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Hey everybody! I just picked up a 98 C5 convertible for my wife. So I thought I would pop in here and introduce myself. I also frequent the C6 forum because I just bought one of those three months ago. I had to get a convertible too so she can ride with me because she is stricken with multiple sclerosis and after 30 years it’s taken it’s toll. Rather difficult to place her in the Vette with the halo on the coupe in the way. We used to scenic ride together in a Mustang convertible in the 90s when she wasn’t so bad, so I wanted to try to recapture that experience for her again. She’s pretty much bedridden now and it kills me to see her like this. We’ve been together since high school. We’re now in our late 50s.
The car itself is pretty cool. It’s my first C5 and after having driven a C6 for three months I am still rather impressed with the ‘98. It was only $8000 and has 160k miles but it had a lot of work done on it within the last two years. Rebuilt transmission, water pump replaced, pulleys and harmonic balancer, AC compressor etc. It is throwing an air injector code that I need to address to get rid of a check engine light. And it appears the DIC buttons don’t function. Previous owner tried installing a subwoofer and amp with no success and I think he screwed up some wiring along the way. So I’m chasing Electronic gremlins but I’m not plagued by mechanical part failures. Except for the one air injector code.
I do have one question though… When I start the car I hear a noise under the hood seemingly coming from the driver side that sounds like a jet engine on a runway. Lasts about a minute or so and goes away. Weird.
Anyways, it’s a pleasure to be here and I look forward to the wealth of information from this forum as I do in the C6 forum.
This one needs a little more TLC than the C6 did so be prepared for questions. 😁
I tried to fit both in the final picture, but I couldn’t get the right distance due to my house being in the way. Couldn’t back up any further lol.
Lookin Good man!... Now you gotta get a C7... for the kid...black of course!
Thank you! It photographs well. When you get up on it you can see how time and miles have reeked havoc. Luckily I have extra greasy elbows lol.
And meh, the kid is 40 now and gone doing his own thing. Besides, he’s not really a “poster child“ of how a son should act as of late. So he’s on his own. Ain’t getting these.
I may end up getting a cheap C4 for bad weather travel. Black of course. The convertible isn’t optimum for rainy weather and the C6 will never see a cloudy day.
You know, I’m not really in to the C7 or the C8 for that matter. I, like some others on the board think that Chevy drifted too far away from what a Corvette was and should be with the 7 and the 8. Way too many angles, cuts and vents. And don’t get me started on that Fox body mustang looking hatch! The old rear dome window was an icon. I can go back to the original C2 and find design and styling cues that follow all the way up to the C6. I may get flack for this but I think Chevy was lost during the C7 and decided after that “let’s just make an American Ferrari”. 😉
I grew up in the back of a 63 split window so I have somewhat of an experienced (and biased) opinion.
When I start the car I hear a noise under the hood seemingly coming from the driver side that sounds like a jet engine on a runway. Lasts about a minute or so and goes away.
Tech area probably a better place to get an answer but my best guess is vacuum leak. Take a video on your phone, upload to YouTube, post link. That's probably the easiest way to get others able to hear what's going on.
Robert, first of all, you are a great guy and I am sorry for the health concerns of your wife; concerns that you and your wife are facing together. Never underestimate the value of a loving marriage, God bless you.. Very touching.
As for your convertible C5, welcome to my world. I really like the top down- my wife and I can get into our car top up- no problem (I'm in my '60s. my wife her 50s and no health concerns)- but the top down makes the car an entirely different proposition when the time comes to get in and out of the car- an attribute to a convertible that is rarely, ever mentioned. So smart move on your part.
Also, no disrespect meant to those who own and drive something other than a convertible Corvette, I do believe this car is best enjoyed as a convertible. I think it looks amazing topless- and of the convertibles I have owned and ridden in, this car is tops, topless. I'd not be surprised should you find you lean towards taking the C5 convertible out for a spin over the C6- weather allowing for the top down. There is more to the driving experience than a 0-60 and g's that can be pulled in a corner. My wife loves to ride in our Corvette and so long as her hair not an issue (read on the trip home) she will ask to drop the top.
