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Just bought first corvette!...few probs. UPDATE: New clutch question
Hello all,
First post here and brand new (to me) Corvette owner. After my Mustang was totalled in 2011, I had been longing to get back into a fun car without breaking the bank. Today, I finally bought a 2002 C5 Z06 with 89k miles on it. It is an overall very clean car, but has a few problems which I reflected in my offer price.
1. The car has really bad wheel hop at WOT, especially in first gear. The tires (Eagle F1's) are almost at the end of their life and there is about 1mm of thread left above the block/indicator thingy. Is wheel hop a known issue with these cars? Is it simply just my bad tires or is it known to be something else?
2. During the test drive, on two occasions on WOT, the clutch pedal will be stuck on the bottom while rowing through the gears. I would have to put my shoe under the pedal to pop it back up. During normal driving it seems to work fine and I can pump it like 100 times in the parking lot without being able to recreate the issue. Is this indicative of clutch fluid needing replacing or something worse?
3. Just earlier this evening, I experienced the infamous steering wheel lockout twice while in public. The only way I was able to fix it was to take the key out and aggressively jerk the locked steering wheel left and right before reinserting the key and finally being able to drive away. Does fixing this simple just require an aftermarket $50 kit to install?
4. Passenger window doesn't go down (or up for that matter). When I push on the switch I can hear a clicking sound. Not sure if this is the window regulator or what not...but obviously a smaller issue compared to the above ones.
5. During the drive home in bumper to bumper Los Angeles freeway traffic (~60 degree outside temp) the coolant temp would fluctuate around 225-230...is that normal? It seems kinda high. After traffic started to move the car would maintain 210-220 again.
wheel hop : you can get braces that go between the trans and diff to cure that but the bad tires dont help either
steering wheel lock yes you need the kit , like right away
window probably the motor but first look through this fourm and learn how to pull up the DTC,s , get the codes
water temps : make sure your air dams are in good condition but yes the temps will run that high. I am up in Sac and mine run that high in the summer
See my comments for each item. If you want help with any of these items let me know.
Gary
Originally Posted by 1190405
Hello all,
First post here and brand new (to me) Corvette owner. After my Mustang was totalled in 2011, I had been longing to get back into a fun car without breaking the bank. Today, I finally bought a 2002 C5 Z06 with 89k miles on it. It is an overall very clean car, but has a few problems which I reflected in my offer price.
1. The car has really bad wheel hop at WOT, especially in first gear. The tires (Eagle F1's) are almost at the end of their life and there is about 1mm of thread left above the block/indicator thingy. Is wheel hop a known issue with these cars? Is it simply just my bad tires or is it known to be something else? Most likely the bad tires.
2. During the test drive, on two occasions on WOT, the clutch pedal will be stuck on the bottom while rowing through the gears. I would have to put my shoe under the pedal to pop it back up. During normal driving it seems to work fine and I can pump it like 100 times in the parking lot without being able to recreate the issue. Is this indicative of clutch fluid needing replacing or something worse? This is a known issue. The clutch needs to be bleed at a minimum. Worst case you need to replace the clutch.This is an involved process since the whole drive line has to come out to get to the clutch.
3. Just earlier this evening, I experienced the infamous steering wheel lockout twice while in public. The only way I was able to fix it was to take the key out and aggressively jerk the locked steering wheel left and right before reinserting the key and finally being able to drive away. Does fixing this simple just require an aftermarket $50 kit to install? Get the LMC5 from Compliance parts. This will solve this issue. It installs next to the BCM in the passenger foot well. If the steering column locks with the key out of the ignition you will also need the un-locker tool to unlock the column.
4. Passenger window doesn't go down (or up for that matter). When I push on the switch I can hear a clicking sound. Not sure if this is the window regulator or what not...but obviously a smaller issue compared to the above ones. At worst you are looking at replacing the window regulator. There is a possibility that the DCM (door control module) is bad.
5. During the drive home in bumper to bumper Los Angeles freeway traffic (~60 degree outside temp) the coolant temp would fluctuate around 225-230...is that normal? It seems kinda high. After traffic started to move the car would maintain 210-220 again. Look up under the front of the car. Check to see if there are debris in front of the condenser. These cars are bottom feeders and suck up all kinds of trash off the roads, bags and leafs are the typical items found up in there.
This steering lock thing is getting really annoying. Did it again in the grocery store parking lot then did the "Pull key wait 10 seconds thing"...which I didn't know about and kept trying to drive the car away and it kept stalling on me.
Everytime I pull my key, I hear a short buzz and then the steering wheel locks. I'm guessing I need the LMC5 and Unlocker combo. I'm gonna order it ASAP and hopefully it's an easy install.
