Thank you for your time to reply. I will be reporting back. Your advice and input is important to me.

I read what the codes are.

For what it's worth this didn't start until I put on a catch can.

I have C6 wheels that are not compatible with my system.
I get low tire pressure messages that would stay on in the DIC unless I cleared it but would come back after a bit.
Since the new battery last week the DIC has not shown the TPMS messages as it had been.

I am going to go clear the codes.

I guess there never was a battery drain.
I kick myself.

I only have one key as well.

I did not try to look at the starter solenoid or connections yet. how hard is this to do topside?

 

Bill,

Having the exact same issue again, thinking its just time for a battery. O'Reilly's says Voltage regulator but I'm not sure, the battery is 3 years old and came up dead this morning. Checking voltage on the dead battery it was at 5.6 volts...

With car running voltage across the terminals is 13.5 and from battery terminal on the alternator to ground I am getting 13.85. No accessories running and both are steady.

When I first jumped the dead battery I was getting 14.x volts across the battery.

Is there a definitive test for the voltage regulator besides this?

Chad

 

Chad


Sounds like your alternator is working..... Until you get a GOOD battery in the loop,,, its difficult to properly troubleshoot.

DO NOT let them bulley you... If you have good charging voltage,,, the ALTERNATOR is most likely good.

If it were me,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I would fully charge the battery, then take it to an independate parts store and have them FULLY test the battery.

Get that independate OPINION on battery condition and go from there..

Bill

 

Thanks Bill,

Have you had any luck with regular old batteries? I've been buying walmart or AZ/Oreillys and seem to be gettting about 3 years of daily driving. Any batteries to stay away from?

Chad

 

Any name brand battery with the proper RESERVE CAPACITY should be fine.. One of the best batteries is the AC Delco platinum series battery.

Ive had good luck with the AutoZone batteries.

Remember... Any battery that is subjected to excessive sleep current draw,, will NOT keep a charge. The designed Sleep current draw should be very close to 20 milliamps. That will allow you 30+ days of sleep and the car shoud still crank and run. Ive gone as long as 40 days.



Bill

 

Bill,

01 C5. bought the car with 39,000 it now has 71,000. I have not modified anything on the car. Used to run like a top, no issues whatsoever. Then gradually the electrical problems crept in. I do drive in the rain as I live in Oregon.


I posted awhile back about some of the electrical issues I was having. Gages not working and then working, battery not holding a charge over night when nothing is left on. Here is what i have done so far and am hoping you can point me in a new direction.

Cleaned the 4 grounds in the engine compartment, headlight area and wheel well tops. Planning on doing the rest this weekend. Are the ones in the back end of the car hard to get to? I have not looked for them yet.

Replaced the battery with a brand new gel battery, replaced the alternator. Some of the minor electrical issues have cleared up. Random gages shutting off and on. It appears to be just the fuel gage after the alternator replace. But I have not driven it much because of the following problem

. The big problem is shifting. I have an automatic and it shifts really early when I speed up and really late when I slow down. So you get rough shifting when speeding up and bogged down shifting when you slow down. While driving, sometimes it is as if the transmission reverts to neutral with out shifitng. No power to the wheels and the RPMS spike because of being on the accelerator. Take your foot off, shift down works sometimes and it will reengage. Restarting the car can also clear this up. It's like a box of chocolates..every time you start it you don't know what you are going to get.

Thanks in advance!
Dave

Thoughts?

 

Dave

You have a LOT going on at one time.. Its NOT just one issue.
. Please read and post your DTCs.. That will narrow the issues down.

READING YOUR Engine Diagnostic Codes



The Diagnostic Display Mode is entered with the following procedure:

1) Turn on the ignition but don't start the engine.
NOTE! You can read the DTCs with the engine running and or driving down the road but it can distract you. BE careful! Some DTCs clear themselves when you turn the ignition OFF!
I always read my DTCs prior to turning OFF the ignition switch. If you have any messages on the DIC,, PRESS RESET until they are gone!

2) Press the RESET button to turn off any warning messages. (i.e. door open, trunk open ect.)
3) Press and hold OPTIONS
4) While holding OPTIONS, press FUEL four times within a 10-second period.


