Traction control warning??
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,821
Likes: 204
From: Lincoln CA
Traction control warning??
I was just out in my C6 with the car in "S" mode and I got a light up on the dash with the little orange car skidding and my DIC alternately told me that Traction Control Not Engaged and Sports Handling Not Working, or something like that. I pulled the car to the side of the road and shut it down. I immediately restarted and the little orange skidding car icon lit up and went out with the rest of the warning lights. Hopefully that was just some sort of an electrical screw up. Or, is this the initial warning of some approaching Corvette malady I haven't heard of?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,821
Likes: 204
From: Lincoln CA
It just did it again for the second day in a row. I started the car up and everything showed normal. Driving down my street I heard that chime warning that sounds if you don't have your seatbelt latched and the traction control icon lit up. The DIC was throwing the messages "SERVICE TRACTION SYSTEM" and "SERVICE ACTIVE HANDLING SYSTEM". These were alternating and then the car threw me a bone. The DIC reported "CHECK FLUID IN MASTER CYLINDER". I shut the car down and when I restarted the messages were gone, just like yesterday. I brought the Vette back to my garage and the MC reservoir was at about mid tank. I just filled it to the max level and I made an arrangement with my regular mech to read the codes on Monday. Could it be that the MC being low could cause the traction control and the active handling system to throw codes? I am also concerned with where the brake fluid went. On most of my older cars the brake fluid generally went away when there was a leak somewhere in the system. I'm not seeing anything on the ground or smelling anything unusual from the car.
Last edited by RagTop69; Oct 7, 2016 at 04:43 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 5,910
Likes: 49
From: CA
St. Jude Donor '17
Do you happen to have an old battery? Just pieces to the puzzle...My electrical system went bonkers with a slew of unrelated (false) signals and noises that things weren't working well. A new battery solved everything. It's amazing to me all the things that incorrectly go 'bad' just because the battery wasn't up to the job.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 2,821
Likes: 204
From: Lincoln CA
I drove the car yesterday morning and there were no warnings from the DIC. I'm assuming that the low brake fluid in the reservoir was the cause of the problems but I'm somewhat surprised that both the traction control and active handling systems were impacted. Still going to get it checked for codes tomorrow.
Last edited by RagTop69; Oct 9, 2016 at 03:03 PM.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Pro
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 647
Likes: 135
From: Big Canoe Georgia
If you filled the master cylinder to the max and the brake pads are not close to new you may have over filled it. At least that is the way it was back in the day. As brake pads wear the fluid level goes down a little to fill the lost space.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 6,457
Likes: 297
From: corpus christi Texas
My 08 have been showing SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL in the past 2 weeks only at low speed. No engine light and I have a good code reader and I have checked for codes a few times and NONE showed??
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 6,486
Likes: 1,659
From: Las Vegas NV
I drove the car yesterday morning and there were no warnings from the DIC. I'm assuming that the low brake fluid in the reservoir was the cause of the problems but I'm somewhat surprised that both the traction control and active handling systems were impacted. Still going to get it checked for codes tomorrow.
Last edited by Kent1999; Oct 17, 2016 at 05:46 PM.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 16,557
Likes: 2,106
From: Peoria/Phoenix AZ
C6 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
Click the button to display voltage and keep an eye on it. Hopefully you can spot if it drops low before the TC lights up the next time.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 6,457
Likes: 297
From: corpus christi Texas