I bought a 2004 red Z06 with 50000 miles on it, nice clean car. Whoever owned it prior to me really took good care of it. They also did a few mods to it: Borla Stingers and K&N dual cone air intake. Well the problem is that 4 days after I bought it the Service Traction Control and Active Handling showed up on the display. took it back to the dealer and was told there was loose wire and that they corrected it and cleared the codes. Well the codes reappeared yesterday and straight to the dealer I went which is Concord Chevy by the way. Now I'm being told that the aftermarket exhaust is causing a different fuel to air mixture confusing the computer and that might be the problem. anyone heard of this before.

 

Post your codes:

http://www.c5forum.com/ayc/dtcdic.php

 

and their full of it if their telling you that.

 

Wow ... traction control/active handling system effected by the air/fuel mixture. How are the muffler bearings?

 

Just a recommendation - It may be worth it for you to have Tracy Chevrolet look at your car. The service advisor (Todd) diagnosed my ABS pump/EBCM problem and helped rebuild the part for me. Very honest and unlike other dealerships I've dealt with.

 

The dealer in the area that are known as THE place to go for Corvette work is Able Chevrolet. I know I make the long trip from Palo Alto to go there. I also bought my '03 C5Z recently with only slightly lower miles about 4 months ago and I got those same messages about a month ago. It turned out to be a "classic" C5 problem with the EBCM failing. I got mine repaired (mailed off to ABS Fixer) and my car is back to normal.

Able Chevrolet is also a sponsor of many local Corvette Clubs and helps run many local events. Tracy Chevrolet might be awesome, but I can tell you that pretty much everyone I know in Northern California goes to Able. When I am there I usually see something like 10-20 Corvettes in for service and a large number of them are C5Zs. I have been there when they have had over 5 in at the same time. Plus I have met a bunch of other cool Vette owners there.

If you want to talk to someone at able, talk to richierichz06 on these forums. He will give you a discount on parts, plus he is a C6Z owner and former C5Z owner and VERY knowledgeable!

 

I've heard alot of great things about Abel Chevy but the thing is this car is still under a 90 day 3000 mile warranty so its not costing me a thing. If I take it somewhere else I have to pay so until I get them to check it out under the warranty I will be going back.

 

Pull your codes and I bet you get C1287/C1288. This will be the swps. I just had to replace mine on my 04 with the same symptoms.

 

What is swps?

 

I've heard BS from dealers before; but that one is near the top of the list of ridiculous. If they actually believe that they are incompetent otherwise they're insulting your intelligence and lying to you. Either way I'd be very hesitant to let them touch it if you're not watching them...

Steering wheel position sensor. That's just one of quite a few things that could be causing these codes. Another is that your EBCM could have had an internal relay failure in which case you'd likely see C1214. The wheel speed sensors can also cause that message. PLEASE POST YOUR DTC's. We're all just guessing until you do.

The detailed instructions for doing so are in the link Lucky posted. In a nutshell;

Press the reset button until all warning messages (i.e. door ajar, hatch ajar, service traction control etc.) are cleared
Hold down the 4 button
While holding down the 4 button press the 1 button four times
The codes will flash up on the screen. You can scroll through the different modules using the 3 and 4 buttons.
You can scroll through the codes within each module using the 1 and 2 buttons.

Post the codes you get and be sure to include the H or C suffix.

 

Total BS

 

If you post the codes here you will get the answers you need. TC/ABS warning could mean multiple things, but nothing to do with air/fuel. Use this dealership while it's under warranty and then get out of there quick. They don't seem like they want to take the time to help or diagnose it properly since they aren't getting paid for it. Did they offer you what codes they found? Is it on any of the paperwork you got from them checking the car?

The aftermarket exhaust is just an excuse to not do the work. If it's just a catback system (aka bolts to factory H pipe from the axle back) then there is no way this would cause any codes.

 

You have a LOT to learn. One of them is that,, Dealers ARE NOT, The ALL KNOWING and often revert to some obscure troubleshooting bubble chart that ends in a bubble that is full of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
SIGNS!

Cant beat FREE REPAIRS but,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, if you go there ARMED to the hilt with accurate knowledge,, you will get your problem ACCURATELY FIXED!

