My Flood Totaled ZR1 Corvette Ran for only 3 Miles after its Engine Repairs 

Keep the content rolling on this car, this is way more interesting than Ferrari blunders

Alex is a real mechanic who has worked with dumb people for so long that he asks the obvious questions😂

I've worked on C4 vettes that overheat from a plugged exhaust. Keep that in mind when chasing overheating and performance issues

It's time to pave your own test track on the property. Some nice straightaway and some nice banking turns to test all these super cars on

With the amount of oil that came out of the exhaust it could take awhile for the oil to burn out of the exhaust. Especially out of the cats. I have seen this when a turbo seal let go and filled the exhaust full of oil. Good luck.

16:59 The secondary injectors only turn on with the power key.There are also small butterfly valves in each of the secondary runners that will open as well. The intake ports on the heads are not like typical 4-valve arrangements. There is a separate intake port for each intake valve that leads to the runners. They are not merged like on most 4-valve engines.

A GM OBD I code scanner for 35 bucks??? I can do the SAME THING with a paper clip, a pen, and a note pad for free! Just ground out the A & B pins on the old school ALDL, turn Key on, engine off, and then just read the flashes. I CAN'T be the only one here who still knows how to do that... [2 Seconds Laytehr] THANK YOU SAM!!!!

You may want to consider the injectors: if they're original to the car, then they're going to be eaten by ethanol fuel, and it will progressively go from annoying to fall-on-its-face dead. Also, the valve guides may need attention. Source: 1990 ZR-1 owner here. The LT-5 is an amazing piece of engineering for its time and purpose. And still highly regarded as a very reliable engine.

Thanks Samcrak really enjoy your channel. No loud mouth, no sissy rubber gloves, you are a top bloke.

Love your efforts making this vette come alive again

The smoke is probably oil that migrated into the intake wen it flooded , oil being lighter than water floats and gets trapped in the intake manifold , it will eventually clear up .. good video

I hope you spend some real time giving it a quality detail for the interior and exterior components, too, Sam. Great video from one of my favorite builds/repairs yet!

I love this car. Great video. Sam it is time to build a pole barn to store your cars. You can add walls at another time.

I used to build up ZR-1s. You can get rid of most of that under plenum vacuum hoses. Ditch the secondary throttle plates too. You can also bypass the water lines going to the throttle body. That was something no one in the states wants. Lots of other things you can do. Oh, the 90-92 ZR-1s produced 375 hp. The 93-95 produced 405 hp. Smart people get new radiators as the cooling pack on the ZR-1 was originally produced for the old L98 engine which produced only 250 hp. You will find that at high rpm's the radiator is bypassed. Not the best solution for a high rev-ing engine. Easiest solution is to drill two small holes in the thermostat. There are some folks that are offering a 160 degree thermostat (custom made). The bypass for the power key is a one line change in the prom code. If you are changing that may as well change the VATTs too. Drop me a line if you need help.

Yes, 1/2 of your injectors (the small ones) run until you turn on the power switch, then the others (the bigger ones) open. You can find replacements injectors through SAAB - no kidding.

Love this project. C4 ZR1 has such a cool history and the engine is very impressive.

I hope you get that ZR1 roaring by the next video Sam!!

That call to Alex will forever be a piece of his repotoire of digs to use against you. 'Remember the time you had no fuel pressure and called me and I told you to check the tank?' Yeah, you won't live that one down. Rich would have been worse though.

Oooooof! Thankfully it wasn’t the head gasket! Keep On Keepin’ On with the great stuff! 😎

No pressure!! If it takes a couple more vids, I'm down! Gives me something really fun to watch with my dad!

Water pushed the oil up into the cyclinders and out the exhaust when it was flooded. It will take a while for the oil to burn out of the mufflers. We did a 2020 flood jeep and it took 800 miles to burn all the oil off

I want the old music back at the end! Sam,,, as a ATV mechanic for over 3 decades. It takes a few very very hot runs to burn oil out of exhausts. Prolly didn't do the cats any favors either. Love your stuff brother. Step Mom needs to check in soon!!

"One final video" Sounds like famous last words to me !!! . Seriously; i'm enjoying this.

