Initial maintenance finally finished! - ZR-1 Net Registry Forums

Reichert · 03-17-2018

Hi!

As soon as I took delivery of my ‘90 ZR-1, it was obvious there was a slight engine miss after the car was warmed up, which led me down the rabbit hole of learning all about the ethanol intolerance problem in the 1990 model year OEM injectors. So up on jack stands she went for an injector swap and a bunch of other “baseline” preventative maintenance to ensure I start off on the right foot. Here’s the after action report, for posterity.

Mechanical:

Fuel injectors: New stainless set from FIC.
Spark plug wires: I have the original “Corvette LT-5” wires which are probably fine, but I took them off and stashed them away in favor of a NOS delco (red) set.
Oxygen sensors: Replaced both with delco units. Passenger side connector was a PITA.
Secondary vacuum solenoid: Identified a vacuum leak in the secondary system, and isolated it to the solenoid. Couldn’t find NOS of correct part #1997222, so I bought #1997212 from Johnny5. Had to modify the connector and swap out the mounting bracket with the old one, but otherwise worked perfectly.
Thermostat: Bought the wrong one at Autozone and then did a lot of research and found that Jerry is the only one that keeps a reliable stock of the correct part, as far as I can tell.
Tires: Tires on the car were 2001 Goodyear F1's .. obviously had to go! Replaced with Nitto NT555 G2, which was the only matching front/rear set I could find.

Changed fluids:
Engine oil (AMSOIL AMO 10W-40), clutch (Dot-3 synthetic brake fluid - just replaced what was in the reservoir), coolant (Zerex “green”), brake (Dot-3 synthetic), transmission (Castrol Edge 10W-60 Synthetic), differential (Mobil 1 75W-90).

Everything here was pretty straight forward. The one exception is refilling coolant: This Haibeck article about filling the cooling system is super important! Thankfully I didn't have any airlock issues.

Electrical:

Fog light bulbs: Bought two, replaced just one that was out.
Stereo system components: Everything was fried, so I sent the amps, tuner, and head unit to Factory Stereo repair for a refurb. Pricey but sounds like new now - the Bose system is loud!
Power key: The “Full Power” light was flickering when I jiggled the key, so I took the lock cylinder apart and cleaned all of the contacts.

Resources that helped:

Mark Haibek’s tech articles, and the Under the Plenum DVD were invaluable.
Jerry’s gaskets for the hard to find stuff
Factory Car Stereo Repair - really fast turnaround, lifetime warranty on amps, 1 year on the rest.
This community for timely advice on a couple of things in the process!

Cost: About $2700 overall. The majority of that was the injectors, new tires, and the stereo system repair which was the only labor cost I paid. Fluids and small stuff was less than $500.

Todo: Power steering fluid, and a couple of electrical issues in the cabin - seat belt light is stuck on, and the seat recliners are barely working. Of course the lumbar bladders are toast. Probably need to pull the seats out and refresh everything.

I only have 2 screws leftover. I'm sure it's fine.

Ccmano · 03-17-2018

Congrats! You have now been fully initiated...

H

DRM500RUBYZR-1 · 03-17-2018

Well done!
We have done the same on many ZR-1's.
Once done; Good for another 25 years!
Now go out, jump on it, and experience what we all call "Perma Grin"!

One suggestion.
Take some time to remove and evaluate the fuel pump/sender assembly.
Also, peer down in to the fuel tank.
The metal structure that the pumps and sender are mounted upon is VERY prone to rust out, leaving much scale and flakes in the tank.
Not something you want to draw into those new injectors.
Take a moment and replace the fuel filter as well.
Again; well done!