So,, here is something the you need to learn and use!!!!! READ AND POST your DTCs when the problem happens. DO NOT TURN OFF THE IGNITION!:


READING YOUR Engine Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC)

This procedure should be carried out any time you experience a problem with your C5. Most inexpensive store bought aftermarket code readers will ONLY read power train DTC’s. Reading the DTC’s with the C5 built in code reader will allow you to read ALL the modules in the vehicle.

The Diagnostic Display Mode is entered with the following procedure:
1) Turn on the ignition but don't start the engine.
2) Press the RESET button to turn off any warning messages. (i.e. door open, trunk open ect)
3) Press and hold the OPTIONS button
4) While holding OPTIONS, press FUEL button four times within a 10 -second period.

Initially, the on-board diagnostics go into an Automatic Mode which will cycle through each module and shows diagnostic codes in a pre-set sequence: PCM - TCS - RTD - BCM - IPC - RADIO - HVAC - LDCM - RDCM - SCM - RFA. All codes will be displayed for each module. ( i.e. PCM = 4 codes) If none are present in a given module, you will see No More Codes on the display.

There are two types of diagnostic codes, Current and History designated with a letter suffix, “C” or “H”. A current code indicates a malfunction is present in the module displaying data. A history code indicates a problem existed sometime in the last 40 or 50 ignition cycles. When not accompanied by a current code of the same number, it's potential evidence of a previous problem, now resolved, that was not removed by clearing the codes. More likely it's an indication of an intermittent malfunction.

Intermittent codes are the most challenging of the diagnostics. An intermittent code may have happened once, may have happened more than once but is inconsistent or may be happening on a regular basis but not at the time the codes are displayed. History codes can also be caused by a current malfunction in a system that is not operating at the time codes are displayed. An example is the rear window defogger which doesn't operate until the Body Control Module detects engine rpm. For history codes set by a module that does not operate with the key on and engine off, a special diagnostic tool called a Scan Tester is necessary to properly diagnose the malfunction.

Once the system has displayed all modules, it goes into the manual mode which allows selection of each module using combinations of Driver Information Center buttons. Manual mode can also be entered during the automatic sequence by pressing any button except E/M. Once the display shows Manual Diagnostics, select a module by pressing the OPTIONS button to go forward or the TRIP button to go back. Once a module is selected, a code is displayed, and if more than one are present; press GAGES to go forward or FUEL to go back.
To exit the diagnostic mode at any time, press E/M. If you want to erase codes in a given module, press RESET To reset the codes once in manual mode, press and hold RESET until it displays NO CODES Press OPTIONS to go to the next module. Repeat the steps until you have reset the codes in all the computer modules.
NOTE!! Only reset the codes IF you want to - it is NOT necessary to do this. Clearing a code does not repair a problem. You are simply erasing the evidence of it in the module's memory. If you clear the code/s, and extinguish the Check Engine Light, your emissions status ready will NOT allow you to pass an emissions test until you have completed the required driving cycles. There are a few body module DTC’s that if set will prevent the module from operating properly. Once the DTC is cleared, the module will return to full function. This is not true for power train DTCs.

If you have never read and cleared your codes, there will probably be a lot of old history DTCs. It is recommended that you clear your codes and see if any come back during a driving cycle. Those are the ones that you need to concentrate on diagnosing.

Once you have the codes, the next question is: What to do with the information?
First, consult the factory service manual. Any serious C5 Do-It-Yourself owner should invest in the Corvette Service Manual of the appropriate model year. The Service Manual is really a requirement if you want to understand and work on your C5.

NOTE and a WARNING. You can read the DTCs while the engine is running. I pull mine up all the time while driving.
WARNING. Don’t become distracted while reading DTCs while your driving and cause an accident!!!!! Use common sense and drive safe.

These are some very good C5 Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) explanation web sites!!! They also explain how to read the DTCs

Here are some very good sites that explain what DTC mean:

http://www.gearchatter.com/viewtopic11755.php

http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_cod...d-ii-codes.php

Make sure to include the H or C suffix when you post your DTCs!!

Post what you find! I'm interested in whats going on DTC wise!

Bill Curlee