Gotto love strange partnerships like a Chevy with a Lotus designed engine that’s built by Mercury Marine! Probably my favourite vette along with the c4 grandsport.

I started watching you several years ago. Two years ago I bought a 2017 jeep renegade from copart Denver it was a hail damage we have now put 35,000 miles more on it and it's great. A couple of fun things a first it really was a partial repair front end damage that was a run and drive. It would not hardly move as they had replaced the trans cooler and didn't add fluid. But all good now. Thanks for getting this old gear head interested again!!

What an awesome car; I've always wanted one of these. I can remember finding one on craigslist maybe 10 years ago for 6 grand; the engine was entirely disassembled and being in my teens, after finding out the complexity of the mercury V8, I passed. Thanks for allowing us to follow along in this journey!

Great to see another talented young person that wants to learn and help out!

That was a rollercoaster of emotions. I was worried when you whipped out the pump thingy, those tests never ended with good results for you. This is a beautiful car, I don't mind seeing more videos on it! I wish I had a C4-C5 or C6 in this very same color, it's my favorite!

Glad you are making progress. Hope you get it figured out. Please don't make me wait two weeks for the "last" video on this one. Thanks

My dad set up CAD systems for MerCruiser (Mercury Marine) when they were building the first batch of ZR1s. It's a very special car. That said - one can understand how the LS came about. (KISS) I'm enjoying this series. Keep it up!

You can't say this guy isn't funny, "I want this car to be perfect", that is pure gold. Taking cracker jack fixes and harbor freight levels of skill does not create a perfect car.

I am a new C4 ZR-1 owner, a 1993. I appreciate the documentation of the work you are doing. I too would like to be able to data log but currently I do not have the necessary tools. With the right cable to connect the ALDL port to a laptop it is possible with some free software from TunerPro. I do not have experience with using it yet but one day I may give it a try. Keep us posted on this project.

I had a 91. Other that the interior light coming on when the chassis twisted when I entered parking lots(it went back off when the car leveled out), it was the best car I've ever owned. It never gave me any trouble.

Great Video!!! BTW every C4-ZR1 has a built in Diagnostic Code Reader that uses the speedometer and the buttons on the Driver Information Center. Simply jump A to G on the ALDL plug. This is much better than counting flashes of the Service Engine Soon bulb.

Looking at these videos just confirms my own ZR-1 having the some of the same issues. Just mine has never been a flood car. Keep up the good work.

I have the exact same ZR-1 year and color. Fun to follow your progress, good luck!

in 20 seconds after post! i'm gonna buy that ZR1 from him one of these days

Check your air purge line. It is the smallest line running into the pressurized coolant expansion tank ("surge tank"). These motors, like the Cadillac Northstar engines with which they share a lot of engineering, are prone to vapor locking of the cooling systems. Basically, when enough vapors build up, circulation of coolant drops by like 90%. It's been 20 years since I had one of these cars, so I don't remember exactly the routing of the line, but on the Cadillacs, it runs to the top of the water pump housing. Disconnect the line and start the engine. Within a couple seconds, you should have a steady stream of water/coolant flowing. Checking for exhaust in the coolant was a good idea, because (like the Cadillac engines), these engines tend to dump exhaust gas into the coolant, rather than burning much coolant to show up through the exhaust.

I love the clocks and back-lit lights on this car. Just a lovely layout, colors and attention to detail.

Those C4 ZR1 Corvettes are one of my childhood dream cars, loved the look of that engine at first sight, still all these years later though, I've never seen one in the flesh... Australia problems... 😂

I'm glad the head gasket is okay 👍🏾😊

I rebuilt the delrin plastic bushings in the rotating headlight motors on my 1994 C4 Corvette. Fun times!

Even Sam is the kind of guy to run out of gas and not notice

If you have compression and you’ve basically got all your fuel system and electrical in check you should be golden . Had 2 cars under water for 2 days in. Tropical flood in Houston , clear all water of engine working towards all things new . Should get it done

That's a truly rare car. I remember reading about it in either Motor Trend or Car & Driver or something back when it came out. I was of the impression that it would never be a production car.

You need to call your stepmom, Sam.. she misses you dearly.

