The rocker panels tend to get scraped on lifts and big speed bumps.
A & A Corvettes invented two products to prevent damage from both
kinds of scraping. They have wheels that attach to the crash bar,
allowing the car to roll on driveways instead of wearing down the
crash bar. It will still scrape the spoiler, but the spoiler is a
cheap wear item that takes only 2 minutes to replace without a lift
or jack. They also make two aluminum strips that attached the frame
next to the rocker panels, and they take the scrapes themselves
instead of the rockers panels. Neither of the devices are visible
unless looking under the car, and they are discreet enough to
possibly be missed anyway. If you see these devices installed, you
can be pretty sure the owner took good care of the car. Without this
extra protection, you can expect to replace the crash bar and repair
the rockers several times over the life of the car. WARNING: It won’t
stop all scraping damage, just reduce the possibility of it
happening, and reduce the damage when it does happen. Low hanging
headers will probably still scrape.
Hood seal weather-strip
The sides and back of the hood compartment have weather-strip
installed from the factory. The front is left open. Many owners
install weather-strip along this front edge. You may not even notice
it since it looks identical to rest of the weather-stripping. This
extra weather-strip helps keep the engine compartment clean, and may
also help the air intake system work better. This is another sign
that the owner took good care of the car. The engine compartment
stays pretty clean, but this the "extra step".
A/C System
There are two kinds of climate controls. One is manual with knobs,
and the other is a dual-zone electronic system. The dual-zone system
did cost more, but is not as reliable as the manual system. A leaking
battery can affect both systems. A strong system is when the vents
cannot be switched.
Over time, and especially in humid climates, the system can cause
condensation to leak onto the passenger side carpet. There are three
udders under the driver’s side cowl. There are slits on the bottom,
much like real udders. Vigorously squeeze and massage the udders
until the debris has fallen out. Stop laughing!
If the vent settings cannot be changed, the vacuum line is probably
loose, clogged or broken. Read more!
Squeaky steering wheel
When you turn the steering wheel, you may hear a squeak. It's just
the plastic surfaces rubbing against each other. A shot of lubricant
fixes this.
Squeaky/chirping/grinding wheel bearings
Drive slowly, better yet, coast along at low speeds with the windows
open in a quiet location. Listen for a squeak from the wheels. Try
turning in different directions. If you hear the rear wheels squeaking,
you may have a worn wheel bearing. A replacement bearing costs $600
list, but you can usually find it for $400-450. I've heard that
AutoZone has a better replacement for $126 by a company named Timken.
The part is easy to replace if you can separate the ball joints.
I had to buy a special Kent-Moore tool to do mine. This problem may
persist safely for a few months, but eventually will become annoying.
It seems to be a common problem, and more so for the rear wheel
bearing. I've never heard of it happening twice to the same car,
so if you fix it once, you're probably good for life. Several racers
replace their wheel bearing every year.
A broken emergency drum clip may cause a false diagnosis. Be careful
when removing & replacing the rear rotors.
Oil woes
Many late 2000 thru 2001 Vette's burn a lot of oil when the engine
is kept constantly over 4,000 rpm's. This is caused by ring flutter,
which allows extra oil to seep past the oil control rings, but
doesn't seem to cause any extra wear to the engine. Chevrolet has
rebuilt and replaced engines for owners that complained about
excessive oil consumption. Their policy is that while the engine
isn't normally operated like that outside of racing, it is the
owner's prerogative to drive around in second gear all the time if
they want to. It is covered under the warranty.
The PCV system also has a tendency to suck oil back into the intake
at high rpm's. It doesn't seem to cause any problems, other than a
slight mess inside the intake manifold. The newer style PCV system
can be installed, but this requires removing all the components in
the top of the engine valley. Usually only racer's bother with the
hassle. Several generations of PCV systems have had the problem,
and at this time, December 2004, the PCV system still sucks oil into
the intake.
The oil-sucking problem will cause carbon buildup in the cylinders.
The dealership sells GM Top End Cleaner, and Napa sells SeaFoam. The
Top End Cleaner is not available in some smog states like California.
