I recently bought a 1999 C5 with less than 20k on the clock. Incredibly clean car. That’s where it ends. After about 7 days, I’ve had to replace the harmonic balancer because it had worked it’s way into the steering rack. Picked it up from the shop, drove it home, parked and when I got back in to go somewhere the shift linkage has broken. I believe it to be the grommet at the shifter, but who knows? Pretty frustrated and I don’t even want to look at it right now. Any other typical crap that goes bad on these things or am I hitting the jackpot already? Just want to drive the darn thing!

 

Most likely it is just 1 of the 2 bushings on the cable. Dorman products sells them

 

No big deal to replace the shift cable bushings, don't despair, normal things that happen to older cars including corvettes.

 

sorry but u better hope that's all that happen. pray u dont start getting the little electric gremlins woken up. so keep the radio down and your voice and u should be ok .i hope

if it wasn't done already just get it outta the way with column lock issue or don't..

 

Got them in hand. Will attack it tomorrow.

 

GM is notorious about electrical bugs! Hope to avoid them for a while. Love the damn car!

 

yes they are nice. When I bought 20yrs I had no clue of all this issues. Thank God I'm good I was a wreacher on the side or it would of been long gone

 

don't forget about shifter popping out of reverse 6mn and clutch sticking to floor. yada yada yada.

 

 

In my view, these cars are amazingly reliable, especially given their age. My solution is to fix things that break ASAP!

And floor it as often as I safely can.




I have enjoyed this car more than any car I have ever owned. I am a tinkerer, a repairman, a driver of some disrepute. Minor projects accomplished include the following, most done by me but some, marked with an asterisk, were done by others. It takes six minutes to have the car in the air on jack stands in my garage and then I'm off to do whatever needs to be done.

August 26, 2009- purchased from Pam; Pam, thanks for the car.
September '09- New HVAC Controller
October - New Brass Headlight Gears
- Auxilliary Satellite Radio Receiver
December - Replace Park Brake Lever, Adjust. park brakes
- Iridium Spark Plugs, wires
- Screen under cowl to permanently keep mice OUT
January '10- Four Wheel Alignment *
February - Water Pump
March - Clean and dielectric grease all grounds
May - Auxiliary emergency hood release cables
- Pulley and tensioner bearings, two belts
July - Redline Lube in differential
- Insulate interior floors
August - Ignition Switch *
September - Blower Motor *
October - Water Pump #2
March '11- Flush Brakes
- TRACK DAY 1, No. 66 at Buttonwillow Raceway
May - Brake Pads *
July - B&M transmission Pan, Redline Fluid
August - TRACK DAY 2, No. 66 at Buttonwillow Raceway
October - Sway bar links, clean and grease sway bar bushings
January '12- Oil Pressure Sender Unit
March - Rear tires, Michelin Pilot Sport, non runflat, two TPM senders*
- TRACK DAY 3 No. 67 at Buttonwillow Raceway
- Front tires. Michelin Pilot sport, two TPM senders*
- TRACK DAY 4, No. 67 at Buttonwillow Raceway
May - Secondary Air Check Valves *
- Last significant rattle, creak, squeak FIXED!
June - Tow Hook Receiver, Tow Hook
July- Dec -Cancer diagnosis, Doctors, Hospital, Operation and Recovery
March '13- Flush Brakes
- TRACK DAY 5, No. 68 at Laguna Seca
May - Ignition Switch #2*
- TRACK DAY 6, No. 68 at Buttonwillow Raceway
June - Friction Master Ceramic Brake Pads (turned out to be a mistake)
August - Check front alignment, add smidgeon of toe in*
- Flush Brakes, Ate Super Blue racing brake fluid
September - DeWitts racing radiator, hoses and Surge tank installed
- Change transmission fluid and filter
October - TRACK DAY 7, No. 69 at Laguna Seca
December - Hawk HP Plus brake pads
January '14 - TRACK DAY 8, No. 69 at Laguna Seca
April - Rebuild Front Calipers, flush brakes, install speed bleeders
May - Replace four slightly bent wheels with exact same used good wheels*
July - TRACK DAY 9, No. 69 at Laguna Seca
December - Auxiliary transmission cooler and fluid thermostat
- New front Michelin Super Sport tires*
- TRACK DAY 10, No. 70 at Laguna Seca
April '15 - Flush Brakes, Ate Typ 200
May - Hook up engine oil cooler
- Insulate tie rod ends and lower ball joints


