Found new problems..

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Blair
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Joined: Sun Aug 06, 2017 9:03 pm

Found new problems..

Post by Blair »

With the first picture, could someone tell me what these wires are for? They are on the passenger side and connects into the engine. And the second, the front of the teeth on the transmission are chipped off. What could I do to prevent it from getting worse? Why is my entire engine and more covered with oil and dirt? It's so thick I spent the weekend trying to remove all of it but it's just everywhere. I thought maybe it had to do with the vacuum leak that I fixed? I drained all the oil and took the oil pan off and started to fix all the seals. I have a small transmission fluid leak from a line which I tried to fix but I can't seem to get it right. The line just has a small hole in it. My biggest question is to why everything is covered in a thick coat if oil and dirt. Bad seals I hope? I didn't take a picture but there is also what seems to be some kind of fuel line not attached to anything on both sides in front of the engine underneath the car. They are attached to each other and are dry so they aren't the source of any leaks. Any idea of what they could be?
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Blair
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Re: Found new problems..

Post by Blair »

Also does anyone have a picture of what I should and should not seal in the oil pan?
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bbodie52
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Re: Found new problems..

Post by bbodie52 »

There appears to be only one damaged tooth on the torque converter ring gear. Have you noticed any other damaged teeth at other points around the ring gear? There is no way to know how long this damage has existed. It could have been caused many years ago by a different starter, or it could be a problem with the existing starter. As illustrated below, the starter solenoid has two basic functions: When you turn the key to crank the engine the starter solenoid moves the position of the drive gear to engage it with the ring gear on the torque converter. When the position of the drive gear has fully shifted to engage the ring gear properly, an internal switch contact closes within the solenoid to apply power to the starter motor. The starter motor is not normally running and turning the drive gear until the gear has shifted position and is properly engaged with the ring gear. Rapidly turning the key back and forth to START might cause such damage, or a faulty Bendix drive might have caused the damage. This may have happened with the previous owner who may have already replaced a faulty starter. You might have to remove the existing starter so that you can examine the current Bendix drive gear and see if you see any signs of damage on the teeth of the drive gear. Also, have you ever noticed a grinding sound from the starter when you turn the key to start the engine? If the starter drive gear appears to be in good condition and no grinding noises are heard when you use the starter, you may just have to hope that the damaged ring gear tooth occurred long ago and will probably not get worse. If the welds that secure the ring gear to the torque converter were broken, the problem may get worse with use. Correcting the problem is not a simple job, since the entire engine and transaxle has to be lowered from the car to permit separation of the engine from the transaxle. Then the torque converter would have to be replaced with a professionally rebuilt unit from a source like Clark's Corvair Parts. I would suggest removing the starter and examining it for a damaged Bendix drive gear or a cracked housing. If inspection does not reveal a problem with the starter, and if the starter seems to be operating properly, I would guess that you could leave the engine as is and hope that the problem does not worsen.

Someone else on the Corvair Forum may have prior experience with a problem of this type and may be able to suggest other possibilities.
Bad Teeth.jpg
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Starter Solenoid and Drive - Copy.jpg
Starter Solenoid and Drive - Copy.jpg (31.87 KiB) Viewed 792 times
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Starter Solenoid Operation - Copy.jpg
As shown in the illustration below, the oil pressure and temperature warning light in the instrument panel is wired to two engine sensors. The wire that connects to the sensor that is next to the generator/alternator is used to check for engine oil pressure. The other wire plugs into the sensor on the bottom of the cylinder head. Both of these sensors are electric switches. The oil pressure switch defaults in the CLOSED position, which provides an electrical ground to the wire connection whenever there is no oil pressure. When the engine is not running (no oil pressure) and the key is in the ON position, the warning light will illuminate because of the lack of oil pressure. This also serves to test the bulb. When the engine starts, oil pressure reaches the warning light switch and causes the switch to OPEN, which turns the light off by removing the electrical ground from the circuit. The other wire is connected to a temperature sensing switch on the cylinder head. This which is normally always OPEN, and would only switch to the CLOSED position if the engine overheats. The plug connector at the end of the wire that passes through the engine sheet metal should be connected to the temperature sensing switch. If you find that reconnecting the wire leaves the warning light on at all times — even with the engine running and oil pressure present to turn the other switch off — you may have discovered that the temperature sensing switch is faulty and was intentionally left disconnected. (I have yet to ever see a Corvair overheat to the point where the warning switch cause the instrument light to illuminate. Advance warning of a potential for engine overheat is normally displayed if the fan belt breaks and because of the GEN/FAN warning light to illumination. Corvair engines seldom overheat as long as the fan belt is intact).

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Engine Compartment Warning Light Switch Wiring.jpg
The source of an oil leak on a dirty engine is often hard to spot. The constantly moving cooling air that is passing through the engine sheet metal shrouds does a pretty good job of creating an oil mist and vapor that distributes evenly around the engine. The dirt that is a part of the cooling air mixes well with the oil to distribute and even coating of dirty oil around the engine surfaces. If you have already corrected the known oil leak, then cleaning the engine thoroughly with some engine degreaser should produce a clean engine that stays that way. If you clean the engine thoroughly, any other existing oil leaks may become more apparent as fresh oil begins to appear. The lower sheet metal shroud can be left off the engine to help you to continue to examine the engine for fresh oil leaks once the engine has been cleaned. If no further oil leaks are found the lower shrouds could then be reinstalled.
Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
Blair
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Re: Found new problems..