First post here and brand new (to me) Corvette owner. After my Mustang was totalled in 2011, I had been longing to get back into a fun car without breaking the bank. Today, I finally bought a 2002 C5 Z06 with 89k miles on it. It is an overall very clean car, but has a few problems which I reflected in my offer price.
1. The car has really bad wheel hop at WOT, especially in first gear. The tires (Eagle F1's) are almost at the end of their life and there is about 1mm of thread left above the block/indicator thingy. Is wheel hop a known issue with these cars? Is it simply just my bad tires or is it known to be something else?
2. During the test drive, on two occasions on WOT, the clutch pedal will be stuck on the bottom while rowing through the gears. I would have to put my shoe under the pedal to pop it back up. During normal driving it seems to work fine and I can pump it like 100 times in the parking lot without being able to recreate the issue. Is this indicative of clutch fluid needing replacing or something worse?
3. Just earlier this evening, I experienced the infamous steering wheel lockout twice while in public. The only way I was able to fix it was to take the key out and aggressively jerk the locked steering wheel left and right before reinserting the key and finally being able to drive away. Does fixing this simple just require an aftermarket $50 kit to install?
4. Passenger window doesn't go down (or up for that matter). When I push on the switch I can hear a clicking sound. Not sure if this is the window regulator or what not...but obviously a smaller issue compared to the above ones.
5. During the drive home in bumper to bumper Los Angeles freeway traffic (~60 degree outside temp) the coolant temp would fluctuate around 225-230...is that normal? It seems kinda high. After traffic started to move the car would maintain 210-220 again.
Any help would be appreciated...Thanks!
Before you spend any money on the window issue they the "whack method".....You can do a search, but basically there is an access panel behind the door grab. Pull that off and get a large screw driver and put it against the metal brace in the door....As somebody else is pressing the window button from the driver side you what to hit the screw driver with a hammer. In many cases the window will start working again and you may not see this issue for years . I know it worked for me.....Good luck...
Before you spend any money on the window issue they the "whack method".....You can do a search, but basically there is an access panel behind the door grab. Pull that off and get a large screw driver and put it against the metal brace in the door....As somebody else is pressing the window button from the driver side you what to hit the screw driver with a hammer. In many cases the window will start working again and you may not see this issue for years . I know it worked for me.....Good luck...
Definitely try this, I got a couple hundred off my car because the passenger window didn't work. A buddy holding the switch and me with a hammer fixed it for free. Coming up on 2 years of flawless operation. Sometimes things are simpler then you think!
I had the passenger widow issue also when I first got my car (in 2004). I did the "whack method" to get it going and then I found out that if I just put the windows down in the garage after I got home from work everyday, it would not reoccur. I have not had it happen again in over 100,000 miles. I'm at almost 160k in my '02 Z06.
So my car is missing the access panel on both doors and I can see 2 holes/cutouts behind where the access panel would be. Are you saying to stick a big long screwdriver down the middle hole until I press it up against the metal thing and bang on it.
I also ordered the LMC5 with unlocker and tool kit have have some good news on the wheel hop.
I checked my tire pressure today and all the tires were reading between 19-24psi. I guess the car had just been sitting for a while before I bought it. I air'd them all up to 31 PSI and went out on a test drive. The wheel hop appears to be 90% gone, and with new tires I'm sure it will be even better. I did experience the clutch stuck to bottom thing again and that's the next thing I need to address on my next day off.
So my car is missing the access panel on both doors and I can see 2 holes/cutouts behind where the access panel would be. Are you saying to stick a big long screwdriver down the middle hole until I press it up against the metal thing and bang on it.
I also ordered the LMC5 with unlocker and tool kit have have some good news on the wheel hop.
I checked my tire pressure today and all the tires were reading between 19-24psi. I guess the car had just been sitting for a while before I bought it. I air'd them all up to 31 PSI and went out on a test drive. The wheel hop appears to be 90% gone, and with new tires I'm sure it will be even better. I did experience the clutch stuck to bottom thing again and that's the next thing I need to address on my next day off.
For the door, yes...but follow my instructions as mentioned..fo u have any pics?
Stock power levels or not? Some of this advice will be different if you have stock power levels versus not.
1.
Get new tires. Proper ones. Don't overthink things, make one change at a time, and crap tires will cause issues.
2.
Definitely new fluid, potentially a new clutch. If stock power levels, keep a stock clutch unless you're looking for something specific. Otherwise, post your deets.
3.
Get the kit.
4.
Open the door up and fix it.
5.
