Tanner Meierle

So I'm looking to buy a 98 C5 coupe, but my father was in the local dealership that services most of the Corvettes in the area( ironically it's a Ford dealership) and they told him not to buy it because they have too many electrical issues and there is no fix them. Well being the kind of person I am, I don't believe them. So with that being said, what are the issues, and is there a fix for them?

Thanks!

Bill Curlee

100% DIT DOT ON THE MARK!

Drive it, test it and see what you think.

I would ALSO go find a newer C5 thts for sale somewhere else and COMPARE the two cars. That way you have some different bench marks..

BC

bobjersey1

Hi Bill and all the fellas!

I've read some really GREAT post here and especially from you Bill! Your contributions on this forum have been nothing less than invaluable and I thank you for that. I have a VERY SERIOUS problem that I know is not new to any of you here. Here goes...

I have a C5 2002 Convertible. Approx 6 months after buying it I noticed that anytime it would rain heavily (here in north new jersey) the car would act a little funny (electrical) lights would come on randomly gauges on dash would cycle and the worst, car just wouldn't start. Now leaving the car in the sun with heat would (dry-up) and car would be perfectly back to normal until the next rain or a very wet humid day. This car is not garage kept. I do have a very good fitted cover for it.

Last May after reading all the great post everyone was sharing with each other I began to gather all this info and It did help me to understand the inner workings of this car. So not having the time to try to tackle this BIG job by myself I decided to "vet-out" some of my local specialists and see if they could handle a job like this. I understood that most of you would NEVER go to any of the "STEALERSHIPS" because of obvious reasons. I went to a specialists that only does Vettes and who has a long reputation for good service without being bent over.

That was an 1 1/2 away from me but I didn't mind as long as it was going to the right people for the job. O.K. so after (3) VERY LONG MONTHS and basically the whole summer shot these guys seem to have a handle on the issues. They replaced the BCM, PCM and a section of the serial data line that connects to these devices and talk. After extensive water testing on their part they concluded they solved all my concerns and put these problems to bed. Along with a few other small jobs not related the bill was just under $7k! Yes, 3 months and $7k you guys heard me right. All the time needed trouble-shooting at like $150-$180 per hour I guess adds up. I've been driving the car since late August when I picked it up. since then it's been in the rain and several car washes again with no issues and or concerns.

Just recently we've had several days of hard windy rain. the car was not covered. When I got home from work I noticed the interior light was on and the windows down. The car was soaked from the windows going down triggered by the hatch button that releases so you can fold down the roof (when you hit this button and windows are up it lowers them automatically). The car started with no problem however all kinds of weirdness and possession was happening. Every time I went to raise the windows I'd hear that switch triggered and the windows lower. The car was too freaky to even think about driving it. I wiped it down on the inside put the cover on it so water couldn't get in and proceeded to the nearest bar depressed out of my mind!

So It seems I back to square one! Sure the car will be back to normal when it dries out but that doesn't help me at this point. What do you guys think? Do I throw in the towel at this point? I have no more money to throw down the drain at this point. I don't have the time to trouble-shoot it myself. I just don't know, it's EXTREMELY hard to find good honest mechanics around here guys.... Any suggestions?.... Thank You in advanced!

bobjersey1

Yea, that was looked at and fixed. The people that serviced my car took care of it by cutting the rubber utters at the ends so water can flow freely and not build up. BTW: the BCM compartment and the BCM are bone dry even after all that water so it shorting was not an option.

Maybe ground issue? loose or not good ground(s)? again, I read all the craziness on these forums and understand the differences however that doesn't put me closer to the issue...

Bill Curlee

The very next time it screws up,, WITHOUT turing the ignition off,, read the DTCs and post up what you find.

I have a feeling that you are havig a serial data buss issue and it may be dealing with a poor connection the SIX PIN POWER CONNECTOR in each door accordion tube.

The poor connections make the module turn ON & OFF, ON & OFF, ON & OFF, ON & OFF, ON & OFF, ON & OFF, and that causes the serial data buss to go crazy.

Read the DTCs.

Make SURE that you pot ALL the DTCs and the sufixes!

TIP,, CLEAR ALL the DTCs so that you know that there isnt a ton of already stored OLD DTCs.

Bill

bobjersey1

Very Good Idea Bill! I will do that and post the results. I forgot about the door connections and yes I've seen other guys have all kinds of weirdness if the wires in that tube are damaged or shorting. I thought ground issues might cause this as well be not sure. My heart is so broken chasing down this crazy stuff but I do believe its a problem that can be solved just gotta find it!....

Bill Curlee

The wires are SELDOM the issue!!! The issue revolves around **** poor designed female pins in the six pin power connector that spread apart and make bad connections. The door modules turn ON and OFF rapidly and screw up the serial data buss. The female pins need to be bent back to make positive connections with the male pins.

Bill

SkyKing47

When we purchased this 1999 Corvette a couple of weeks back, the Fog Lights were working as advertised. Now we notice they are no longer working, nor does the light on the switch come on. I have checked fuses to no avail.

Ideas?