-spray some of the interior pieces that were kinda worn before all this happened. I got a quick question though.. In mid america they have the interior spray paint, color specific to your year of vette.. do I have to put down a primer coat first? Im mainly looking to repaint the horn button.. it is really scratched.. do i just spray over or what?? Thanks for any tips you all have.

-Tatortot

[GerryLP]

.. In mid america they have the interior spray paint, color specific to your year of vette.. do I have to put down a primer coat first?

Tatortot,

You won't have to use primer if you're refering to interior pieces such as vinyl or plastic. I had best results, however, by cleaning the part to be painted with a clean cloth and isopropyl alcohol. Work the alcohol so that you can get to the fine surface texture of the plastic or vinyl used.

Also, order more paint (specially if it is in spray-can) than you think you'll need for the job. The paint is very thin and it may require more coats applied. Besides, there are always more parts needing paint.

Take care to use a well ventilated area and keep heat sources away. The paint fumes can carry themselves a long way.

[22229stingray81]

Gerry,

Im talking mainly about the metal horn button.. it is pretty deeply scratched... also other plastic interior pieces like the power seat bezel.. but thanks for the info.. ill let them fully dry outside and give them a few coats...

Also, t-tops came later today, fits like a glove.. its actually starting to look like a corvette again... gonna either get it jumped tomarrow or get a new battery (battery pretty old), and take it over to the mechanic.. then.. I just have to wait and wait till its finished... Thanks again for everyones support.


-Tatortot

[22229stingray81]

Hello again everyone, just thought I'd post an update. I called the mechanic today just to see how everything was going. He had to re-charge the battery again just to get it in the shop.. may have to be replaced, but no big deal. The problem with the choke was the choke wire was burned out. No choke coil problem. I don't know why I was getting a reading from the wire though.. maybe an intermitent problem... at least it was something simple though. Hopefully it will be all done next week sometime, I have to wait a while cause they are doing me a favor fitting me in with no appointment, nice guys, my family has been going to them since the early 80's. Anyways I'm having trouble finding a replacement passanger side mirror, it seems they discontinued it in 2002, Ill have to write to as many supplyers as I can to see if they have any. Thanks again for everyones help and support.

-Tatortot

[22229stingray81]

Got my vette back from the mechanic today!!! I gotta tell you.. it is the best feeling in the world.. I had no idea what I was missing... as soon as I got in... boom... the power.. the sound.. the handleing... my god I love corvettes... ive been useing my dads '96 lexus es300 for a month.. boy what a difference... it blows it out of the water!!! ahh sorry for the rant... just had to share the experience... A looooot of work was done... the choke wire was frayed, he replaced it and put a new conector on.. he also found the t.p.s. had completely disinagrated!! He said he found a rebuild plate on my carb, and the idiot who did it put the old tps back on and didnt think to replace it.. he said in all his years hes never seen such a piece so bad off.. he showed me it.. all the insides, springs and all had fallen out.. amazing.. anyways, he took my carb apart, put a new tps in, put a carb kit on... then he reset everything.. what an improvement.. it even cured my torque converter lockup problem!!! It goes out when its suppose to and comes back in when its suppose to just perfectly now!!! Its so amazing.. its like a new car.. the pickup is better... he also cleaned the spark plugs because they had fouled because of the too rich fuel mixure (we can thank the failed tps for that) , and rebalanced my wheels because I told him there was wheel shake after I had a tire replaced.. it corners so much better.. I can use one finger to turn it... anyways.. I just thought Id tell everyone how great it went.. thanks for supporting me in the "bad" times everyone. Oh, also it is still reving at about 1000 rpm when it is warmed up in neutral.. is this a normal thing?? I trust my mechanic fixed everything and set everything fine.. but it seems a little high.. can I do anything?? Thanks in advance.

-Tatortot

[Tom Bryant]

Congrats on getting your '81 back. That is too high of an idle when it's warm. Your emission label says that fast idle during warm up is 2200 rpm. When warm it says 500 rpm in drive with the solonoid inactive and 600 with the solonoid active (A/C on).

When the solonoid is inactive the hex bolt head isn't even in contact with the carb linkage. I'd have your mechanic take a look at it warmed up. Your emission label is on the drivers side under side of the hood on the flat area inside of the reinforcement that runs along the edge. It's between the underhood light and the left hood latch striker.

