Christmas present & more Q's

[tomtom72]

Hi guys, Merry Christmas! Santa was good, his sleigh was big and on it was a big present! A 1990 ZR-1, black over grey, both roofs, owner's kit in the box, 9384 miles on the clock. It's a clean car, but not as clean as some I've seen here. I have to clean all the suspension parts. The underside & wheel wells were clean until I had to drive it up here Tuesday and got road dirt on them. I had to drive it cause the truck driver would have had a tough time fitting down the block where my parents live and I was almost out of time for the insurance co. pictures. I only drove it about 10 miles in town but cause it snowed it got salt residue on the undercarriage. The shinny side and the interrior is pristine. The previous owner had all the fluids changed once a year: Radiator, oil & filter, transmission, rear end. Most of the service was done by the selling dealer, except for oil & filter changes after long highway trips that was done by a local gas station. Sorry this is so long but I figure this background info is needed to answer my questions. The lubricants used were not synthetic as he said the manual didn't specify them.
1) I should use Mobil 1 and anything but a Fram OF?
2) I should not use synthetic gear & tranny & motor oil now?
3) If I change to all synthetic lubes I will have to do the following:
A) tranny & rear don't hold much so just suck out the old stuff and
put in the syn. lube? Or should I flush with CRC or WD40. I add
GM Diff. additive to both like I used to do with my C3 LT-1???
B) I have to take out the engine oil cooler to drain it or drain it
someway before syn oil goes in? Shop Manuals are ordered.
4) I'm nuts & looking for the boggey man when he isn't there?
5) After checking the fluid in the clutch Master & slave & brake Master
cylinders if those fluids are cloudy I should do a flush & refill?
6) The wheels are aluminium & are clear coated? If not clear coated
have them done? I never had a car with alum. wheels.

Thanks for any advise, I did read through the ZR-1 section somewhat, that's where I picked up on the Fram OF's. I understand the BMW tranny lube, or Redline Prods. seem to be favored. This is what I used to do to my 72 LT-1. Tranny & rear I rebuilt so GM Lube w/ posi additive for each 2x @ yr., engine I rebuilt so oil & filter once a month & fresh for winter store & dump all before summer season ( drive 25 miles before dumping the winter stuff). Coolant every year w/ flush out before summer season. I also used to dump motor oil & filter if a trip was more than 500 highway miles. I would intend to use the same periods if I have to stay with non-synthetic lubes. Again Merry Christmas and thanks for any info you would like to share! Tom

P.S. Sorry for the long post. This car is a lot to me & I would rather look stupid than mess up. Oh bye the way on a lighter note. Even with the "key" in "normal" or 'for beginners' as I call it, this car is every bit what you guys said...KOTH! WOW! Tom

[flower20851]

My ZR1 mechanic told me the the 1990 ZR1 was not made for synthetic oil and not to put it in it. I think he said that it can blow the seals.

Good luck with your new baby.

Flo

[tomtom72]

Hi Flo, Thanks for the heads up on the oil & thanks for the best wishes with my baby! Have a merry & a healthy! Tom

[Wegone]

Tom I've used Mobil 1 in both Z's 90 & 91 for a total of 55K miles with no issues or leaks...

Maybe he's thinking about 90 not havivg valve seals, as far as I've read most owners use it.

[tomtom72]

Hi Steve & Merry Christmass to you & your family! Thank you for sharing the knowledge. I couldn't see why I could not change oils but I'm not a chemical engineer. I used natural based oil to break in my rebuilt LT-1 and then I switched to a partial synthetic for the duration, but that was back in the mid 70's. I seem to have learned from searching the old threads that most ZR-1 owners prefer the M1 oil & the synthetic trans & rear lubes. I'm sure I can figure out how to get the old stuff out once my shop manuals get here. I just wanted to see what other Z owners felt about the question. Thank you for your input the people here continually blow me away. Tom

[WB9MCW]

perhaps hib can chime in with the actual dates but at one point the gen. spec. mob1 synth. lots of guys use red line in the tranny again hib being on...i went with the std gm gear lube spec. lots of data on the zr-1 net/reg. on oil filters check it out...with ur low miles i would be surp. if ur clutch fluids were cloudy but would change if so and search zr-1 reg site for lots of comments abt doing this and extra steps to prevent continued contamination...the wheels came with the clear coat so wash with car wash only and hand dry and wax only no mag. cleaners big no no!!! check out detailing himts by zr-1 mom on the zr-1 net/reg home page very gud stuff there!!! have fun with ur new xmas zr-1 tom!!! and merry xmas to all.............................

[tomtom72]

Thanks Bryan & gingle bells to you too! I went back & reread the old threads in our section & it seems that the general idea I get is that Mob 1 and synthetic gear lubes are the way to go. Better protection and better service intervals and better for a non daily driver. You were right about Mr.H & his words of wisdom. I have read so much in the past weeks that I'm getting forgetful. I can't thank everyone enough for the help! Oh yea about the clutch fluid, it's clear...I got confused as to which hydraulic resevoir I was looking at... the master cylinder front section is cloudy and the rear section is clear???? Hope I can figure that one out when the shop manuals get here! Tom

[90 Corvette ZR-1]

I won't run anything buy synthetic in my 90.

[tomtom72]

Merry Christmas to all! Thank you Kevin. I read your reply in the spirit in which it was given, i.e., use synthetic lubes the reasons are obvious. I am grateful for your time, thank you and Merry Christmas! I also got some input from my friend that owns Porsches, he says Mobil1 also, and they use alum. engines also. I think I'll take the consensus view that it's an upgrade in lube protection over what the 90 owner's manual says about engine oil in the LT5. I was reading the supplement book in the ZR-1 box, in the section covering off-road use it says to go the synthetics in engine, tranny & rear & P/S fluid. So I will leave what is in there for winter storage and swap out as part of season get ready in the spring.

