my 98 convertible .. various issues

Hi .. I am brand new to this forum so am not totally sure if I am doing this correctly .. I bought a 98 convertible this past summer and I absolutely love the car .. it had 28000 on it when I got it .. I do have a few issues that I am hoping to get some help with ... first at idle I will get an annoying voltage drop that for a split second causes lights and indicators to dim .. second I purchased new trunk supports because the trunk never really popped open enough to open it .. well the new ones do the exact same thing... I have other issues but I will se if I get any replies to this.. I am thanking you in advance .. Bob

 

I have this same problem on my 99 vert. I replaced the rods thinking for sure that it would fix my problem and nope...same deal. Money wasted.

I lubed the hinges, realigned the latch and the same thing....still have to get under there with my fingertips and lift.

Some people have recommended this:
http://home.nc.rr.com/bmaatkins/C5/

I have not purchased yet, but looks like it would address the problem. Too bad the factory design isn't better though.

Marc

 

My 99 vert has the same problem! I too replaced the struts with no good results. It had on 23,000 miles when I bought it in August.

 

Some people have recommended this:
http://home.nc.rr.com/bmaatkins/C5/

these things work great, should have came on the car from the factory

 

Congratulations on your car. Check your battery terminals to see if they are loose. If you can rotate the terminals by hand they are too loose. Only torque them to 11 ft-lbs. Overtorquing side terminal batteries can cause leaks and your computer is under your battery. BTW, you should consider an AGM battery (Optima, Excide Orbital, Sears Platinum), they never leak.

 

thanks for the info

 

thanks.. i already contacted the company

 

thanks.. i will try your suggestion

 

I have the same issue on my 04 Vert, the lid is a PITA to open and my fingers are too fat to slip under. The only resolution I have found is to pop the lid then close the driver side (either will work) door which forces air through the back and pushes the lid open about 1"-2".

 

Welcome to the C5 world and to the forum! I see you live in Long Island! There are LOTs of forum members there and I'm sure that sooner or later will be attending one of the North East WOLF Pack events (there ALWAYS a B L A S T!!!!!!!!!!!! )

As for your electrical fluctuations and light dimming, its (I hate to say) some what normal. You will see your headlight flicker if say, you turn your HVAC blower from LOW speed to High or tap your brakes. In the C5, the voltage regulator is PCM controlled and operates on a DUTY CYCLE. When there is low demand, the duty cycle is low, as the demand suddenly increases, the PCM reacts, increases the duty cycle and you may see a momentary flicker.

You should check all your electrical connectors (the connections on the alternator battery and the starter and chassis grounds).
As other have recommended, battery terminal connection and proper torque is CRITICAL!! If you have an older DELCO Battery,,be aware that they can and will leak (all of a sudden) at the terminals! It will make a mess out of your wiring, PCM and wallet!

Concentrate on the following UNDER HOOD grounds: G- 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106 . I have a "Sticky" Called IMPORTANT ELECTRICAL INFORMATION (long)

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=896875

I delves into a lot of the questions you asking. Take a look at it. Always available for assistance!

Bill Curlee

 

You're doing just fine. In order to eed up getting answers to your questions you can search some of the other threads for words like 'lights dimming' etc and you may see an answer to your question. I've been on this forum for a while now and I see a lot of the same questions being asked by the new members. I did the same thing.

 

Hey I just fixed my 98 vette with the same electrical problem... here's what I did, towards the front of the car just before the headlights there are 2 ground points. If you remove the ground points & clean the part where the screw goes into the frame, I actually scrapped the frame to get a better connection that should take care of it. My headlights would not come up sometimes plus you will also get DTC errors if you do not fix this.

 

Wow this is amazing .. Thanks so much for all of your help .. I was considering joining a club mainly so I could get this kind of information .. Now maybe I wont ... you guys are great!

 

I ordered the trunk popper and did exactly what it was supposed to. Trunk pops up a couple of inches. Makes it easy to open. Well worth the money

 

it works great!!! .. thanks guys.. i will work on the ground issues asap