Brooklyn

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Bard Beach
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Brooklyn

Post by Bard Beach »

Hello,
Picked up a 63 Monza recently. I've lived in NYC for a while but finally made the leap on getting the car I've been drooling over for some time.
Love to hear from anyone with experience with Corvairs in the area!

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bbodie52
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Re: Brooklyn

Post by bbodie52 »

:welcome2: :clap: :wave: Welcome to the Corvair Forum!

If you need shop manuals and other technical guides, the following link will guide you to websites where you can download the references you will need in Adobe Reader (.pdf) format at no cost. Hard copies of many of these books can be purchased from Clark's Corvair Parts or from similar sources.

Common and Useful Corvair Websites

Corvair Forum :link: viewtopic.php?f=225&t=6007

I would recommend locating the nearest CORSA (Corvair Society of America) club chapter and joining that group. The Corvair Forum is really great, but face-to-face contact with other local owners can fill some information and support gaps in ways that just cannot be had on the Internet.

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There are several CORSA club chapters in New York. CORSA clubs vary with membership participation, but generally they are helpful, family-friendly groups who organize meetings, picnics, car shows, competitions, scenic drives and technical training sessions. In comparison with websites like the Corvair Forum, the CORSA chapters are local in nature and represent "the other side of the coin" in obtaining Corvair support and guidance. Face-to-face contact with like-minded Corvair owners can be very helpful, and can increase your enjoyment of your Corvair. There are four CORSA chapters in New York. I would suggest contacting one club chapter that is near you and inquiring about membership.

Here are some links to investigate...

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Long Island Corvair Association
West Babylon, New York - Chapter 117
:link: http://longislandcorvairassociation.zohosites.com/

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Central New York Corvair Club
P.O. Box 616 Jamesville, NY 13078 - Chapter 130)
:link: http://www.cnycorvair.com/CNYCorvair.php

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Capital District Corvair Club
Delmar, New York - Chapter 120
:link: http://www.corvair.org/chapters/chapter120/

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ACORNS (Association of COvaiR NutS)
Rochester, New York - Chapter 148
:link: http://www.corvair.org/chapters/chapter148/

:dontknow: I would like to encourage you to expand on your initial post and tell us more about yourself. If you can describe your personal assessment of your mechanical skills and abilities, that would help a lot. Members of the Corvair Forum love to be helpful in assisting other Corvair owners with technical support and advice, but it helps a lot if we have some understanding of your technical background and mechanical abilities, Corvair-related knowledge, etc. Helping us to know more about you will help us to write comments to you that are tailored to your needs and experience. Knowing your location is also useful, because knowing where you live can sometimes suggest possibilities.

I hope you will post some detailed pictures (engine compartment, trunk, interior, etc.) of your new Corvair acquisition!

:welcome:
Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
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toytron
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Re: Brooklyn

Post by toytron »

Welcome Bard. [emoji106]

Ed Stevenson

Edwin Stevenson
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Electronics Technician
65 corvair corsa convertible turbo
65 corvair monza
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Bard Beach
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Re: Brooklyn

Post by Bard Beach »

Thank you!
This is all really helpful.

I grew up wrenching on cars as a kid but it's been years since I've had a car at all. Living in NYC makes it easy to get by without.
I've been longing to get something fun to drive and tinker with for years. I pay for off street parking but I don't have a garage which keeps me at a major disadvantage when it comes to doing any significant work on the car.
I know I've jumped into the deep end here, but that never stopped me before 🤷‍♂️


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64powerglide
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Re: Brooklyn

Post by 64powerglide »

You didn't say what transmission you have but if you're getting white smoke you probably have a powerglide. If you do the transmission modulator valve is probably bad & you are sucking trans fluid into the intake manifold. It's an easy fix. If you don't have a powerglide ignore this reply. ::-): :dontknow:
64Powerglide, Jeff Phillips

Kalamazoo, Mi..
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Bard Beach
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Re: Brooklyn

Post by Bard Beach »

64powerglide wrote:You didn't say what transmission you have but if you're getting white smoke you probably have a powerglide. If you do the transmission modulator valve is probably bad & you are sucking trans fluid into the intake manifold. It's an easy fix. If you don't have a powerglide ignore this reply. ::-): :dontknow:
You're right about it being a powerglide.
Had the modulator replaced while at corvair ranch also. Wonder if the new one might be faulty, or if that shows that the problem is elsewhere?
Things seem great until the temperature starts going up. Happens when the car is not moving fast. Heavy traffic or stoplights. I've had a feeling it gets hotter faster while in drive with my foot on the brake than it does while in neutral. I could be wrong there but that seems to be when it starts smoking. I've had the engine light come on once and the car begins running like it's going to stall. I've been fast about getting it parked before it actually does.