Please finish it this week, cant wait

Keep running and driving the car and that smoke will clear up. It can take a while sometimes but I've gone through that before and it took a few drives to get it to stop altogether.

What a great series can’t wait to see and hear it running a 100%!!! How bout a detail video too cmon it’s a ZR1 everyone will love it

Sam you have more patience in one episode than I've ever had my entire life. Keep up the interesting videos!

Dude is slick he went into a ad without any warning he just slipped it right into what he was talking about lol

Sam’s given me the confidence to work on my own car (BMW 435). I’ve screwed up tons of things but I’ve learned (and corrected the mistakes) and I can’t thank this channel enough for the confidence to try-and ya, sometimes fail. Thanks Sam for helping all us ordinary guys and having a great channel to boot…

Sam take your time on this car we enjoy the videos on it. Its nice seeing retro cars and havingg to revert back to the 90s to repair them without the advanced diagnostic equipment we all take for granted these days

Enjoyed your troubleshoot tips and your ability to figure out what’s going wrong, step by step

I watched a special on these ZR1 Corvettes and was surprised to find out this motor was built by Mercury Outboard Marine for GM

Love the videos , I've had a zr1 for 22 years and love it everytime I take it for a ride . MOD IT ...all you need to do is 410 rear end , headers and exhaust and a Mark Haibeck chip...itll keep your full power on all the time plus a lot more .drop the transmission and get rid of the dual mass flywheel , and go with a lightweight fidanza flywheel and a centerforce clutch 😊

That guy that gave you the key bypass was a total G. He cares

Give you a lot of credit for taking in such a challenge..... When you're done I think someone's going need a lot more help with their Mclaren P1.

1 in 5 people watching the video are subscibed; and you have 1.5M subscribers? You're killing it! Congrats!

A long time corvette guy ! The main thing you should look for and go all over the car and fix ! Is the grounds!Most gauge and window ,and electronic proublems withe vettes is bad grounds ! They are not a metal body so you need attached grounds! They need to be good and cleaned well! This also affects the engine,make sure all factory grounds are good!????? A flooded engine is not a proublem as long as it was not running or allowed to sit full of water,trans that are stck ,or rears change there fluids.With the proper rear end aditive .Positive for positracksion ! The reast of your proublems should go away unless it is in one of the eletronics devices! But that should be easy to figure out! Do not try and run this car with out a termaste ! It does not allow the coolandt enough time to cool if you do!

I've never been a Vette fan but I'm a fan of this because of your nostalgia and enthusiasm for it

Wishing you The best on this car Sam. Can't wait for the next installment.

I have a 1994 Corvette that has an idle and surging issue. It’s tricky diagnosing the OBD 1 system especially when I have the OBD 2 terminal connection. Unique for 94-95 Corvettes. Yes I replaced the fuel filter and still have the problem of surging and fast idle.

Don't worry brother. I watch you every time you come on.

right as the engine fired after the super glued hose my neighbor started his truck and it sounded like my phone had a subwoofer just rumbling with deep exhaust sound until he drove away!:)

Fun series to watch with this car. I enjoyed watching you guys getting to punch it for the first time in full power mode. Pulls pretty well for 32 years old, doesn’t it? Looking forward to the next one!

1991. 32 valve, 4 valve per cylinder, DOHC, V8. 385 HP. Wow!! 32 years later we basically get the same engine plus flat plane crank.

Your patience is admirable.

Absolutely I love to see that American piece of history back on the road again. Keep up the good work Sam enjoy your videos. It’s awesome and I know that you can do it that you’re gonna put this beautiful piece of American history back on the road again all cleaned up and all dolled up and ready to go.

This is fun to watch. The diagnostic side draws me in. It’ll be interesting to see what you find the problem is. If the smoke smells sweet it’s coolant. Just my two cents 😂

I'm already subscribed; I hit the bell and left a "like".. now, I'm leaving a message.. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT??.. sheessh... Great job, guys.. LOVE the ZR1.. CHEERS!!

Found myself invested in this journey! Can’t wait for the finale! I love corvettes! First love was the sting ray and the Z06 but this is a sweet ride!

