Car is black 2003 Z06 with 42k miles. Currently only driven about 100 miles per month. Mods are cags, steering lock removal, C6Z06 shifter. Same owner since 2003. Fluid reservoirs are emptied and refilled with fresh fluids about 1/year. Cooling system drained and refilled 1 year ago. Brakes are original, fluid has never been flushed except for the topping off mentioned above. Still on original pads, rotors. (Way too dirty for me!) Steering and clutch systems are the same, never been flushed. Serpentine belt and hoses appear to be fine, no cracks noted.
Heads up display and drivers window mechanism was changed out under extended warranty. Headlight motors have been replaced and upgraded to brass gears, and are activated every time car is used. Both window mechanisms have been replaced once, windows are exercised accordingly. Motor has never been touched.
Car has been kept outside (with about 6 Stormproof covers-I actually got 1-1/2 free warranty replacements!) in the Florida weather. Steering wheel has gotten sticky and outside glass ws is weathered, spotty.
Car runs super and rev limiter does work well. Mileage has dropped from original ~25 highway down to about 20. On 3rd set of tires and about 7 batteries-some batteries have died around the 35 month period so I got the free replacement, currently using red top Optima.

QUESTIONS: What do CF experts recommend for maintenance/replacement/servicing etc.? Also, if replacing (pads, rotor for example) what is recommended replacement?
Big thanks to CF-it is a great resource and I use it often in C1/2.

 

As you have identified, you might want to consider replacing all fluids. Even if they have been replaced "recently" you will probably want a "baseline" for yourself. Coolant, brakes, diff, trans...etc. The whole shebang.

Inspect the air filters and the cowl udders and see how clean they are. Belts and wipers ok?

Run a couple of bottles of Techron through the tank,

For brakes, I'd go with rotors and pads from power stop.

I'd say you are good to get started and on your way.

 

My 2020 had 44K when I bought it. Had all fluids flushed and or drained including the differential not because of mileage but because of age. An ounce of prevention..........

 

Thanks for responses, forgot about the damn udders, they are hard to observe, must less feel. How about wiring, plugs? Have occasionally used Techron and SeaFoam (on sale) never could feel a difference other than lighter wallet. Wondering if I could ever get back to the better gas mileage figures-I log every gas refill with the Z as well as the 60, plug info into excel. The relationship between average mph and mpg is well defined-start/stop city traffic will kill your mileage.

 

I would also run a can of dry gas thru it, to remove any moisture buildup......

 

I would definitely get a brake, clutch and power steering fluid changed, unless I am reading your post incorrectly.

How long since your TPS has been installed? What about your air filter?

And moving this over to C5 Tech for more comments.

 

The reason for the techron is not so much to improve performance rather to keep the fuel sending unit from degrading and not allowing the fuel gauge to read correctly if at all....

 

You might want to take a look at all your upper gaskets and o rings. I just finished replacing the valve cover, intake and throttle body gaskets as well as the fuel injector o rings. All were pretty worn out (they looked original)and the valve covers were a grimy mess. Might as well do the knock sensors and oil pressure sender while you’re in there so you can get it before it fails. That “simple” replacement led to everything else!

 

I agree all the fluids should be changed. Although you certainly need new brake fluid, the rest of the brake will depend on condition. There certainly are brake upgrades available, but based off of what you've told us, if pads and rotors need to be replaced, you would be best served to stick with EOM for both. Check to make sure that your harmonic balancer doesn't have a wobble. Tires should be replaced every 6 years regardless of tread. Check on your shocks. If they are still original, it might be good time to consider new ones. Good luck!

 

Forgot about the dreaded wobble. Tires get changed out the first time they feel hard and the traction goes away! OEM sounds good.

Great idea, had never thought about that one! This is different than stabilizer.

You're getting me on overload here. My simple Vintage Air upgrade had massive mission creep. Great advice if I was skilled/capable/proficient, but I'm Bubba with chronic pain challenges.

I did find an seemingly easy way to do a power steering flush: supercharged 111:No need to power flush the steering, can use the pump itself to cycle fluid through. Drain reservoir, plug it and fill it, idle the car with the return line going to a bucket. It'll drain the pump quick, so either have someone standing there to keep it full or shut the car off when the pump goes dry. Also turn the wheel back and forth to purge the rack.



Found this on C5 general , Includes new plugs, wiring ($515+?) a tune ($750). customer provided brake parts, some fluids.

Great Inputs here on C5 general and C5 tech. For sure items-Flush of coolant, brake fluid, power steering. Belts and hoses will be thoroughly checked (Do I need to c/o regardless?)
Clutch fluid-looks like a challenging job, right? If so will probably just keep doing the reservoir flush.
Seafoam down intake treatment as well as regular Techron-definitely do not want to have fuel gauge or pump problems.
IGNITION: Should I check 1 or more plugs?

 

I am so glad I can still do all my own servicing when I see those numbers.

It doesn't sound like the car is driven hard. It also sounds like you're happy with stock performance.

TIRES are your number one safety device. Make sure they are a sticky compound (under 400 treadwear) and of recent production (less than 4 years old)

If you want to try something different and keep within safe and comfortable realms, you might try upgrading to coilovers. Viking and RideTech have great street versions which are set to to pretty soft. The car will drive far better than stock and also look better being lowered that 1" or so.