I've driven it recently from Ohio to NYC with long stretches of driving at highway speeds. (Hours) once in traffic it begins to show signs of smoking and running hot.
Driving around Brooklyn is mostly slow going and it seems to get to that point in 10-15 minutes.



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64powerglide
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Re: Brooklyn

Post by 64powerglide »

Are your damper doors opening up for the air flow through the engine? They have thermostats that push them open. If the modulator valve was bad you would have a cloud of white smoke following you.
64Powerglide, Jeff Phillips

Kalamazoo, Mi..
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Bard Beach
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Re: Brooklyn

Post by Bard Beach »

64powerglide wrote:Are your damper doors opening up for the air flow through the engine? They have thermostats that push them open. If the modulator valve was bad you would have a cloud of white smoke following you.
I'll try to figure out if the damper doors are opening.

If it's the modulator valve, the smoke would start as soon as the car is running?

Thanks for the help!




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Bard Beach
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Re: Brooklyn

Post by Bard Beach »

Bard Beach wrote:
64powerglide wrote:Are your damper doors opening up for the air flow through the engine? They have thermostats that push them open. If the modulator valve was bad you would have a cloud of white smoke following you.
Looks like the damper doors are disconnected from any hardware that would open or close them. They are hanging loosely in an open position while parked and cold.

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Also am. Pricing that the rubber seal around the engine isn't connected in many places. Could that do it?
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Here are a couple of overall shots
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Bard Beach
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Re: Brooklyn

Post by Bard Beach »

Bard Beach wrote:
Bard Beach wrote:
64powerglide wrote:
Also am. Pricing that the rubber seal around

*i am noticing


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bbodie52
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Re: Brooklyn

Post by bbodie52 »

If you suspect that automatic transmission fluid may be drawn into the engine via the vacuum modulator, you can raise the car and place it on jack stands, and then crawl underneath to inspect the vacuum modulator. Try disconnecting the rubber hose that connects to the vacuum modulator and check it for oil content inside the hose. The hose should be dry and the vacuum modulator should not be allowing transmission fluid to pass from the transmission to the vacuum hose.

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The lack of a complete engine compartment seal around the perimeter of the engine can permit hot engine cooling air to recycle by reentering at the rear of the engine compartment. The hot air that is exhausted through the thermostat control doors simply drifts back into the engine compartment and is then drawn by the cooling fan past the air cooled engine again. This recycled air can cause the average temperature of the engine to increase. I have been driving Corvairs since the 1960s when I was a teenager and have never had one overheat as long as the fan belt was intact. This includes several cross-country runs from coast-to-coast in the middle of the summer in a fully loaded Corvair with maximum passengers and luggage. Even crossing through the desert in Southern California at midday may have overheated the passengers — but not the engine. The air cooled Corvair engine is pretty good at dealing with ambient temperature variations. The recycling the heated cooling air is not doing it any favors.

I noticed that your ignition system has been upgraded and is utilizing an FAST/Crane Cams XR700 electronic ignition system. This system has been around for a long time and has a good reputation. It replaces the ignition points with a breakerless system that utilizes an optical trigger to control the ignition coil. I also noted that someone has added an external ballast resistor to the primary ignition system. This external resistor is normally not needed in 1963 Corvairs, because a ballast resistor wire already exists in the wiring harness. The purpose of a ballast resistor is to reduce battery voltage (nominal 12 V DC) that powers the ignition coil and crosses the ignition points. The reduced voltage through the ballast resistor is approximately 7 V DC. Lowering the voltage to this level helps the coil to run at a cooler temperature and also prolongs the operational life of the ignition points by reducing arcing and burning of the contacts as they open and close during normal engine operation. The primary ignition system actually has two sources of voltage for the ignition coil. The main source is routed from the ignition switch in the ON position, through the multi-connector in the engine compartment, then through a resistor wire in the wiring harness to reduce the voltage, and finally on to the ignition coil positive terminal. There is also a small 2-wire harness that is connected to the starter solenoid. When the starter solenoid is engaged to crank the engine, another wire coming from the solenoid provides a full 12 V DC to the ignition coil — but only for the period that the engine is being cranked. This has the effect of boosting voltage to the ignition coil to increase the coil output to the spark plugs — which promotes engine starting. As soon as the engine starts the operator releases the key and it returns to the ON position. The starter disengages, which also cuts the voltage boost to the ignition coil. This leaves only the continuous voltage from the ignition switch that passes through the ballast resistor, which provides a nominal 7 V DC to the coil for continuous operation. This lower voltage was deemed sufficient by GM engineers for normal engine operation.