Tom

[22229stingray81]

Tom,

Thanks for the congrats. It is now fast idleing at about 1600-1700 rpm.. which I thought was better then the 2200 I had before. When it is very warmed up and in gear it is only at about 700 rpm... though I know this is too high also... Either way it is running a hell of a lot better. Ill see if I can bring it by him some time.. it still is in the back of the head that its running wrong so this would be a good thing to do... ive looked at the emissions label before but I dont think my settings have ever been what they say.. probebly not a good thing... either way thanks for all the help and concern, it is greatly appreciated.

-Tatortot

[22229stingray81]

Now that I have spent some driving time with my vette I can see it still has problems.. for one the high, rough idle is not fixed.. so I'm bringing it back to my mechanic later this week... another problem is that speratically, I hear a clicking from inside the battery... it does this whenever it feels like it... cruising, idleing.. whenever... I also tried to pinpoint when it did it.. lights on, lights off, brake on, in reverse, drive, park, all the same, speratic. I know it is coming from inside the battery becuase I lifted up the battery door and put my ear close to the battery and that is the only place it could be coming from. The clicking almost sounds like a short.. my cables are new though and not loose or anything.. Does this mean I need a new battery?? Remember a month ago it drained all the way down because it sat for so long.. then my mechanic had to "trickle charge" it after I had it jumped to get it restarted again... new battery time?? Thanks for any suggestions in advance.

-Tatortot

[22229stingray81]

Spent more time driving my vette, the clicking in the battery compartment (couldnt possibly be the actual battery, right?? No moving parts) has now gone.. Im thinking maybe a relay somewhere back there?? It kinda makes the same sound as it does when I turn on the windshield wipers, just one click.. but its gone.. for now... so not to worry. I have found that the rough idle really has nothing to do with engine temp or idle speed.. it is just rough when I drive it for quite a while... for example.. if i begin to drive it, then take it on the highway at 70mph for a few minutes, then slow back down when I get off the highway, it will start to idle rough.. even if my temp comes back down, it will stay the same. Also, I noticed it shifts rougher when it is doing this.. kinda slams into second gear.. i think it is all related to the carb in someway.... also, when I turn on the a/c, the problem is almost cured... it smoothes out... revs drop a few 100... isnt there a carb idle solenoid that controls this?? Could it be sticking?? Thanks for any suggestions in advance.

-Tatortot

[Yoda]

-Tatortot,

Try something for me... at idle and when it is idling rough take the air cleaner top off and open the choke buttlefly and see what happens.. (this is the flat plate on the top very front of the carb) ;)

Bud

[22229stingray81]

Good to hear from you Rare. I know exactly what you mean, I fooled with the carb quite a bit when I replaced the choke coil (maybe not a good thing, hehe). Its raining today but Ill get on it and tell you the results tomarrow, thanks a lot for your time.

-Tatortot

[22229stingray81]

Rare81,

Did just what you said, when I took the aircleaner top off the butterfly was all the way open, I tried to move it to see if I could open it more.. only a little play, couldn't close it, just move it a little forward from its current position (towards the closed position), felt like it was locked on something.. this means the choke is disengaged, correct? Either way it was all the way open.. whats next??

-Tatortot

[Yoda]

-Tatortot

Sounds like the butterfly valve is working, next I'll see if I can intice my ole buddy stingray6974 in here for some expert advice ;)

Bud

[22229stingray81]

Rare81,

Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it. Good to know that the butterfly valve is working too, I was worried it was not fully disengaging. Oooh and stingray6974??? It would be an honor if he would address my topic!! :BOW
I'll look forward to hearing more from both of you, thanks again.


-Tatortot

[Stingray6974]

Hi Tatortot,
First, does the "check engine" lite work? Is it coming on when driving? Have you checked for codes? Mainly code "45".
After you get off the highway and the idle is rough, do you have a gas smell or any black smoke from the tailpipes?
Here's the most common problems:
Shorted purge valve solenoid
Bad purge valve
Intermitent M/C solenoid
Bad coolant temp sensor
Shorted coolant temp sensor plug
Leaking or sticking EGR valve
Leaking or shorted EGR solenoid
This is assuming all internal adjustments in the carb are correct and there are no vacuum leaks.
First thing to do will be check for trouble codes.
Try unplugging the vac hose on the egr valve and take it for a test drive. See if there is any change.
Unplug the purge hose and vent hose from the carb. Cap off the fittings but leave the hoses open. Test drive and look for change.
Let me know what happens,
Mike

