1998 c-5 PROBLEMS WITH EBCM & SIGNALS
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5th Gear
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1998 c-5 PROBLEMS WITH EBCM & SIGNALS
GOOD MORNING OUT THERE!!
MY WIFE AND I ARE NEWBEE'S TO THIS FORUM. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN US ALL IN TAKING ON THE CHALLENGES OF OWNING A 1998 CORVETTE. WE ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS OF OUR 1998 C-5 SILVER CORVETTE. WE HAVE HAD ISSUES ALONG THE WAY AND FORTUNATELY BEEN ABLE TO RESOVLE THEM. I AM RETIRED NOW AND CAN SPEND TIME SEARCHING AND LEARNING HOW TO BE MY OWN, FIX AND REPAIR GUY.
THIS IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED, ABOUT A YEAR AGO I GOT A MESSAGE IN THE IPC DISPLAY SHOWING "SERVICE RIDE CONTROL". AT THE SAME TIME THE ABS LIGHT AND TRACTION LIGHT APPEARED IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC AND HE DIAGNOISED IT AS BEING THE EBCM. IT HAS TAKEN ME TILL NOW TO HAVE FOUND THE EBCM MODULE. I PURCHASED IT AND INSTALLED IT YESTERDAY. THE OLD EBCM WAS FRIED INSIDE. I THOUGHT THIS WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. IT DID NOT. I RAN THE ON BOARD DIAGNOISTIC AND THE DTC C1780 APPEARED, WHICH ACCORDING TO MY 1998 SERVICE MANUAL IS "LOSS OF STEERING POSITION SIGNAL" I AM WONDERING IF THIS IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM NOT A MODULE PROBLEM. AND THIS IS THE REASON FOR MY THOUGHTS: I HAVE RUN THROUGH A NEW BATTERY EVERY YEAR FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS, AND SEVERAL TIMES WHEN I HAVE JUMPED MY CAR, MY OIL PRESSURE SENSOR FAILS AND I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE IT.
SO BASICALLY, REPLACING THE EBCM HAS NOT RESOLVED THE SERVICE RIDE CONTROL MESSAGE.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY IDEAS ON HOW WE SHOULD PROCEED? I DON'T WANT TO NEEDLESSLY REPLACE EXPENSIVE MODULES.
BELOW IS INFORMATION WE READ FROM ANOTHER POST. BEFORE WE TRY THIS WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY THOUGHTS OR INPUT OUT THERE.
"My 98 coupe would get the infamous "REDUCED ENGINE POWER", "TRACTION CONTROL FAILURE" and a host of random failure codes. After many, many hours of troubleshooting, replacing the BCM and TAC module, I solved most of the driveability issues. Still getting the random DTC failure codes, I thought that I may be having ground issues. Back in June I cleaned ALL of the chassis grounds and the car virtually stopped throwing the "RANDOM" DTC failure codes. Just moving the wires in the chassis ground connector was enough to change the indications and make the issues stop happening.
I had a chance to speak with some GM C5 Trouble Desk Engineers when I went to Bowling Green KY in April and they pointed out that MANY of the C5 electrical issues can be directly linked to chassis ground problems. The engineer even went as far as to recommending that I chop off the factory under hood chassis ground connectors and combine all of the wires into a single ground lug. Not wanting to just LOP off the factory connector, I took a chance and disassembled one of the ground plug connectors and to my surprise it was indeed full of corroded connections.
I strongly recommend that any C5 owner that has had or who are having electrical issues, examine and clean the chassis ground connectors. This may save you from needlessly replacing expensive electronics modules. Each ground connector can be disassembled and cleaned in about 20 min.
Just cleaning the metal ground connection between the chassis and the plug is only a band aid solution. Now that I look back, when I cleaned my chassis grounds and initially solved my issues, I believe that when the connector is being removed to clean the connection between chassis and the connector, just the wires being moved inside the plug is what changed the indications and made everything work better.
Disassembly of the chassis ground plug and cleaning the contacts inside the connector is the correct method of solving the issue!"