Clean out your radiator with compressed air - blow out the fins, back to front. You will likely drop 20F doing so.
For the column lock get the kit but also get your battery checked. A weak battery will exacerbate the column lock and other problems. The recommendation is to have a battery with a RC (Reserve Capacity) of 120.
I'll try and post some pics tomorrow. The car is 100% stock and I plan to keep it that way. At most, an aftermarket intake, catback and a tune only.
On my next day off, I'm planning to drop the car off at my trusty mechanic to help do some fluid changes (because I don't have the time, energy or low profile tools to deal with it right now).
Planning to start off with just changing the motor oil, clutch fluid and transmission fluid, along with having my mechanic give it a basic once over.
For the motor oil, I'm planning to go with Mobil 1 5W30 with a Mobil 1 filter.
For the transmission fluid, research seems to point to AMSOIL torque-drive ATF.
For the clutch fluid, thinking about just using Valvoline DOT 3/4.
I'll try and post some pics tomorrow. The car is 100% stock and I plan to keep it that way. At most, an aftermarket intake, catback and a tune only.
On my next day off, I'm planning to drop the car off at my trusty mechanic to help do some fluid changes (because I don't have the time, energy or low profile tools to deal with it right now).
Planning to start off with just changing the motor oil, clutch fluid and transmission fluid, along with having my mechanic give it a basic once over.
For the motor oil, I'm planning to go with Mobil 1 5W30 with a Mobil 1 filter.
For the transmission fluid, research seems to point to AMSOIL torque-drive ATF.
For the clutch fluid, thinking about just using Valvoline DOT 3/4.
Does this good to you guys?
Thanks
I would add coolent to that list....I use dexcool as it came from the factory. Also, the rear gear oil is not to bad to change if you have pump.....I bought one at harbor freight that works well and it was like 6 bucks...I just changed my power streering fluid for the first time and it was quite dirty but you can expect that after 20 years...in my defense the car is rather low miles...
I'll have my mechanic look at that too. It appears that AMSOIL is nowhere to be found locally. I called the local Chevy dealership to see what fluid they use for factory servicing and they said they use AC Delco. I guess I'll use that for my transmission fluid.
Since 3sACROWD mentioned it, battery voltage is definitely worth expounding on. The C5 is extremely sensitive to battery voltage. Some of the systems on these cars function in sequence. Most have a minimum voltage, but they aren't necessarily all the same. For instance, at times you can have enough voltage to start the car, yet not enough for a previous sequential function and the car will not perform or will shut off when you reach a certain mph. The bottom line is when you have any issue that may be voltage related, it's best to eliminate the battery voltage first.
You can also find AmsOil online if you really want it. If nothing else it can point you to a local source. I have an excellent source for AmsOil products, but I believe I used Mobil 1 ATF when I changed my transmission fluid. There are very few reasons not to go with synthetic if you are so inclined. Do not assume that AC Delco is synthetic unless it specifically says it is.
By all means check the date codes on your tires. The Goodyear Supercar tires are awesome on these cars when they're new. But with enough heat cycles they will lose a lot of their grip. If they're over 6 years old, you will never experience the real potential of your Z06 with these tires. They my not be unsafe, but they will not have the grip your car needs.
Tires Manufactured Since 2000
Since 2000, the week and year the tire was produced has been provided by the last four digits of the Tire Identification Number with the 2 digits being used to identify the week immediately preceding the 2 digits used to identify the year.
Example of a tire manufactured since 2000 with the current Tire Identification Number format:
Good luck... GUSTO
For the column lock issue....As stated be sure to verify you have a good battery. These cars start to go haywire when your battery is at the end of its life. Get the LMC5 regardless, your gonna want it installed to eliminate column lock issues altogether.
Clutch fluid needs to be replaced and bled. Just regular old dot4. If that doesnt solve the pedal issue then your in for the full clutch job with all hydraulics done as well. Add a remote bleeder line for easy fluid changes in the future.
Coolant flush with fresh Dexcool and thorough cleaning of front of radiator should take care of your fluctuating temps.
Since its a new to you car you should def do the oil change, coolant flush, trans fluid ( If you cant get the Amsoil go with GM Delco synchromesh) rear dif fluid (also amsoil but Delco next) clutch fluid (dot4)... This way you know all the fluids are fresh and good to go for a few years.
My mechanic is super busy at the very moment but I should be able to drop the car off with him within a day or two. My LMC5 kit has arrived and I will attempt to install it on my next day off.
As for the trans fluid, if I can't get to AMSOIL, is the AC Delco manual transmission and transfer case fluid (
Just bought first corvette!...few probs. UPDATE: New clutch question
