What does this mean?

[ArielleLaPierre]

New corvette owner here, I bought my 1973 C3 corvette last oktober and have noticed that it has been leaking some oil. I asked the previous owner why it was leaking so much and she told me it was normal for old cars to leak. I just fixed some hoses and noticed this (se picture), I also noticed that here has been some oil on the engine itself and around this spot which is at the back of the engine.

 

[gone]

I'll bow to those with more mechanical expertise related to C3's but I'd wager the orange "goop" is an attempt to seal a leak and you're likely looking at a gasket that's not sealing properly so it needs replacement. While older vehicles may leak due to their gaskets drying out (ie. from the car sitting too long so the engine isn't used enough) it's NOT "normal" for older cars to have leaks; it's a sign of a problem. How many km on your Corvette?

Welcome to the Forums by the way and a big hello from Canada to Norway!

 

[ArielleLaPierre]

I'll bow to those with more mechanical expertise related to C3's but I'd wager the orange "goop" is an attempt to seal a leak and you're likely looking at a gasket that's not sealing properly so it needs replacement. While older vehicles may leak due to their gaskets drying out (ie. from the car sitting too long so the engine isn't used enough) it's NOT "normal" for older cars to have leaks; it's a sign of a problem. How many km on your Corvette?

Welcome to the Forums by the way and a big hello from Canada to Norway!

Thank you so much for your reply. Yes I was thinking it was the gasket, but wasn’t sure. The lady I bought it from told the that the guy who owned the car before her had replaced a lot and spent a lot of money on it. But I don’t think he replaced the gasket since I know it is a lot of work. I have already replaced some hoses because they were cracking and tearing because the hose clamps were either tightened too much or missing all together. I have about 150000 kilometers on it so it’s understandable that it has some issues.

Thank you so much for the warm welcome

 

[gone]

Make sure and check your antifreeze: if it's really old (ie. 7+ years) it can become acidic and start eating your radiator, hoses and water pump. I learned that lesson the hard way and it cost me a couple thousand dollars. I suspect that C3 owners (not me) will soon chime in with helpful advice for you. These Forums are a wealth of information and great for fellow Corvette owners to share ideas. Good luck!

 

[ArielleLaPierre]

Make sure and check your antifreeze: if it's really old (ie. 7+ years) it can become acidic and start eating your radiator, hoses and water pump. I learned that lesson the hard way and it cost me a couple thousand dollars. I suspect that C3 owners (not me) will soon chime in with helpful advice for you. These Forums are a wealth of information and great for fellow Corvette owners to share ideas. Good luck!

Yeah I have already replaced the lower radiator hose and the antifreeze, so that’s all good. Thank you for the tip.

 

[Keith Tedford]

With our vehicles, I tend to do a rad flush every 5 years and use new antifreeze. With the automatic transmissionss the same, a drain with new fluid and filter. Cheap insurance.

 

[Gary Lacoursiere]

Welcome! I love the 73, my first Vette was a 73 big block. Yes, your leak is a very common spot for that, and the orange silicone proves that someone tried to fix it. You can clean the whole area with a wire brush and brake cleaner and try to goop it again, but it doesn't usually work - at least, not for long. Pulling the intake manifold to fix it properly will only take a couple of hours if you're handy. Most people don't use a gasket there at all - they just run a bead of silicone across the top of the rear rail and smoosh the intake manifold down onto it. Good luck, and enjoy your 73!!

 

[ArielleLaPierre]

Welcome! I love the 73, my first Vette was a 73 big block. Yes, your leak is a very common spot for that, and the orange silicone proves that someone tried to fix it. You can clean the whole area with a wire brush and brake cleaner and try to goop it again, but it doesn't usually work - at least, not for long. Pulling the intake manifold to fix it properly will only take a couple of hours if you're handy. Most people don't use a gasket there at all - they just run a bead of silicone across the top of the rear rail and smoosh the intake manifold down onto it. Good luck, and enjoy your 73!!

Thank you so much for the advice, yeah when I have a little more time I will try replacing the gasket. I’m not really handy but I’m learning as I go, with the help of some books I bought.
I’m really enjoying my vette so for thank you.

 

[ArielleLaPierre]

Welcome! I love the 73, my first Vette was a 73 big block. Yes, your leak is a very common spot for that, and the orange silicone proves that someone tried to fix it. You can clean the whole area with a wire brush and brake cleaner and try to goop it again, but it doesn't usually work - at least, not for long. Pulling the intake manifold to fix it properly will only take a couple of hours if you're handy. Most people don't use a gasket there at all - they just run a bead of silicone across the top of the rear rail and smoosh the intake manifold down onto it. Good luck, and enjoy your 73!!

With our vehicles, I tend to do a rad flush every 5 years and use new antifreeze. With the automatic transmissionss the same, a drain with new fluid and filter. Cheap insurance.

Yeah I was thinking the same thing, in the owner manual I bought it recommended every 2 years but I was thinking every 5 years as well. Thank you so much for your tip, I didn’t know you had to replace the antifreeze at all, that will save me a lot of hose replacing in the future.