WE WILL APPRECIATE ANY HELP YOU COULD GIVE US.
THANKS,
JEFF AND GINGER
MY WIFE AND I ARE NEWBEE'S TO THIS FORUM. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN US ALL IN TAKING ON THE CHALLENGES OF OWNING A 1998 CORVETTE. WE ARE THE ORIGINAL OWNERS OF OUR 1998 C-5 SILVER CORVETTE. WE HAVE HAD ISSUES ALONG THE WAY AND FORTUNATELY BEEN ABLE TO RESOVLE THEM. I AM RETIRED NOW AND CAN SPEND TIME SEARCHING AND LEARNING HOW TO BE MY OWN, FIX AND REPAIR GUY.
THIS IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED, ABOUT A YEAR AGO I GOT A MESSAGE IN THE IPC DISPLAY SHOWING "SERVICE RIDE CONTROL". AT THE SAME TIME THE ABS LIGHT AND TRACTION LIGHT APPEARED IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC AND HE DIAGNOISED IT AS BEING THE EBCM. IT HAS TAKEN ME TILL NOW TO HAVE FOUND THE EBCM MODULE. I PURCHASED IT AND INSTALLED IT YESTERDAY. THE OLD EBCM WAS FRIED INSIDE. I THOUGHT THIS WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. IT DID NOT. I RAN THE ON BOARD DIAGNOISTIC AND THE DTC C1780 APPEARED, WHICH ACCORDING TO MY 1998 SERVICE MANUAL IS "LOSS OF STEERING POSITION SIGNAL" I AM WONDERING IF THIS IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM NOT A MODULE PROBLEM. AND THIS IS THE REASON FOR MY THOUGHTS: I HAVE RUN THROUGH A NEW BATTERY EVERY YEAR FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS, AND SEVERAL TIMES WHEN I HAVE JUMPED MY CAR, MY OIL PRESSURE SENSOR FAILS AND I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE IT.
SO BASICALLY, REPLACING THE EBCM HAS NOT RESOLVED THE SERVICE RIDE CONTROL MESSAGE.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY IDEAS ON HOW WE SHOULD PROCEED? I DON'T WANT TO NEEDLESSLY REPLACE EXPENSIVE MODULES.
BELOW IS INFORMATION WE READ FROM ANOTHER POST. BEFORE WE TRY THIS WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY THOUGHTS OR INPUT OUT THERE.
"My 98 coupe would get the infamous "REDUCED ENGINE POWER", "TRACTION CONTROL FAILURE" and a host of random failure codes. After many, many hours of troubleshooting, replacing the BCM and TAC module, I solved most of the driveability issues. Still getting the random DTC failure codes, I thought that I may be having ground issues. Back in June I cleaned ALL of the chassis grounds and the car virtually stopped throwing the "RANDOM" DTC failure codes. Just moving the wires in the chassis ground connector was enough to change the indications and make the issues stop happening.
I had a chance to speak with some GM C5 Trouble Desk Engineers when I went to Bowling Green KY in April and they pointed out that MANY of the C5 electrical issues can be directly linked to chassis ground problems. The engineer even went as far as to recommending that I chop off the factory under hood chassis ground connectors and combine all of the wires into a single ground lug. Not wanting to just LOP off the factory connector, I took a chance and disassembled one of the ground plug connectors and to my surprise it was indeed full of corroded connections.
I strongly recommend that any C5 owner that has had or who are having electrical issues, examine and clean the chassis ground connectors. This may save you from needlessly replacing expensive electronics modules. Each ground connector can be disassembled and cleaned in about 20 min.
Just cleaning the metal ground connection between the chassis and the plug is only a band aid solution. Now that I look back, when I cleaned my chassis grounds and initially solved my issues, I believe that when the connector is being removed to clean the connection between chassis and the connector, just the wires being moved inside the plug is what changed the indications and made everything work better.
Disassembly of the chassis ground plug and cleaning the contacts inside the connector is the correct method of solving the issue!"
WE WILL APPRECIATE ANY HELP YOU COULD GIVE US.
THANKS,
JEFF AND GINGER
