About this "leaky butt" and "steering column lock"..
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Pro
Joined: Jul 2008
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From: Palm Harbor Florida
About this "leaky butt" and "steering column lock"..
I understand these issues to pegged to certain production years of the C5..which years are common..I have not had these problems in the year that I've had my 2000..but was just curious in case I'm a candidate..I bought it from the dealership and no mention was made..and I didn't even know about these problems until I joined the forum...Thanks for the responses...Paully
Racer
Joined: Jun 2005
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I'm not sure how common the differential leak is to later model C5's, but it certainly does happen to the 2000. As far as the column clock, a column lock bypass is very easy to install and inexpensive, a lot of people around here install one to head off any future problems.
I purchased my 2000 vert, A4 with 38,800 miles about a year ago, now it has 50k miles. Here are the problems I've encountered from most expensive to least expensive...
- Transmission Leak
- Back glass feel out of top (glued it and it didn't look right, replaced top)
- Harmonic Balancer was wobbling! That caused a belt chirp when it was wet. I caught this one early thanks to the forum! The harmonic balancer on the LS-1 will deteriorate due to age, it's pretty common. No biggie if caught early (just expensive), utter disaster if it actually fails.
- Water leak on driver's side. I had to adjust my tip-in and apply dielectric grease to fix that. Once and while I'll get a small leak, but it's not common or a big deal when it happens.
I purchased my 2000 vert, A4 with 38,800 miles about a year ago, now it has 50k miles. Here are the problems I've encountered from most expensive to least expensive...
- Transmission Leak
- Back glass feel out of top (glued it and it didn't look right, replaced top)
- Harmonic Balancer was wobbling! That caused a belt chirp when it was wet. I caught this one early thanks to the forum! The harmonic balancer on the LS-1 will deteriorate due to age, it's pretty common. No biggie if caught early (just expensive), utter disaster if it actually fails.
- Water leak on driver's side. I had to adjust my tip-in and apply dielectric grease to fix that. Once and while I'll get a small leak, but it's not common or a big deal when it happens.
Last edited by 71vetteinva; Jan 15, 2009 at 06:03 AM.
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The leaky rear differential seals were common on all C5s. My '00 had it three times before they finally got it fixed. As for the column lock, best bet is to get a column lock bypass (Thunder Racing sells them) and install it. That way you won't have to experience the fristration of having the car lock up on you.
Drifting
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I agree with the answers on the leaking differential seals. All C5's..
From the Column Lock Stickey at the top of the TECH section
Q What years are affected?
All Pre-2001 A4 cars and all MN6 or MN12(Z06) cars.
A4 cars from 2001 and later are not affected. Your profile doesn't say whether you have an automatic or manual but since ALL C5's 1997 to 2000 are affected it really doesn't matter. Most likely the GM column lock service has been done (but it will fail sooner or later) or a previous owner has installed a CLB.
From the Column Lock Stickey at the top of the TECH section
Q What years are affected?
All Pre-2001 A4 cars and all MN6 or MN12(Z06) cars.
A4 cars from 2001 and later are not affected. Your profile doesn't say whether you have an automatic or manual but since ALL C5's 1997 to 2000 are affected it really doesn't matter. Most likely the GM column lock service has been done (but it will fail sooner or later) or a previous owner has installed a CLB.