June - TRACK DAY 11, No. 70 at Laguna Seca

- New Michelin Pilot Super sport tires on rear
- Corvette turns 100,000 miles, 800 miles on the track
September - TRACK DAY 12, No. 71 at Buttonwillow Raceway
April '16 - New 3.73 (RPM Transmissions) rear drive with Wavetrac differential, new shift cable*
- Doug Rippie Motorsports Bilstein Shock Absorbers all four corners
- Reprogram Power Control Module*
- Flush Brakes, Ate Typ 200, 500 mile lube change on rear drive
May - Change transmission fluid and filter
- TRACK DAY 13, No. 71 at Laguna Seca
October - Hawk HP+ brake pads on front
- TRACK DAY 14- Rained out
January '17- Replace accessory belt, AC belt
August - Insulate under intake manifold, relocate oil pressure sender unit, add rear head coolant air bleed lines
- Change coolant, thermostat
- TRACK DAY 14 at Laguna Seca No. 72
December - TRACK DAY 15 at Laguna Seca, No. 73
January '18- Rotator Cuff surgery, four- six month recovery
May - New front tires, Michelin Pilot Super Sport, check alignment*
June - Flush brakes, Ate Typ 200, check pads
- Four wheel alignment*
July - Track Day 16 at Laguna Seca, No. 73
January '19- New Stop Tech slotted cryo treated rotors, HP Plus pads on front
February - TRACK DAY 17 at Laguna Seca No. 74
March - Carpal Tunnel Surgery
July - TRACK DAY 18 at Laguna Seca
December - TRACK DAY 19 at Laguna Seca in the RAIN, No. 75


May '20- TRACK DAY 20 at Laguna Seca- CANCELED- Corona Virus
June - Flush brakes Wilwood EXP 600 Plus, DBP 594 degrees, WBP 383 degrees
July - Sold Ranch! all hell breaks loose.
August - Three cars and 11 tons go from Arroyo Grande to Prescott Arizona. August 9, escrow on Prescott home closes, we arrive on the 13th.
October - TRACK DAY 20 at Arizona Motorsports Park, No. 76
February '21- TRACK DAY 21 at Arizona Motorsports Park, No. 76
March - HP Plus Pads on the rear
April - TRACK DAY 22 at Arizona Motorsports Park, No 76

Next- Check out other race tracks around Phoenix, Johnny O'Connell Sway bar set, Install Halltech cold air intake, check tune.

 

Probably why many of us refer to our cars as "she", or "her"!! Like women, you can't live with them and can't live without them!

 

I have to agree with you....and in my case, the Corvette isn't a "daily driver", so if it develops a problem, I've got other wheels.

 

i drive mine as long as the winter good and backup car that saved me many times. now i'm on the other hand. vetts down so relying on my car. had a scare a mouth ago my car would not pass emissions in il. june 30 is dead line and i wound not be able to register to drive. they would impound car if could.. i could not figure it out. this is rav4 with crazy emissions system. brought it to a shop they said to fix was min 400 to a 1000. wtf there was no way i was going to pay for.. he gave me a few samples. 02 sensor 300 ec 2 of them charcoal canister 1000. each sensor is min 100buck. **** that
so i studied more than i studied throughout high school to figuring out the system that i never deal with ever with any car. ok figured out. iil tell u wants i got into it, dame wasn't that bad. ended up 4 sensors. would of cost 900 plus labor which was 124hr . i found off brands for a total of 100bucks. passed.

 

Because of age and a knee problem, the tech stuff and tools needed, my wrenching cars are over with. When the '04 starts having more problems then what I think is normal wear then by by C5.

 

Yes and they are older. Not a daily driver to me as others have said. It is a hobby that allows me to drive and have fun. Gremlins live in GM. Maybe its Gremlin Motors but they are fun and great cars. Recently had the linkage break on a 9 year old car and the parts guy says this happens all the time.

 

Hope by that you didn't use it to muscle your way past that poor guy! lol

 

Hey there you're wrench in your bumper that u were looking for.

 

I have nothing but facepalm for people who buy 20+ year old sports cars and expect them to run like new Toyotas with factory warranties.

 

I agree with the age issue only if the mileage matches the age . Many of the '20' year old's have less than 50K, been well maintained and yet still have to replace parts that should not have worn out like my HB and my headlight motor did with less than 40K.

 

I'm an electrical test engineer for an off highway equipment company you've heard of. My job is to design tests to prove everything from switches to controllers and everything in between will last as long as designed. USAGE is only half the battle. There are myriad other failure modes due to bookoos of other stimuli to defend against and test for that happen even if the car sits. Hot garage heat cycles, solar heat cycles, chemical exposure, corrosion, moisture ingress and tons more. OLD cars will break regardless of use I say this on this forum all the time. that's why I pity people who pay a premium for a 15k mile plastic car built with 90s technology and 20 year old parts when they are basically avoiding none of the issues we face with higher miles cars like mine. There is quite literally no reason to expect it to not break.