Post by Blair »

The trunk of my corvair is rusted out. The floor boards in it are very brittle and I want to protect it from getting worse. It seems that it's good at holding moisture, because I left a tool box in there for about 3 weeks and all of my tools are covered in a layer of rust. Is this a common problem? I am in north Carolina on camp lejeune so I'm pretty close to the ocean. Best way to stop the rust?
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terribleted
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Re: Found new problems..

Post by terribleted »

Rusted out trunk floor is common. Clark's Corvair parts sells a very nice stamped steel replacement to weld in. They also sell complete stamped steel floor panel sections (they only cover the footwells unfortunately and will not help for issues under the seats...these areas will need to be fabricated). Keep in mind that the Corvair is a unibody car (no frame) so every steel panel in the car is part of the structure (some areas more than others)...this means that the best repair is too always replace steel with similar steel. As far as moisture in your trunk you should also make sure that the weatherstrip is actually sealing (you can do this by placing a dollar bill across suspect areas so that it hand out over the fender or front panel when the lid is closed. Close the lid and pull the bill out. There should be drag on the bill in all areas around the entire lid. If there is little to no drag in an area then there is an issue in that area that may leak. A new fresh weatherstrip may fix this issue, if not sometimes readjusting the lid tighter or bending the weatherstrip body flange upward in a bad spot using a block of wood and large hammer can help (WARNING: possible visible body damage can occur from this process).

You should also dry the trunk compartment and run water over the nose particularly over the windshield and wiper cowl area. Open the trunk and look for water. Leaks can occur around the headlamp buckets and at the bolts holding the front grille bar and any front emblems on the car. Remove repair and re-seal as necessary for these...all fasteners for trim should be sealed with a soft body putty (3M Strip Caulk is a good product too use). A leaky windshield, or leaks in the wiper cowl is a common cause of a wet trunk in Corvairs. The sealant used in this area is way past its service life and often crack and causes leaks. Rust holes are also common around the windshield and in the cowl which can often cause water in the trunk.

You should certainly remove and clean out behind the front footwell air vents if you have not. All water off the base of the windshield drains behind the fenders through this area. The area behind the vents behind the bottom of the front fenders fills with leaves and debris over the years, this will cause corrosion nd can cause leaks into the interior and or trunk if the drains at the bottom are blocked or the debris pile is high enough. After cleaning out any debris it is a good idea to hose out the inside of the rocker panels to clear debris as well (particularly on 65-69 cars). Water can be run in thru the vents (on an early model you may get water into the car via the front floor heater outlets doing this...be prepared to block these or catch water). There some rubber plugs at the ends of the rocker panels behind the front wheels and in front of the rear wheels (rear only on early models and front and rear on late models) that can be removed to allow high pressure through the rockers from a water hose. Both early models and late models have a drain built in to the inner rocker panel just under the floor pan forward of the rear wheel (supposed to be covered by a rubber flap). These are often blocked up as well which can cause water to build up in the rockers and infiltrate the car. I generally remove the rubber flap and leave it off for better drainage.

On your 64 there is a drain hole located inside the trunk compartment on the flat area under the wiper motor that should be open to drain and water that might get in there. It has a plastic drain tube in it that is often blocked. Make sure it is clear as well. the real key is eliminating water getting into the trunk in the first place, but, tis good to have this drain clear as well.
Corvair guy since 1982. I have personally restored at least 20 Vairs, many of them restored ground up.
Currently working full time repairing Corvairs and restoring old cars.
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Located in Snellville, Georgia
Blair
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Re: Found new problems..

Post by Blair »

I looked online for weather strips and I couldn't find anything useful. Do you have part numbers? Anything that I find that I think is the right one doesn't look right. And everything I find that looks right is called something that makes me question it. Every seal on the car needs replaced. The one around the roof, and the trunk seal are missing. The car is kept in a garage and out of the rain at all times. Could I possibly make the seals myself by using caulk carefully? I'm trying to restore the car the right way, but on a budget.
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terribleted
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Re: Found new problems..

Post by terribleted »

No caulk will not work and will make a mess particularly when proper weatherstrips for essentially your entire car are available in reproduction from Clark's Corvair Parts, as well as some other vendors.

Do you have Clark's Corvair Parts catalog? I am betting no. they are online at corvair.com, but the catalog is well put together and easy to find parts in as it is organized mostly by the area of the car you are working on with breakdown diagrams, tips and a lot of info. BUY ONE...they used to refund the cost on your first order even, they might still?
Corvair guy since 1982. I have personally restored at least 20 Vairs, many of them restored ground up.
Currently working full time repairing Corvairs and restoring old cars.
https://www.facebook.com/tedsautorestoration/

Located in Snellville, Georgia
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bbodie52
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Re: Found new problems..

Post by bbodie52 »

Brad Bodie
Lake Chatuge, North Carolina
Image 1966 Corvair Corsa Convertible
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terribleted
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Re: Found new problems..

Post by terribleted »

Thanks Brad for the catalog pages!! Blair here are only a couple pages of Clark's extensive 500+ page catalog set.
Corvair guy since 1982. I have personally restored at least 20 Vairs, many of them restored ground up.
Currently working full time repairing Corvairs and restoring old cars.
https://www.facebook.com/tedsautorestoration/

Located in Snellville, Georgia
Blair
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Re: Found new problems..

Post by Blair »

Thanks
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