As for the TLC your C5 may demand (mine demanded some being a high mileage car I bought almost 5 years ago); it may depend on your personality; but I discovered that fixing what I could myself, and getting fixed by a mechanic what I could not, actually made me bond to the car. I suppose some might have thrown up their hands...those are folks looking for a Toyota Corolla, but in my case I went into it knowing that the car would need some repairs and maintenance if I was going to keep it on the road. Our Corvette, thanks to the blood (skinned knuckles), sweat (while under the car in the driveway twisting a wrench) and tears (when I got the bills for the new radiator and axle seals) has become like a member of the family. Our car 20,000 miles later is a better car than I bought. No need to modify a +20 year old car to make it your own...it's enough to keep it in good repair and roadworthy.
Drive safe, drive often and wishing you and yours many happy years and miles together.
That looks excellent and could be my twin, same color except mine is a 2000. I’m in my 70s and wife late 60s and we love our summer rides with the top down. Good luck with it and have fun.
Welcome to the C5 world, and I hope you BOTH have many opportunities to enjoy the convertible!
Regarding the air injection code, if the scanned code is P0410 it may be as simple as removing and blasting the one-way air valve with some WD40. The valve is on the driver's side of the engine right next to the cover. It's easy to remove- and you can tell if the valve is stuck closed by blowing in the end that faces towards the front. If you can't blow air through that side, try blasting some WD40 in there and press on the diaphragm- chances are it will pop open and start functioning.
The whine you hear during the first minute or so is your secondary air pump (which pumps air into the tube where that valve is the first minute or so after startup to get air flowing over the O2 sensors). I'm mentioning the valve because it could be the pump is trying to blow air through a restricted hose (due to the valve being stuck closed). I'm only 1 month into owning my C5 and have already dealt with this issue (which is apparently very common). The valve looks like this, and you should be able to blow air through it from the side with the bolt (air shouldn't pass through the other way). If you need a new one, they can be had from almost anywhere (I bought one from RockAuto).
Again welcome, and enjoy that sharp looking vert!
Found that piece. On the top on the driver side of the motor. Pulled out the little rubber tube going to it but I can’t seem to find a way to remove that from the car. I don’t wanna break anything. How does that come out?
Last edited by Vetteman Jack; Aug 9, 2022 at 06:47 AM.
Happy to (hopefully) help! While you have the valve off, try starting the car (the engine will have to be cold). You should hear the secondary air pump kick on (it is located down under the left front of the vehicle's engine bay) AND while it is running you should feel air whooshing through the hose you disconnected from the valve (come to think of it, I may have reversed which way the air flows in my description- but the point is air should only be able to pass in one direction through it- that direction being from the side that eventually connects to that pump to the other side... it should not allow exhaust to pass the other way back towards the pump). If there is no air coming through the hose the pump itself could be bad- but it sounds like it is working, so that's a good sign!
It's the one that is on the driver's side of the cover (the one at the bottom of your last picture). You will need two adjustable wrenches to unscrew it... one on the actual valve (black) and the other on the metal tube that the valve screws into. Mine was on there pretty good (i.e., I was pulling pretty hard on the wrench connected to the valve), but it eventually started coming. Some rust penetrant spray will help if you spray it down well and let it sit for a few minutes.
Robert- there are actually two of these, one on the driver's side and another (more difficult to access) on the passenger side. If your DIC was functional, it would be able to tell you which one is causing the problem; otherwise you should use a scanner. My car threw the code for the driver's side (the one you are looking at). I simply bought a new part.
It unscrews, however, I actually found mine to be quite tight (even using a long handled pipe wrench, it did not want to let go; so had my mechanic replace it using my part out of concern that I might break something. I figured if he broke something...he'd own it.
