427 engine (part 2) - RHS block

[RevXtreme 1]

Ratcheting GearWrench wont fit due to the tight area. You may also need to cut the end off of a allen wrench to fit in the end of the ball-joint stud if it starts to slip. You can use the open-end part of the wrench on the nut.

[Rich Z]

Originally Posted by RevXtreme 1

Ratcheting GearWrench wont fit due to the tight area. You may also need to cut the end off of a allen wrench to fit in the end of the ball-joint stud if it starts to slip. You can use the open-end part of the wrench on the nut.

Hmm, rats. I've gotten spoiled by the ratcheting Gearwrench wrenches...

With the half shaft out, a regular allen wrench should fit into that stud just fine. But yeah, if the shaft were in, it would be a bugger to get to....

BTW, how do you torque these stud nuts if you can't use a socket on them?

[RevXtreme 1]

Just get them as tight as you can w/a open end wrench and we have never had any come loose in all the years.

[Rich Z]

Originally Posted by RevXtreme 1

Just get them as tight as you can w/a open end wrench and we have never had any come loose in all the years.

Is that what is known as "torque to yield"? I've often wondered if the "yield" part of that meant the person doing the torquing, or the part being torqued. Basically which one gives up first.

[Rich Z]

Didn't do a whole lot today on the car. Connie and I drove out to talk to Ryan at SS Performance since the local Corvette club was having a get together out there. Looks like I'm going to be needing a new shop to take my vehicles to, as the last two just didn't work out well. Looks like he has a nice shop out there, so we'll see how it goes.

Anyway, all I did on the car was to get the knuckle off of the lower ball joint and then get the hub out of the knuckle. Wasn't too tough, but I had to take the knuckle on and off of the ball joints several times to hold it stable while I would remove the bolts holding the hub in place. They were permatexed in pretty solidly.

So here's a question. Should I be using a Permatex thread locker on all these bolts and nuts?

Oh, btw, the nut on the lower ball joint was not on very tight at all. Just as was the case with the upper ball joint. So much for this stuff having all been checked.....

Now when I go to put this stuff all back together again, just what does THIS mean concerning the torque specs?

Lower Control Arm Ball Joint Stud Nut (1st Pass) 20 N·m 15 lb ft
Lower Control Arm Ball Joint Stud Nut (2nd Pass) 3 ½ flats
Lower Control Arm Ball Joint Stud Nut (Final Pass) 70 N·m 52 lb ft

What does "3 1/2 flats" mean?

Then on the upper ball joint, I see:

Upr Control Arm Ball Joint Stud Nut (1st Pass) 20 N·m 15 lb ft
Upr Control Arm Ball Joint Stud Nut (2nd Pass) 250 deg
Upr Control Arm Ball Joint Stud Nut (Final Pass) 55 N·m 41 lb ft

So what does "250 deg" mean there?

Anyway, I'm going to be cleaning up everything there on the suspension before putting it all back together again. Might as well get the crud off of it all while it's easy to get to.

[Rich Z]

Interesting.... I'm browsing through the 2002 Corvette service manuals trying to find some info on the wiring info for the fuel system and happened to stumble upon a section called "Heated Oxygen Sensor (HO2S) Wiring Repairs".

I'll quote the pertinent section mentioned there...

Notice: Do not solder repairs under any circumstances as this could result in the air reference being obstructed.

If the heated oxygen sensor pigtail wiring, connector, or terminal is damaged the entire oxygen sensor assembly must be replaced. Do not attempt to repair the wiring, connector, or terminals. In order for the sensor to function properly it must have a clean air reference. This clean air reference is obtained by way of the oxygen sensor signal and heater wires. Any attempt to repair the wires, connectors or terminals could result in the obstruction of the air reference and degrade oxygen sensor performance.

This reference is found on page 8-31 of the service manual #3.

So much for Aaron's claim that soldering in trailer hitch wire is perfectly acceptable because "wire is just wire".

[Rich Z]

Was over in the garage today just puttering around with the car, cleaning up stuff and looking for more wires hanging too close to the headers to try to wrap them up to keep the heat from affecting them.

Found a few more issues that need to be noted....

Here's another part of that plastic shield behind the left from fender that got broken, apparently from Aaron tugging on the fender to get the PCM out for Jim to program on the workbench. With all this breakage that took place, I sure wish they had just done the tuning through the OBD port


Next I noticed that one of the two screws to the right of the TAC module on the PCM had not been put into place.


Looking further, I found that the single screw to the right of the TAC module was missing as well, so that module was pretty much just flapping around on the PCM. I couldn't get a pic of the actual screw, but the arrow shows where it is located.


Seems to me that the wiring in there is pretty much a mess as well. Sure wish Aaron had cleaned up that bird's nest when he was done in there.

Next I found one of the bolts holding the STS scavenge pump onto the frame was missing.


Now, with the hub out of the knuckle, I was able to get a much better shot of that damaged wheel speed sensor that was on the left rear wheel.


Lastly (for now, anyway), can anyone tell me what this doohicky near the starter is and how I can go about tightening it to fix that oil leak? Does that cable end come out, and if so, how? It looks like the thing is only made of plastic, so I don't want to try to shoehorn a wrench into there to try to tighten it. With that connector out, I may have a socket that would work on it.

[85vette]

Oil temp sensor?

[CorvetteJohn]

Go to your parts store and have them look it up on there computer. When they find it ask if they have one in stock you can look at. If so you can actually see what it is and how to deal with it.

[Rich Z]

I found out that it's an oil level sensor. Has a sort of rod that runs into the oil pan and is sealed with a large O-ring. The electrical connector is held in place with a latch that is accessible though a slot at the 2 o-clock position in the picture (not really visible, however). I was able to get the connector unlatched with a right angle dental pick, then put a socket on it and tightened it about an eighth of a turn. I'll just have to see if that seals it up, otherwise I'll need to buy a new one and install it next time I change the oil in the engine.