Fast XR700.jpg
Given that explanation, the question is, why is there an external ballast resistor added to the primary ignition circuit? This would make sense if the original ballast resistor wire in the wiring harness had failed at some point in the past, or if it had been bypassed, and a subsequent owner installed the external ballast resistor as a replacement. However, if the external ballast resistor was installed in error, there may be two ballast resistors in the circuit, which would lower the supply voltage to the coil — and possibly to the XR700 ignition module as well — to a level is well-below acceptable voltage levels for the coil and for the electronic module.

Another possibility for error may be in the way that the XR700 electronic module has been wired. Typically aftermarket electronic modules for the ignition system tap from the positive terminal on the ignition coil to provide operating voltage for the electronic module. Some modules, such as those manufactured by Pertronix, require a full 12 V DC to power the internal electronics. The XR700 module from FAST/Crane Cams was engineered differently however. The engineers assumed that most installations would already include a ballast resistor in the circuit, and they designed the XR700 electronics to be powered by only a nominal 7 V DC. In fact, the instruction sheet (which I have attached) specifically states that powering the electronics with a full 12 V DC can cause the electronic module to overheat and malfunction in the course of operation.

The XR700 electronic ignition module must have the proper voltage to function correctly. The question about your installation (which I cannot tell from the photographs) is how was your electronic ignition system wired? Is the external ballast resistor that is mounted next to the XR700 module wired properly in the circuit to reduce the voltage feed to both the ignition coil and to the XR700? Or was the XR700 improperly wired so that is powered by a full 12 V DC battery voltage, which can cause the electronic module to overheat. If it was wired properly to include the external ballast resistor in the power feed to the XR700 module, is the factory ballast resistor wire also still present in the wiring harness? If both ballast resistors are in the circuit, the final voltage being applied to the XR700 electronic circuit may be too low! A low power supply voltage can also cause improper operation of the electronic module, and excessively high power supply voltage (nominal 12 V DC) can cause the XR700 electronic module to began to malfunction after several minutes of operation as it overheats.

See the attached Crane Cams XR700 Optically Triggered Installation Instructions, page 10, for details on ballast resistance. Pay specific attention to the section labeled XR700 BALLAST RESISTANCE NOTES. You should physically examine the wiring harness that is attached to your electronic ignition module, and trace it back to the location where the original ballast resistor wire would have been installed. Look for any modifications to the factory wiring harness on your Corvair. If it does not seem to be modified, you may have more than one ballast resistor in the circuit. On the other hand, if the XR700 was improperly connected directly to 12 V DC, and overheating electronic module could explain the operational instability you are experiencing with your engine after a short period of operation.
Crane Cams XR700 Optically Triggered Installation Instructions.pdf
Crane Cams XR700 Optically Triggered Installation Instructions
(3.38 MiB) Downloaded 13 times
Left click the image below to enlarge for better viewing…
1963 Corvair Engine Compartment Wiring (Ignition Circuit).jpg
Crane - Basic XR700 and XR3000 Hookup.jpg
Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
64powerglide
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Joined: Tue Mar 25, 2014 9:18 pm
Location: Kalamazoo Mi..

Re: Brooklyn

Post by 64powerglide »

Those ballast resistor's have been known to crack & when they get hot the connection separates then when they cool off the car will run again but not for long. The damper doors should be open when it's running but just in case you might want to rig something up to hold them open.
64Powerglide, Jeff Phillips

Kalamazoo, Mi..
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