So I have now owned my C5 for 2 months and have some basic car care questions. I bought it with 113,xxx miles (AUTO transmission) and I got no record of any maintenance when I bought the car (besides the oil change done a couple of months ago). I have already replaced the car battery. The previous owner had the car nicely garaged and washed. Now my question is -

What type of routine car maintenance should I do to a 2002 C5 with 113,xxx miles to increase its longevity (trans fluid, brake fluid, plugs, etc)?

And what brands do you guys recommend regarding plugs, brake fluid, etc?

Any info is greatly appreciated, as well as recommended product brands.

 

I'm no expert but usually when buying a used vette i would change every fluid the vette has (i would change the spark plugs as well) no matter if the previous owner did the maintenance it keeps aware when i did it. that just me
i usually change the fluid when recommend
and the brands i would say do your research there alot of good brands out there it all depend on what you're going to do with the vette (example track, daily driver, show car, etc)

 

Here are some initial recommendations

- OEM spark plug is AC Delco 41-110 Iridium, pre-gapped at .040
- GM Red Performance Wires
- Fuel filter
- Air filer Delco 917
- Check both serpentine belts
- If your car is 6 speed (M6) Steering column lock bypass LMC5 module – log into the following link to register your car at GM owners center, https://my.chevrolet.com/na-chevrolet once registered check for your cars service history (that’s documented by GM, plus any open recalls. Recommend immediately installing the LMC5 column lock bypass that can be purchased from the link below. I’d watch their video first then check to see if your car might already have one installed before ordering.
http://complianceparts.com/lmc5description.html

 

Great info Mac5. I think Mobile1 is GM's recommended oil, not sure on brake, diff or trans fluids though. I would question previous owner [is he original?], it's pricey to change everything but if he's unsure do it for piece of mind.

 

The first thing I did was have every fluid changed along with the iridium plugs and red GM performance wires.

 

Everything Mac & Martinez stated! I had all the fluids changed when I bought the car and since then I've replaced the Plugs/Wires, Serpentine/AC belt, shocks, and tie rod ends. Tires would be another thing if they're old. You can check when the tires were manufactured on the sidewall. You'll have to check w/the tire maker to see how to decipher it as some may differ.

 

Besides all of the above, I would make sure your coolant hoses are in good shape. Replace them (there are 8 I think) if they show any signs of cracking, weak spots, etc. you do not want to be going down the road and have a hose split on you.

 

great info for the whole forum, now don't forget to drive it..cheers..!!

 

 

C5 Corvette is a 'bottom feeder'.

It gets cooling air for AC condensor and radiator, by sucking air from below.
Unfortunately, it also sucks up leaves, hamburger wrappers, plastic sacks, pine needles, and on and on.

Therefore; as a part of regular maintenance, you must get under there and clean that area out. Regularly!

Best to raise the front of the car (up onto jack stands) or on a lift. Get under there with compressed air, and/or water stream, and carefully blow all that out. You can carefully grab leaves, and larger things with your hands or long thin tool (careful not to punch a hole in radiator).

If you don't clean this area; your car will begin to run hot, as air simply will not flow properly to cool it.

There are several threads with more information as to how to do this thouroghly, just google search it.

Don

 

So thanks for all the info guys. So far I have-

spark plugs -( AC Delco 41-110 or Bosch???)
GM red performance wires
fuel filter
air filter delco 917 vs K&N vs Fram? Which one is better???
serpentine belts Gatorback from goodyear?
transmission fluid - mobile 1
brake fluid -valvoline
car oil -mobile 1
Clean bottom ac condensor
power steering fluid - Valvoline or Prestone????
Maybe antifreeze- Prestone 50/50 and Prestone Radiator Flush/Cleaner

I can get most of these things from like Autozone. However, is there any brands out there that you guys feel make the car run smoother or brand that's better?

 

i know dealerships get a bad rap and are hated by many, but had mine in to fix a serpentine belt and when i was talking to the guy i said: why don't you change the oil since i wasn't sure when it was done last, bought mine in mid-aug....and the oil charge was only $44, which i thought was good for using synthetic oil...i know this one local place i used to take my cars to, charged $50 for synthetic oil.

 

Good info here. I'm sure I'm due for some maintenance.

What is the suggested brand of serpentine belt also?

 

Gatorback is a well-known proven brand for the belts

 

The Goodyear Gatorback product line has been purchased by Continental, its now called "Continental Elite"

http://www.autoserviceprofessional.c...arket-products

I've usually picked up my Gatorback belts over the years thru Summit Racing internet site. Some of the original Gatorback products might still be available on the famous auction site.

http://www.summitracing.com/search/p...rpentine-belts

Air Filters - this has been beating to death on the forum. If your car still has the stock airbox both will work. If you use K&N oil it up per the vendor instructions and use the extra gasket to make sure it seals properly. I went back to the paper filters years ago just for the ease of maintenance.

Coolant - if no record of last change is available, and your over 100k mileage, I'd flush and change.

 

Also clean your udders (link)

You've already bought one so congrats but you still may want to checkout the files listed in this thread: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c5-general/3265266-help-for-buying-a-c5-and-also-some-technical-information-files-5.html

A lot of good info there.

Also, you may want to add some info into your profile about your car. You don't say if it's an auto or an M6. If it's an M6 change the clutch fluid.

Also check the condition of the battery disconnected from the car. Bad or failing batteries is the biggest culprit for the column lock problem.

Here's another thread that's well worth the time too: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c5-tech/1249213-one-of-the-best-threads-ever-posted-repost-newbies-must-read.html

 

Definitely. It needs to be replaced every 5yrs regardless of how many miles. Unless you know it was done then do it. Replace using Dex Cool. If you flush the system and use the green crap you're going to have to change your fluid every 2/3 yrs.

 

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Thanks for that info. I'd been looking for the gatorbacks, which prior posts indicated rockauto carried, but now they only showed the conti's for premium belts.

 

I bought my 02 last year with 50k miles and had throttle body cleaned as well as fluids changed etc.