The only other thing I noticed about the fluids is that the front section of the brake master cylinder is cloudy and the rear section is still clear. Both are full to the 'full marks'.
Since the calipers are cast aluminium, and I don't yet have my shop manuals, should I think the reason for the cloudy fluid is:
The front flex hoses are going bad (sheading rubber)?
The fr. caliper piston seals are going bad?
The fr.fluid is breaking down due to heat?
The fr. fluid has absorbed moisture from the atmosphere, suck it out & put fresh fluid in?
Thanks for any light sent my way! Tom

[Rob]

My ZR1 mechanic told me the the 1990 ZR1 was not made for synthetic oil and not to put it in it. I think he said that it can blow the seals.

Good luck with your new baby.

Flo

That's news to me. First of all, oil, synthetic or otherwise, does not blow seals. Overfilling a crankcase, can blow seals. Second, I bought my ZR-1 with 176 miles on it. At 500 miles, I changed to Mobil 1 Synthetic 10W30. I now have just under 29,000 miles on it (all run on Mobil 1 synthetic), and I've never blown a seal, all the way up to 145 miles per hour sustained for a minute or two.

I'm interested to hear the reasoning behind your mechanic's statement?

[Rob]

1) I should use Mobil 1 and anything but a Fram OF?
2) I should not use synthetic gear & tranny & motor oil now?
3) If I change to all synthetic lubes I will have to do the following:
A) tranny & rear don't hold much so just suck out the old stuff and
put in the syn. lube? Or should I flush with CRC or WD40. I add
GM Diff. additive to both like I used to do with my C3 LT-1???
B) I have to take out the engine oil cooler to drain it or drain it
someway before syn oil goes in? Shop Manuals are ordered.
4) I'm nuts & looking for the boggey man when he isn't there?
5) After checking the fluid in the clutch Master & slave & brake Master
cylinders if those fluids are cloudy I should do a flush & refill?
6) The wheels are aluminium & are clear coated? If not clear coated
have them done? I never had a car with alum. wheels.

1. I would use Mobil 1, and either the GM black factory filters, or a Mobil 1 synthetic oil filter which you can find at some auto parts stores for around $9.99.

2 and 3. I see no reason why you cannot use synthetic lubricants. Don't go through the hassle of removing the oil cooler and/or blowing out all the excess oil. Just simply do a normal oil change. The system holds approximately 12 quarts of oil. You will only be able to get approximately 8 1/2 quarts out. That means, there's 3 1/2 quarts left in various places of the system like oil cooler, oil cooler lines, drainage passages in the block, etc. You're going to be refilling it with 8 1/2 quarts of synthetic and the mixing of the two isn't going to harm anything.

4. No, you're nuts. I think you have valid concerns that any one of us here have probably gone through when we first bought our ZR-1s. Some of your concerns are the exact same ones I had. The information I'm giving you regarding changing to synthetic oil came from Corvette Powertrain Engineer, Jim Ingle who was with Corvette Development from the 1970s all the way up to the 1990s.

5. Personally, if it was me, if the brake and clutch master cylinder fluids were cloudy, I would drain them and replace the fluids.

6. Yes, there is a clearcoat on the aluminum wheels. No need to re-clear coat.

[tomtom72]

Hi Flo, Respectfully I submit the following paraphrase from the supplemental manual for a 90 ZR-1, the spiral bound book in the box with the vhs tape & leather portfolio w/ VIN on it. '...for track use you should use synthetic fluids in the engine, transmission, differential and power steering pump due to their ability to withstand the higher loads....' I think what chevy was saying if you read further they talk about the drop in engine oil temp using synthetic oil vs. a natural base oil. They caution about over-filling any of the afore mentioned because the seals will suffer failure due to over filling not because of the type of lubes used.

Please I am not being a smart a**, I just am sharing what I found in the owner's kit. The car I bought was a one owner & he kept all the stuff from chevy & he told me the 'owner's kit' is as it came from GM. Tom

[tomtom72]

Merry Christmas Rob! Thanks for sharing the light! I am going to do the mobil 1 and GM filters. Also the trans & rear fluids with synthetics. Water wetter in the cooling sys if I find out it is compatible with the alum. I also intend to suck out the clutch fluid and the brake fluid. This will have to wait till my shop mans. come so I can read & learn the car. I've done some looking under the hood and I will feel more comfortable once the manuals arrive. This is so far removed from my 72 it's like light years away. The shop manuals are my security blanket cause I'm just a back yard type. However it's a good feeling to be at CAC, the wealth of knowledge here gives me confidence that I'll be okay! Thanks for this club! I am glad your passion produced CAC to you & all here & Merry Christmas! Tom

[Rob]

Merry Christmas to you Tom, and congrats on getting that ZR-1!

[tomtom72]

Hi Rob, Thanks for the thumbs up! I promise I will not do what I'm about to do again. It's just that I'm sooo jazzed I gotta do it once. Please?

THIS IS THE CAT'S MEOW!!! I HAVEN'T BEEN THIS JAZZED ABOUT A CAR

SINCE MY 72 LT-1!!! ZR-1's ARE AWESOME! KOTH !

Okay, I'm calm now. I just feel like going to the roof of my building with a megaphone and shouting that to the world! This feeling started as soon as I saw it on the transporter, got worse when I drove it, got worse when I washed the dust off yesterday and got still worse when I drove it a bit after it was clean yesterday. I still can't believe I got back to this hobby, boy am I lucky!
Tom