Corvette C5 Electrical Diag
Thread Starter
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 6
Likes: 1
Corvette C5 Electrical Diag
Good evening everyone,
I'm at my wits end and am finally reaching out for help. I have a 1999 C5 with an electrical issue and I'm in need of a technician near Detroit, MI to work through some diag. It's been in a shop for 4 months now with very little information coming back out to me. The issue is a starting/power issue that I thought was either an alternator or a bad body ground but looks like it may be deeper than that. Any help someone could give me would be amazingly helpful. I've read the forum and I couldn't find anything that specifically addressed what I'm asking for. I'm desperate and could use your help.
Thank you,
DRKKNGT
I'm at my wits end and am finally reaching out for help. I have a 1999 C5 with an electrical issue and I'm in need of a technician near Detroit, MI to work through some diag. It's been in a shop for 4 months now with very little information coming back out to me. The issue is a starting/power issue that I thought was either an alternator or a bad body ground but looks like it may be deeper than that. Any help someone could give me would be amazingly helpful. I've read the forum and I couldn't find anything that specifically addressed what I'm asking for. I'm desperate and could use your help.
Thank you,
DRKKNGT
Thread Starter
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 6
Likes: 1
The vehicle stalled on me when driving home one night. Since then the vehicle has had issues starting. I'll turn the key and all the gauges go crazy, flickering, the display goes in and out, and just general lower power indications. Then, I'll let it sit for a minute or 2, turn the key on and off a bunch of times and it will fire right up. Once running it will display a "reduced power" message. The shop that it's currently at has "supposedly" checked all body grounds and determined that they are fine and is pointing at a faulty ebcm as the most possible issue.
Thank you for your reply.
Thank you for your reply.
Advanced
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 82
Likes: 18
From: Maple Valley, 25 miles from Seattle WA.
An expert may drop by and give you guidance.
It might be intermittent contacts on one of the many relays that are situated in the engine and interior fuse/relay panels. I recently had sticky contacts on the TDR (Theft Deterrent Relay) which kept the starter solenoid engaged with the ignition key out causing the starter to run continuously. I have since acquired a complete set of spare relays and have them in my car tool bag.
It might be intermittent contacts on one of the many relays that are situated in the engine and interior fuse/relay panels. I recently had sticky contacts on the TDR (Theft Deterrent Relay) which kept the starter solenoid engaged with the ignition key out causing the starter to run continuously. I have since acquired a complete set of spare relays and have them in my car tool bag.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 41,030
Likes: 9,782
From: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
Weird EBCM failure mode if It is causing a no start situation. The easy way to eliminate the EBCM from the problem is to pull all the fuses to the EBCM. The car is perfectly capable of being driven without an EBCM.
Bill
Bill
5th Gear
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: san benito Texas
Good evening everyone,
I'm at my wits end and am finally reaching out for help. I have a 1999 C5 with an electrical issue and I'm in need of a technician near Detroit, MI to work through some diag. It's been in a shop for 4 months now with very little information coming back out to me. The issue is a starting/power issue that I thought was either an alternator or a bad body ground but looks like it may be deeper than that. Any help someone could give me would be amazingly helpful. I've read the forum and I couldn't find anything that specifically addressed what I'm asking for. I'm desperate and could use your help.
Thank you,
DRKKNGT
I'm at my wits end and am finally reaching out for help. I have a 1999 C5 with an electrical issue and I'm in need of a technician near Detroit, MI to work through some diag. It's been in a shop for 4 months now with very little information coming back out to me. The issue is a starting/power issue that I thought was either an alternator or a bad body ground but looks like it may be deeper than that. Any help someone could give me would be amazingly helpful. I've read the forum and I couldn't find anything that specifically addressed what I'm asking for. I'm desperate and could use your help.
Thank you,
DRKKNGT
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 1,872
Likes: 333
From: Olmsted Falls Ohio
St. Jude Donor '12 thru '24
Ignition switches have some history of issues on the C5.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ch-repair.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ch-repair.html
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,773
Likes: 66
From: SoCal
Ignition switches have some history of issues on the C5.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ch-repair.html
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ch-repair.html
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Drifting
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 1,595
Likes: 191
From: Wilmington DE
I wouldn't trust any shop on the ground issue 90% of the problems on these cars are fixed by cleaning up the grounds and a fresh battery. Take a dremal to the contacts on the frame and the frame itseltf. Then coat them with dieelectric grease.
Thread Starter
6th Gear
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 6
Likes: 1
did you find the problem? i started to have the same issue today i turn the key once and i looks like the battery is dying i get the flickering too but wont start the first time the mayority of the time i do it a second time and all the lights come on normally on my cluster and turns on right away, and my car has even stalled when driving if you find the problem please let me know