The miles on the car are low. Again, judging by the sound of it I'm not at all concerned about trans or diff fluid. And you're already on the engine / coolant replacement.

Brakes. If you're having them services anyway, then: I have loved Motul RBF600 fluid and can easily recommend it when you flush the brakes. It works excellently for the clutch if you have a bleeder for that (there is always the Ranger Method, too).

For rotors I'd suggest the smooth street DBAs by KNS (found here). Pads I will leave to your discretion. I have the Z26 carbon ceramics currently. They drive absolutely fine for around town and some excited driving. They also are low dust as claimed. But I find my preference is for a more aggressive pad than stock - which is why I will leave it to your discretion.

New end links

With all this you end up with an amazing boost in handling comfort and safety. Great brakes. Smooth handling (set to soft). Sharper looks. The way a Corvette should be and all in the process of regular service and maintenance.

 

I'm of the school of if it aint broke, don't waste good money you can buy beer with Fluid flushes and changes should be a regular routine on any vehicle you cherish and intend to keep a long time.

I will step out on the ledge and say the hard job nobody wants to touch...suspension I recently changed all 8 of my ball joints on my 04 and all 8 of them some-a-bastards were worn out and tired. Shocks, sway bar links are also items worth looking at. Another would be hoses. I don't car how low mileage a rig is...rubber doesn't care about miles...age does a number on rubber.

You know your rig better then us...I'd let your intuition and wallet guide you.

Cheers,

Joe

 

Sorry, didn't mean to overload you! The mission creep on these is pretty incredible, amazing what you find that hasn't been touched in 20+ years!

 

The operative word here is “flushed”…. Changing the reservoir fluid is good, but the old stuff is still in the system.

Flush:
Brakes
Clutch
Power steering

Steering wheel:
I use Oxyclean laundry soap. I make a paste up and rub it in, wipe with a damp rag, repeat until no sticky. The reason I suggest Oxyclean, instead of a flamethrower or other harsh chemicals, is because it cures the problem! The plastic breaks down over time basically turning back into its original liquid state. That original plastic was solidified with oxygenated ingredients. I bet you can guess where this is leading, lol.

Oxyclean has the same oxygenated ingredient that will both remove the depleted sticky part, but also acts to solidify the remaining surface keeping it from getting sticky.

Drink beer.

 

I'm stealing the Oxyclean life hack from you. I got a few gummy wheels in my fleet. Just hope the wife dosn't notice her depleted cleaning supplies

 

That IS interesting!

I still believe it doesn't naturally break down in this manner but must have reacted to some other cleaner used over time.

Pro tip.... Black shoe polish for the leather ring on your steering wheel.

 

X6

Again, this is a super forum with very helpful responses (not so true at CFOT and CFRT)
I'm vacillating between
I'm of the school of if it aint broke, don't waste good money you can buy beer with Yuengling Porter and/or Black/Tan, not BL
And the other end of the pendulum swing, the govt method of: shoveling money into solving problems that don't exist!
one other set of variables is: What can I do easily (steering wheel rejuvination) vs What can I do that's physically difficult(bleed brakes, co hoses) vs No way I can do it.

Good news is that I have found a proficient mechanic who owns street rods, a Chevelle, and now a 54 Corvette who has access to a shop with lift. I wish to hell I had known of him last year before I made the 60 more streetable by replacing the cc 248 degree solids cam with a L46/82 224 degree hydraulic as well as changing out the throwout bearing (that was how I celebrated the first three months of turning 79) (First time ever for a cam changeout, having front engine mounts did not help much)
I consider myself being FRUGAL, my neighbor uses the terms cheap and skinflint, go figure.



Good news is, there is no big rush as I don't drive it very often.
Another thing, It can be very challenging trying to find the right words for search (between C5 gen and C5 Tech), having to wade through several pages after looking for failures/repairs/need maintenance-I just found a great one today on what to do with a 20 year old car, , the same question I had but didn't put 20 years in, plus it was C5Z06: In fact, I lost the thread and looked for it 6 different ways, but could not find it again.

Some new items(just what I needed) include tensioner and pulley if you're going to change out the serpentine belt. Rock Auto has dozens of options to incude Gates vs other Gates vs Delco vs GM.
Change out fuel filter and pcv valve.
Options on clutch fluid include Ranger/turkey baster- 60 ml syringe with long thin tube to go way down- and the "best" total flush using self bleeders


Also found out there are major problems with certain C5 Z06 valve springs: (The color of the springs identifies good vs bad ones
per skyavonee:
Using 2001 + 2004 models as our baseline low risk group, this plot shows that:

- Early 2002 models (VINs under 20000) are over 6 times as likely to experience a valve spring failure than the baseline.

- Late 2002 models (VINS over 20000) and early 2003 models (VINs under 09000) are 20 times more likely than the baseline to experience a valve spring failure. This is the HIGHEST RISK group, aka the Danger Zone.

- Late 2003 models (VINs over 09000) are over 3 times as likely to experience a valve spring failure than the baseline.

These numbers represent the last 5 digits of the VIN. Both the VIN and build month can be found on the driver's side door jamb.er
This is a pretty major job for the non proficient:
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...42k-miles.html

Will keep all advised on my meeting with the mechanic next week. Thanks again. In the meantime, my shop crew is awaiting orders.. They are a great example of "Will work for food"...