It might be worth knowing which side. The codes: P1415 (driver side) or P1416.(passenger side).
Thanks all but I can’t get the damned thing off. Too hard to finagle a wrench with the brake fluid reservoir in the way. And I must be an idiot because I don’t know which way to turn the two bolts so, I’m giving up.
I don’t wanna break something. And I will. I am the epitome of Murphy’s Law.
I guess I just have a mechanic do it when it’s there for other things. ☹️
As wdcraig mentioned, you're hoping it will be P1415 (code P0410 is a generic secondary air code, it can trigger along with the P1415 or P1416 code). The good thing is this is not a "don't drive me" code. The secondary air pump is there simply to reduce emissions in the first few minutes after the engine is started- this issue will not cause damage to the car. It's too bad your DIC isn't operational- having the ability to see what codes the car is throwing is one of my favorite things about C5 ownership so far... I really don't understand why this feature wasn't built into more cars.
If/when you do get the DIC display up and running again, if you press and hold the "Options" button (4) on the DIC control panel and then tap the "Fuel" button (1) four times, the DIC display will run through all the DTC codes the car is experiencing. Once you've fixed the issue, you just pull up the codes using the process just described and then hold down the "Reset" button until the codes are all reset (the check engine light will turn off).
Unscrewing the valve can be a bit nerve wracking, but as long as you hold the wrench on the tube to keep it from bending you can just muscle the other wrench until it finally begins to move (after you've removed the hose from the other end). It will eventually break free...
PS- Just saw it wouldn't come free for you. If you decide to give it another go, the black bolt needs to go "lefty loosy" (you have to pull the wrench on the valve towards you while holding the other wrench to keep the metal tube from flexing). It is definitely a bear, so completely understand having a mechanic tackle it- but hopefully it is an easy fix and you'll get that light off!
Thanks all but I can’t get the damned thing off. Too hard to finagle a wrench with the brake fluid reservoir in the way. And I must be an idiot because I don’t know which way to turn the two bolts so, I’m giving up.
I don’t wanna break something. And I will. I am the epitome of Murphy’s Law.
I guess I just have a mechanic do it when it’s there for other things. ☹️
Don't sweat it...a wise man knows his limitations. I've replaced the water pump on my Corvette- sway bar end links and sway bar bushings- among a dozen other little things. That check valve was one I elected to pass on- so you are in good company (at least as far as I am concerned).
As wdcraig mentioned, you're hoping it will be P1415 (code P0410 is a generic secondary air code, it can trigger along with the P1415 or P1416 code). The good thing is this is not a "don't drive me" code. The secondary air pump is there simply to reduce emissions in the first few minutes after the engine is started- this issue will not cause damage to the car. It's too bad your DIC isn't operational- having the ability to see what codes the car is throwing is one of my favorite things about C5 ownership so far... I really don't understand why this feature wasn't built into more cars.
If/when you do get the DIC display up and running again, if you press and hold the "Options" button (4) on the DIC control panel and then tap the "Fuel" button (1) four times, the DIC display will run through all the DTC codes the car is experiencing. Once you've fixed the issue, you just pull up the codes using the process just described and then hold down the "Reset" button until the codes are all reset (the check engine light will turn off).
Unscrewing the valve can be a bit nerve wracking, but as long as you hold the wrench on the tube to keep it from bending you can just muscle the other wrench until it finally begins to move (after you've removed the hose from the other end). It will eventually break free...
PS- Just saw it wouldn't come free for you. If you decide to give it another go, the black bolt needs to go "lefty loosy" (you have to pull the wrench on the valve towards you while holding the other wrench to keep the metal tube from flexing). It is definitely a bear, so completely understand having a mechanic tackle it- but hopefully it is an easy fix and you'll get that light off!
Thanks. That does help. I’ll shake it off and maybe try again this evening.
New (To me) ‘98 C5 Convertible