[22229stingray81]

Stingray6974,

Thank you for trying to help me solve this problem. The check engine light does not come on, and I am sure it is working. There is no vaccuum leaks I am also sure of because I had them fixed and looked over this past summer and I had the idle problem then too. I also just had the carb rebuilt 2 weeks ago.. new tps sensor.. and I have asked my trusted corvette mechanic over and over again if my settings were correct which he swears by. There is no black smoke or smell of gas (just exhaust occasionally). I shall try to perform these tests this weekend to the best of my ability, which may not be promising since I know very little about actually working on cars, though I try. I can definatly unplug the vac hose on the egr valve, and im sure I have no trouble codes (just checked) but it wouldnt hurt to check again... and well see about me being able to figure out the carb vac disconnections you were talking about.. ill sit down with my manual later...

I very much do appreciate the list of possible problems that you stated though, because if I cannot tackle this problem I can ask my mechanic to check the things you listed. I cannot thank you enough for donating your time to my problem, thanks again.

-Tatortot

[22229stingray81]

Hey everyone.. Im sorry for not posting for a while.. I've been really busy with school.. finals coming up and all.. anyways I just wanted to post an update... my vettes running fine again!!! It must have been a piece of carbon or something that I burned off because the more I drove it, the better it got.. no more rough high idle... I know carbon buildup could cause a rough idle but how about a high idle? Anyways it doesnt matter because its running like a million bucks.. just wanted to thank everyone for helping me out and tell everyone the good outcome, thanks again.


-Tatortot

[Tom Bryant]

It could be that it just took some time for the ECM to learn the new settings. Your ECM is constantly adjusting it'self to the way your engine is running. When you have a problem the ECM does it's best to compensate. When you correct the problem the ECM still is working with the memory of the way the engine was before. It will take a while for it to recalibrate it'self.

When you do a tune up or fix a vacuum leak ect. that is causing the engine to run rough you should disconnect the battery for 15 minutes or so to erase the ECM memory. Then when you start the engine it will learn the new correct settings and run smooth. I do this every time I work on the engine or when I first get it out in the spring. I'll take it for a drive and get some fresh gas. Then when I get home I erase the ECM and get rid of all that junk it remembered from the drivway warm-ups over the winter. Usually you can tell the difference right away.

Sorry I forgot to mention this before. I'm checking the wife's L81 over today and when I read your post this was one thing I was thinking about.

Tom.

[22229stingray81]

Thanks Tom for the reply. That makes a lot of sense since my tps sensor was basically non-existent. Thats a good tip to know for the future too.. disconnect the battery for 15 minutes to clear the ecm's memory. You learn something new everyday.. Thanks again.

-Tatortot

[Nut]

tot..... glad to hear that you are back on the road after this horendous winter we had. Now if I we only hope they fill the pot holes by September. I almost lost the front end on my Grand Am yesterday. When it rains you just have NO idea how deep they are until it's too late. Hopefully we'll hook up some time this summer so I can see how the repairs came out.

Take care.............. Nut

[22229stingray81]

Thanks Nut.. yeah its good to be back on the road.. now alls I have to do is touch up the body paint a little bit... loooots of scratches.. and see if I can fix that mirror.. The pot holes are horrendous.. Glebe road in arlington is an absolute death trap.. cant take the vette on THAT road... And I look forward to seeing you this summer.


-Tatortot

[GerryLP]

Tatortot,

Are you sure the sound comes from the rear and not the console area?

The reason I ask is that I had the problem with the choke relay clicking randomly, and then I remember how Bud told me the story when he could not get rid of the alternator light from coming on (I think) while he was on the way to Sharkfest a couple of years ago.

My problem was solved when I replaced the connector for the choke wire coming off the alternator with a new wire terminal.

[22229stingray81]

Gerry,

I'm 100% its coming from around the battery area somewhere.. I've sat inside the car and listened very closely many times... it seems to be related to the windshield wipers somehow.. whenever it starts "clicking" if I click the windshield wiper knob a few times, it will repeat the sound, the stop... It hasn't done it in a while though... so for now.. no problem.. but it is definately electrical and definately in or around the battery compartment somewhere... thanks for your input though, it's greatly appreciated.


-Tatortot