1.
Car has started just "shutting off " while driving sometimes , as in total electrical failure, then comes back on out of no where. Sometimes I have to pull over and re turn the ignition key, sometimes the power comes back on its own ...

2. Windshield wipers some times will NOT turn off,relay ?

3. Sometimes when i get into the car and turn key, NOTHING, fuel pump does not engage ( that whirring noise) , and I have to take key out of ignition, put it back in, and turn key bck and forth from on and off until it " catches " and starts...NOT starter related, its something electrical.

4. had some codes being thrown.

Could this be the " corroded wire in the door" problem that is causing other problems with the car ? Any idea from electrical guys on here...can one corroded wire cause the other stuff to go crazy ? Thanks for any help Car does have almost 170,000 on it, and i do drive it like it is stolen

 

Go to c5 tech/performance and click on Bill Curlee's electrical sticky, I did what he recommended and haven't had a problem since!

 

I know it sounds like the "same old song", but thats because so much havoc can be spread in this car by bad/inconsistent power/grounds. So . . .

Id start with the battery, making sure its in good shape, then the battery connections (torqued to spec and wiggle the cables and make sure the crimps are secure and not causing intermittent disconnects), and then look at the ground packs (particularly the ones on the frame rails right by the hood support pistons and ensure they arent corroded). Its not that the car uses a gigawatt of power or anything, its just that the way the system was designed, its a little less robust that it should be with regard to fluctuations. A little glitch here and there can screw things up as one or more subsystems drop out and then come back in in the wrong order. Thats why its often a common statement that "and the next day I turned the key (or was driving) and everything worked fine . . ." .

You mentioned the door accordion wireing, ya even if you dont think you have a problem there its a small issue to slide it back and look at the wires, a dead short can reset all kinds of things as you drive and again . . .havoc ensues.

A bad ignition switch can also screw things up, but I wouldnt look that far until I got the other stuff in order.

Good luck

 

I remember seeing a an outline image of a c5 with the locations marked of all the grounds somewhere? anyone else remember it?

 

Not a great copy but...till you find one...

[IMG][/IMG]

 

Here...this is better

http://pages.infinit.net/vette747/Ground

And keep this bookmarked

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...ould-have.html

Good luck

 

my money's on the ignition switch!

 

you guys are awesome, thanks for the advice and links...i will check them out, i to was wondering if the ignition switch at the key could be an issue...but would that cause it throw other codes ?

 

We thought we had this one SOLVED. After replacing the Ignition "Switch" and putting everything back together, I could "wiggle" and "push" the ignition key in the lock, and the gauges remained ROCK STEADY. The next day, I had to remove the dash bezel once again to do some work on an iPod adapter that was previously installed. I was very careful to not damage anything. Put it all back together, and the PROBLEM CAME BACK!! ARRGGHH!! Sometimes, the gauge needles swing wildly back and forth, and the dash warning lights flash on-and-off. It also once again intermittently has the "1 MPH fuel cut off stall" problem. Pushing in on the Ignition Key seems to make it start OK, and also to stop the gauges/lights from "acting wacky". Since the switch is NEW, I have to conclude it is one of the following:

1) Bad ignition lock "cylinder" (internal)

2) Loose/intermittent lock cylinder "sensor wire" (where it connects inside the lock cylinder).

The only way to know for sure is if I replace the ignition lock cylinder and the problem goes away. (Not quite ready to do that yet).

One other note:

Bill Curlee's instruction for replacing the C5 Ignition Switch appear to be taken from the Factory Repair Manuals. The information is somewhat confusing and not in any normal "sequential order" (no fault of Bill's). Several of the items they have you remove are NOT necessary in order to do this job. Also, there are no accompanying pictures for the procedure, which makes it more difficult to accomplish (again, no fault of Bill's).

I took some pictures when I was taking it apart, but unfortunately, I was more concerned with getting the job done right, so I did not get all the photos I would have liked to take in order to post a fully detailed set of instructions. If someone has a detailed set of photos of the Ignition Switch R&R, please post them to this thread. The next time I have it apart, I will be sure to take the necessary pictures needed to post a complete set of instructions WITH PHOTOS here.

NOTE: Special thanks to Bill Curlee and 8VETTE7 for their excellent work here and help with solving these C5 problems!