moiboy22

Corvette_Ed

Check your spark plug boots and make sure they are all still connected. Check at both the plug and the ignition coil.

moiboy22

I will check them when I get back to the house and update. I'm in the tow truck now.

ray_ray

Battery also needs checked

moiboy22

I put in a new battery and terminals a few months ago. It cranks and starts fine, it just seems like the engine either isn't getting enough fuel or air and chokes out.

moiboy22

I took each boot off from both ends and one snapped. Not sure if it was because of me or it was already in bad shape. Needless to say all will now be changed.

moiboy22

I am about to swap all spark plugs also to eliminate them as the culprit. Any other suggestions are appreciated. Again it still might be the fuel pump or something else. Still unsure.

Corvette_Ed

Let us know how it runs after you change out the plug wires.

myfunz

Check the blue wire connections below passenger foot rest for fitment. Also check grounds.

moiboy22

I will check the connections. What do you mean by checking grounds?

myfunz

Ground points in the engine bay

Landru

Symptom sounds like a bad connection at plug/coils.
On an '05 bet they simply gave-up the ghost, are brittle, broke etc.
If correct, replacing plug wires will rectify this.

RoadkingC6

Did you get any codes? it could also be a bad coil pack.

moiboy22

moiboy22

After taking out all plugs and coils, the coils are in seemingly poor shape. One coil has yellow residue inside the boot connecting end. See images below. The same is shown in the boot on the spark plug wire. Could this be it? I put both seemingly good and bad for comparison. If this is it should I change all coils or just this one?

Landru

Yellow residue?
If you're not the original owner it *could* be dielectric grease a previous owner used to seat plugs for this very issue.
Wires coming loose at plugs/coils over time is not unusual, a'tall.
Been reported here all the time and usually due to plug wires never having been 'burped' & secured properly to start.

However, remember an '05 is 13 years old now, too.
Add to 13 years you're in Torrance, CA; which, is a very warm climate. Especially, past few years.

Just makes sense rubber clad wires can/do degrade w/ age, engine heat cycles combined w/ + high ambient temps & spirited driving
means, to me, replacing wires & coil packs all qualify as 'routine' maintenance.
If not maintained [read: replaced] because of a mistaken belief this stuff lasts forever and your symptoms *&* headaches come into play, here.

Thanks for pics, sure wished CF's gurus weighed-in on this to help you out.
That said given new coils/wires are relatively inexpensive (as Corvette parts go) yes *I'd* replace them. No question about it.
And if only to rule-out one or more components failing which almost always meaning chasing rabbits down holes.

I'm a retired EE, unfortunately there's little in my 'controls' design background which xfers modern vehicles. I only drive 'em, and why I visit daily to learn for the day my turn comes.
Reading of C6's gremlins, their symptoms and resolution has become a self serving passion for over 15 years.

I never advocate merely throwing parts at these problems, doing so gets too expensive fast & so many issues share common symptoms. Doing so does not solve an issue, anyway.
PITA crap like you're going through now always has a logical, albeit sometimes masked source & needs to be ID'd first.

Considering what your symptoms, age of car, and finding brittle wires et al I'm betting the source has been identified.

Again & just guessing but methinks symptoms point to an ignition issue, probably due to bad wire(s) and/or coil(s).
Cut to the chase & cough-up the $ to buy new wires + coils because really it's time anyway and the least expensive tack before digging deeper.

G/L, replace wires/coils & update thread how things work out, or not.
My gut's telling me you'll be a happy camper once again making the $ well spent.

moiboy22

Thank you. I'm a AE/ME with a design itch. I used to only drive'em too until getting married (budget punch), moving to LA (budget punch x2), and buying a fixer corvette ($6.5k+ to date).
I am not the original owner and it was odd that only that coil had the powdery discoloration. All other points are valid and fair.
I purchased all new coils, plugs and plug wires. I will complete the job later today and update on if this solves the problem. Thanks again!

Dano523

Went a little over board on buying new coils, and the old coils could have been just cleaned up via electrical contact cleaner to remove the Yellow deposits to get the contact points back to bare metal.




As for the yellow gunk, looks like "Ask" or some type of lithium spray grease, instead of someone just using dielectric (silicone) grease on the boots and contact areas instead.

moiboy22

Here's an update. Finally for everything buttoned up and looking good. Started the car, same problem. Won't Hold Idle unless I give it gas. Otherwise it chokes out and stops. Any other ideas?

Landru

Well, so goes my bet.

Have you checked for any codes?
If not, now's the time.

Guessing (again w/ no assurances) problem may lie w/ MAF, or possibly fuel pump going south. FP failures are not unusual and w/ an '05 especially so.

Hoping it isn't FP.
Replacement requires dropping entire rear end, AT are even a bigger PITA. Both demand beaucoup labor hours.
(IMO one of the glaring design screw-ups for C6 owners while a great profit stream for GM's dealers.)

Since you're in southern CA there're scads of HP shops, many experienced w/ C6, who'd likely do the job for less $ than a dealer, often savings is substantial.

Check the codes first thing, problem & solution may be contained w/in.
If you've no code reader they're not overly expensive, or nearly all parts stores read codes for free as a service to their customers.
Of course, car has to get to a store.

Sorry to hear this, in fact a genuine bummer.
Let's hope one of the forum's big dogs weighs-in, again.
Digging deeper requires more insight than I possess, some of our big dog members earn their living wrenching on C6 et al & usually happy to help w/ where exactly to start if they're aware there's a need.

BTTT the thread for more eyeballs.