Marty

03-17-2018	#2
Ccmano Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Sparks, NV Posts: 2,852	Re: Initial maintenance finally finished! Congrats! You have now been fully initiated... H __________________ 90'ZR-1 #1461 Red/Black Ported Intake, Degreed Cams, OBX Headers & Exhaust, Fidanza FW, Secondary Delete, Custom tune, C6 GS Wheels. Sold 08 C6 Z51 Crystal Red Metallic Sold Vararam Intake, Tune, Sold 05 C6 Z51 Red/Black Sold 90'ZR-1 #1723 Black/Gray Sold but not forgotten 91' Z51 L98 White Vert. My First, you always remember your first. Sold.

03-17-2018	#3
DRM500RUBYZR-1 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Mullica Hill, New Jersey Posts: 2,593	Re: Initial maintenance finally finished! Well done! We have done the same on many ZR-1's. Once done; Good for another 25 years! Now go out, jump on it, and experience what we all call "Perma Grin"! One suggestion. Take some time to remove and evaluate the fuel pump/sender assembly. Also, peer down in to the fuel tank. The metal structure that the pumps and sender are mounted upon is VERY prone to rust out, leaving much scale and flakes in the tank. Not something you want to draw into those new injectors. Take a moment and replace the fuel filter as well. Again; well done! Marty

03-17-2018	#1
Reichert Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 104	Initial maintenance finally finished! Hi! As soon as I took delivery of my ‘90 ZR-1, it was obvious there was a slight engine miss after the car was warmed up, which led me down the rabbit hole of learning all about the ethanol intolerance problem in the 1990 model year OEM injectors. So up on jack stands she went for an injector swap and a bunch of other “baseline” preventative maintenance to ensure I start off on the right foot. Here’s the after action report, for posterity. Mechanical: Fuel injectors: New stainless set from FIC. Spark plug wires: I have the original “Corvette LT-5” wires which are probably fine, but I took them off and stashed them away in favor of a NOS delco (red) set. Oxygen sensors: Replaced both with delco units. Passenger side connector was a PITA. Secondary vacuum solenoid: Identified a vacuum leak in the secondary system, and isolated it to the solenoid. Couldn’t find NOS of correct part #1997222, so I bought #1997212 from Johnny5. Had to modify the connector and swap out the mounting bracket with the old one, but otherwise worked perfectly. Thermostat: Bought the wrong one at Autozone and then did a lot of research and found that Jerry is the only one that keeps a reliable stock of the correct part, as far as I can tell. Tires: Tires on the car were 2001 Goodyear F1's .. obviously had to go! Replaced with Nitto NT555 G2, which was the only matching front/rear set I could find. Changed fluids: Engine oil (AMSOIL AMO 10W-40), clutch (Dot-3 synthetic brake fluid - just replaced what was in the reservoir), coolant (Zerex “green”), brake (Dot-3 synthetic), transmission (Castrol Edge 10W-60 Synthetic), differential (Mobil 1 75W-90). Everything here was pretty straight forward. The one exception is refilling coolant: This Haibeck article about filling the cooling system is super important! Thankfully I didn't have any airlock issues. Electrical: Fog light bulbs: Bought two, replaced just one that was out. Stereo system components: Everything was fried, so I sent the amps, tuner, and head unit to Factory Stereo repair for a refurb. Pricey but sounds like new now - the Bose system is loud! Power key: The “Full Power” light was flickering when I jiggled the key, so I took the lock cylinder apart and cleaned all of the contacts. Resources that helped: Mark Haibek’s tech articles, and the Under the Plenum DVD were invaluable. Jerry’s gaskets for the hard to find stuff Factory Car Stereo Repair - really fast turnaround, lifetime warranty on amps, 1 year on the rest. This community for timely advice on a couple of things in the process! Cost: About $2700 overall. The majority of that was the injectors, new tires, and the stereo system repair which was the only labor cost I paid. Fluids and small stuff was less than $500. Todo: Power steering fluid, and a couple of electrical issues in the cabin - seat belt light is stuck on, and the seat recliners are barely working. Of course the lumbar bladders are toast. Probably need to pull the seats out and refresh everything. I only have 2 screws leftover. I'm sure it's fine.