I had been having a number of electrical issues with my '03 convertible for quite some time. Everything from phantom alarm sounding to door locks erratic operation to the Bose system being weird. The issue that lead me to a solution was the driver side of the air conditioning was blowing warm while the passenger side was cold. I decided to get some Freon to charge the system. While I was at O'Reilly's I decided what the hell and bought a new battery. The installed it and I went on my merry way. I nearly froze to death before I got home. Didn't put the Freon in. It's been three weeks now and nothing has acted up. Hell, the stereo sounds better than ever! The replaced battery was only 2 years old and good riddance.

 

See what LOW VOLTAGE can do....

 

Whoda thunk it...
Oh and thanks for posting your results...enjoy the good life!

 

So you were going to add Freon without doing diagnostics like measuring pressures or even pulling dash DIC codes? Bad idea. You just got lucky with the battery. Throwing parts at issues is an easy way to spend needless money.

 

dadaroo, I wasn't aware there were DIC codes to indicate the state of the a\c. Thanks for the heads up.

 

There are a dozen or so related codes, at least. There are only a few things on the C5 that don't have related codes. Do you know how to do that? If not I will post what you need. I recommend doing it at least once a month, recording them, and then deleting them. That way you can see if something may be going on so you can keep an eye on it. Pull more often in those cases.

Also, you need to measure pressures to determine if you need to add Freon. The C5 is very sensitive to having the EXACT amount of Freon. Using an A/C Pro type of fill can get you in trouble. We've seen it many times.

Glad you have everything working.


Mr. Sam

 

I think I have seen your post on the DIC procedure, but if you would post it again I would appreciate it.

 

Not too many people change their battery on a whim. Glad it seems to be the culprit. What led you to take that action? Did you have the battery and charging system evaluated prior to battery purchase?

 

 

The car had been in the shop for a new radiator and transmission rebuild for a while. The battery was running down and needing recharging between phases of the repair. It wasn't holding a good voltage (13.2VDC) after a charge was applied. I was not equating the many issues going on to the battery. Live and learn.

 

The tell tale sign the battery is going is the HUD (if you have it), it will reset to OIL PRESSURE when you restart vs. where you left it last. Voltage drops enough during starting to reset certain things.

 

READING YOUR C5 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!!

NOTE!!! Start the car and let it idle. Then take it for a drive and cause the problem to occur. When you return home pull the codes BEFORE you shut off the engine.


Do NOT discount the codes with the H following them. They can provide an audit trail for issues going on with the car. They ARE important in diagnosing problems.

Post ALL the codes that you pull with the engine running..........

Some codes go away WITHOUT setting an H code when you shut the engine off. I suspect you will have several codes that will show C or HC that do NOT show when the engine is turned off.