Funny story happened on the way to work: I stopped at my local convenience store. driving my C8 (Elkhart Lake Blue), and a gentleman that I didn't know started up a conversation with me about my car. He commented that he really liked the color blue, and how good it looked. Somehow we got onto the subject of older Vettes, and suddenly the topic of your ZR1 came up. You know you've made it when two total strangers that are car enthuiasts meet in a random spot and Samcrac's ZR-1 videos come up in conversation!

_Knowing the fourth gen Corvette does help Sam, and Alex from LSC's is well worth having on retainer. Great video, and definitely a learning experience for shade tree mechanics and the like. Also great point about the C4-ZR1 being an over engineered car. Looking forward to the next video!_

As someone who loves blue and was born in 91, I'm loving this

Alex understands how all of the systems work and can explain them. He doesn't just swap out parts until it runs...

I replaced a headgasket on a suzuki forenza that i was flipping years ago and it smoked like that for 3 days. I too thought something was wrong and my friend said just drive it and it will clear up. Sure enough it did so i think you will be fine! Just residual water

I remember the one you did of your relatives red 94? ZR1. My dream car is the last year of the ZR1 1995.

Get the Haibech chip. Will automatically be in full power mode upon start up. Helps with other stuff too, skip shift delete, better cooling logic etc

I’m really enjoying this series. I don’t know much about mechanics but I’m learning a lot !

Oh no, *please bring back the outro music* ... it's so happy and uplifting :)

Like I said on a earlier ZR1 video post, injectors are a PIA with this model. Had issues getting mine to pass emissions here in Illinois.

Thanks for making this video on the ZR1. Love that car. I used to see them all the time around the GM Tech Center where they design GM cars.

Yeiiii, YOU GOT A LIFT. Congratulation.. !!

Please more videos on this car. I wish you would have shown the headlight motor repair. I'm enjoying this more than the Italian cars. Thanks Sam.

The number of wardrobe and hair changes in this one single video are staggering.

Over time video coming up, omg I can't wait!!!

Thought you were in the clear but.... Will be waiting almost patiently for the next video.

Put a Fueltech ft 450 and that's it, solved the problem with the ECU and all the management of the car's injection.

I’m excited about this car Sam! I used to read car and driver in the 80’s when this model was new and the staff writers were cool. This was the car that beat Ferrari and everyone was talking about it. Overall I don’t like the c4, but I happily make an exception for this one.

Bro actually admitted to running it outta gas 😂 respect for that an I am serious I DO mean that! Also I subbed. Wanna see this beauty purring!

I own a 92'Z, the 90' thru 92's came with injectors that were not compatible with todays alcohol gas, so it would be a good idea to replace them with alcohol compatible injectors

Alex at LSC is gonna pass you up. Longer videos. More content. Step it up Sam

This is your finest video, Sam. The wrenchings turn; into suspense. This reminds us of your BMW supercar adventure. Of course, it's worth it, can't wait!

Sam the ZR1 videos have been a real treat!! Thank you!!

I did an interesting experiment with a regular 1990 Corvette convertible 6m with the Gen 1 small block. I sized the TPI correctly for a 350 CI engine along with the exhaust that was unfortunately sized for 305CI. Then LPE ported the heads heads and provided very mild cam that had the car running 13.0 at 107 rolling onto the track from cruising the beach all while meeting emissions. I guess in the end the LT5 gave GM powertrain the confidence to develop what we now know is the potential of the pushrod v8 engine in street driven cars. They had the technology to do this in the 80's really.

Please do more than 1 more video. It's a sweet ride. Show one when you detail the entire car.

Sounds like a beast , smokes like a dragon . It will be a fun ride

I bet the oil rings got burned out when the engine over heated. A friend had a '94 Grand Prix that had that happen to it. Someone had installed a 'fresh' 3.4 DOHC in it and neglected to bleed all the air out of the cooling system. My friend let the car sit outside his shop with the engine idling for close to an hour. Then when he went to drive it, it got super hot a couple miles from the shop. He drove it back to the shop and we found the engine was air locked. From then on, it smoked like a crop duster. Seemed to have decent power and ran good, but......

Your hair grows fast Samcrac, nice and short at the start, then gets longer towards the end.😂