Run a tube from the bottle into the hole for the PCV system behind the
throttle body on the passenger side. Start the car, then start
slowly sucking the solution into the engine. Don’t go too fast or the
engine could lockup. As soon as the solution is gone, stop the motor
for >4 hours, but preferably 12 hours. Be aware that when the engine
is restarted, there will be a LOT of smoke!
The oil-sucking can be prevented by installing a catch can. AMW and
Greddy make catch cans, but a homebuilt catch can may be built using
a Campbell-Hausfield air tool oil separator from most tool stores,
including AutoZone. The AMW and Greddy cans are ~$100, but look
great. The CH can is $15-25 for all the parts, and you can see how
much oil is in it.
Overheating & burning smells
Even though the engine can heat up to 220, even 240 degrees
Fahrenheit, this is normal. The radiator will keep the engine cool
enough unless the radiator is blocked. Reprogramming the PCM can
allow the fans to turn on earlier. If the fans also cool an
aftermarket oil cooler, make sure the oil occasionally gets to 220
degrees to allow condensation and fuel to evaporate away. Fan
settings and oil thermostats are two different ways to do this.
It's not uncommon for plastic bags to get sucked up under the front
bumper, and cover the radiator, thus causing the car to truly
overheat. If this happens, take a quick peek under the bumper, and
remove anything under there. Sometimes bags get stuck to the exhaust
pipes too, causing quite a stench as they burn away.
Locked steering column
All C5’s, particularly manual transmission C5’s, and early C6
steering columns have a tendency to lock and stay locked. Usually it
can be unlocked once, but just once. Some owners claim that
vigorously shaking the steering wheel can unlock the steering wheel.
Dealer's are able to disable the locking mechanism with a modified
locking plate. Currently this is the only real method to disable the
locking mechanism. Basically the wheel will still try to lock, but
there will be nothing for it to lock to. It’s like a door dead bolt
with a slot cut into the door jamb. There is a $100 kit that disables
the steering column lock, and can be installed easily, but enough
car vibrations can cause the lock to fall into the locking plate,
even while driving!
GM has a part (#88952428 or 8895242
that has a harness wiring
jumper and different lock plate. Not sure what the difference in
the kits are.
After reading a few posts, manual transmission C5’s & C6’s are still
in danger, even if the lock is disabled. The lock can vibrate out
over time and get trapped in the locking plate. Auto transmission
cars that have undergone the recall and new auto’s will not have the
locking plate at all, so they are safe. More information about
COMPLETELY disabling the steering column lock will be forthcoming
from other’s on the forum, and by my own personal project. Until
then, here are a few links about the topic:
Corvette Forum - Column Lock Harness K Installation
Corvettemechanic - A4 non locking column plate --- must be a member
Corvette Forum - Column-lock again even with CLB!
Corvette Forum - Has anyone ELSE beat column lock?
Faulty gas gauge
If you have bad gas (phew!), the fuel sender can be affected by the
high sulfur content in the fuel, and cause the gauge to read empty.
They car will still operate normally, and the gas gauge will work
again if you use better gas, and will usually start again when you
restart the car. It's just better to use good gas. Some people have
had luck with running fuel filter cleaners thru the gas tank. New
fuel senders sometimes fixes this problem. This thread has a LOT of
ideas about what could be causing the problems, how to avoid
problems, and how to fix it. It also points out how the late C5 fuel
tanks and crossover tube is different.
Noisy fuel pump
There are two fuel tanks, and two fuel pumps. One fuel pump
continually pumps gas from the passenger side tank into the driver
side tank, and is quiet. The main fuel pump is directly behind
the drivers seat, and can be annoying loud, especially on early
C5’s. It's normal, and not a sign of a failing fuel pump. Chevrolet
does have a bulletin out instructing how to better insulate against
the sound of the fuel pump. This is merely an annoyance. A newer,
quieter pump can also be installed.
Extremely high oil pressure reading
The oil pressure sensor can fail, but it is still okay to drive.
Turn the car off, but with the key in the "on" position and check
the oil pressure gauge. It should read "0". If the oil pressure
sensor is bad, it will show a positive reading. The oil pressure
sender is located behind the intake manifold, and will require
moving the intake manifold. The sender costs about $40 and part
# 12573107 or 12562230.
How-to