Initially, on-board diagnostics go into an Automatic Mode which shows diagnostic codes in a pre-set sequence: PCM - TCS - RTD - BCM - IPC - RADIO - HVAC - LDCM - RDCM - SCM - RFA. All codes will be displayed for each. ( i.e. PCM = 4 codes) If none are present in a given module, you will see No More Codes on the display.
There are two kinds of diagnostic codes, Current and History designated with a letter suffix, "C" or "H". A current C code indicates a malfunction is present and active in the module displaying data. A history code indicates a problem existed sometime in the last 40 or 50 ignition cycles. When not accompanied by a current code of the same number, it's potential evidence of a previous problem, now resolved, that was not removed by clearing the codes.
More likely it's an indication of an intermittent malfunction.
Intermittent codes are the most challenging of the diagnostics. An intermittent code may have happened once, may have happened more than once but is inconsistent or may be happening on a regular basis but not at the time the codes are displayed. History codes can also be caused by a current malfunction in a system that is not operating at the time codes are displayed. An example is the rear window defogger which doesn't operate until the Body Control Module detects engine rpm. For history codes set by a module that does not operate with the key on and engine off, a special diagnostic tool called a Scan Tester is necessary to properly diagnose the malfunction.
Once the system has displayed all modules, it goes into the manual mode which allows selection of each module using combinations of Driver Information Center buttons. Manual mode can also be entered during the automatic sequence by pressing any button except English/Metric (E/M). Once the display shows Manual Diagnostics, select a module by pressing the OPTIONS button to go forward or the TRIP button to go back. Once a module is selected, a code is displayed, and if more than one are present; press GAGES to go forward or FUEL to go back.
To exit the diagnostic mode at any time, press E/M. If you want to erase codes in a given module, press and hold the RESET button To reset the codes once in manual mode, press and hold RESET until it displays NO CODES Press OPTIONS to go to the next module. Repeat the steps until you have reset the codes in all the computer modules.
NOTE!! Only reset the codes IF you want to - it is NOT necessary to do this. Clearing a code does not repair a problem. You are simply erasing the evidence of it in the module's memory. If you clear the code/s, and extinguish the Check Engine Light, your emissions status ready will NOT allow you to pass an emissions test until you have completed the required driving cycles.
Once you have the codes, the next question is: What to do with the information?
First, consult the factory service manual. Any serious C5 Do-It-Yourself owner should invest in the Corvette Service Manual of the appropriate model year. The Service Manual is really a requirement if you want to understand and work on your C5. You can GOOGLE the DTC and also find information on it.




Here is very good site that explains the DTCs:


http://www.corvette-web-central.com/C5DTCcode.html


http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_cod...d-ii-codes.php



Make sure to include the H or C suffix!!

 

 

So here are the codes that come up for me.
10 pcm
PO356H
PO530HC
P1637HC
P1638HC
P1689H

28 TCS
C1214HC
C1276H

Would it be safe to assume I have a bad power train module? As well as an ABS and Traction control module? Or is there something else I can look into first. Thanks for the patience Bill

 

DTC P1637 Generator L-Terminal Circuit
DTC P1638 Generator F-Terminal Circuit
DTC P0356 Ignition Coil 6 Control Circuit
DTC P0530 Air Conditioning (A/C) Refrigerant Pressure Sensor Circuit

Dont worry about this one:

DTC P1689 Traction Control Delivered Torque Output Circuit


You need to figure out why your alternator isnt charging before you get too far. Poor battery voltage can cause all the other issues.

When the engine is running,, what is your battery voltage??

 

Battery is charging now that I replaced the alternator.
It wouldn't hold a charge in the brand new battery before, once I replaced the alternator it holds a charge fine now. But I will get the voltage today.

 

Here is my current problems,
The traction control light and ABS lights come on accompanied by the dreaded "service traction control" warning .. When this happens the automatic A/C panel is blank and the A/C is inoperative. At times after a few miles of driving the Traction control light will go off and the A/C starts working. When it starts working a click can be heard in the dash. Other times I can drive till the cows come home and it will never recover. When it does recover and the traction control light goes off and A/C starts working. but the ABS light with the warning "service vehicle soon" stay on.. I tried cleaning the underhood grounds and found them to be without any signs of corrosion. I disassembled them anyway and with a small file cleaned all including where the eyelet bolts to the frame rail. Sadly it made no difference at all.. A local Corvette Shop here scanned it for me and it had no codes pertaining to the problems I'm experiencing. It has been suggested to me the Ignition switch may be bad. Wiggling the key and tapping on it proved futile. I know that doesn't really prove the switch isn't defective but I thought it may be worth a try.. Any help would be greatly appreciated..
Thanks in advance. Don

 

The key cylinder isnt connected to the ignition switches. It just turns a cam that moves the switches. The cam can turn a lot before it moves the switch contacts.

You have all the sympyoms of a bad switch.

Bill

 

I sent a PM to you, Don.

 

14.2 on the battery volts Bill

UPDATED-So I did take it out for a wash and a drive and the volts where jumping all over the place. Low was 13.2 High was 14.6. It sat for the most part at 13.9. The engine fan was on for most of the time as well.

Thanks
Dave

 

A reply for the record. Installing the ignition switch took care of my electrical issues. ABS, traction control light and A/C not working along with the A/C digital display not lighting up. The replacement of the switch was a simple task, took about a hour and a half. Thanks Dennis and Bill for their input. If anyone is every looking for a ignition switch I got mine from Amazon(prime). A AC Delco for $55.00 got it in 2 days with free shipping.. Can't beat that with a stick.. Again thanks for the help!!

 

Hey Don...always glad to help......and glad you got 'er fixed! Since I r/r'd my ignition over two years ago on my '98, I've never had any more issues. I had 3 of the 5 contacts heavily corroded which gave me all the "No Comm" dtc's. I cleaned it up and sitting on a shelf in my garage. It's like I had a new C5 again.

 

I'm going to take my old one apart, just to see how bad it is..For the price of the new switch I don't think I'll hang on to the old one. But curious to see how bad. I also got all my underhood grounds nice and clean now too. I tried cleaning them before getting the switch.. Feels good to have the car back to normal..

 

Well took it to the shop, It was one of the grounds behind the passenger wheel well. Cleaned it and the car runs like a top now.

 

Pictures of my switch contacts. Two really burnt and a third one starting. But after 117,000 miles I can't complain. And I gotta admit the switch was pretty easy to install..