1,000 mile C6 falling apart...what the heck?
 

I am no stranger to Corvette and have C3, C4, C5, and C6 Vettes in my collection. We just found this 2008 Corvette Indy 500 Pace Car Festival #1 for sale and bought it one week ago (picture below at the track in 2008, on the left). Car had 1,056 miles (yes, one thousand fifty six) and is automatic transmission. Decided to drive the car to work today, for the first time driving it anywhere, with paper license plate in the window just to have fun. But this afternoon the car is falling apart and I need advice.

When I stopped by a friends house on the way home to show him the car we went for a ride and I hit the gas a little aggressively; nothing too bad. Car ran strong for a split second but then then flipped out and ran horribly. Check engine started flashing, "service traction control" errors, "service electrical system" flashing...car runs like absolute $hit at all speeds. Idle or on the drive home after my visit, the car is shaking like a 1976 Ford Granada about to die. Down shift approaching a stop sign, transmission is knocking through gears...it's not good. Check engine flashing and traction control lights still on.

I bought a 2005 C6 with 517 miles on it 3 years ago which also sat at NCM for 5 years with no use, and I never had any technical issues like this. Anybody have advice on my next steps?

http://sphotos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto...83317083_o.jpg

Sounds like the previous owner might have done something to/with it. Did you have the service record checked before you bought it?

Be sure to tell us what you found out after you have it serviced to fix all the problems.

^ I was also thinking a bad battery...probably the first/easiest item to have checked.

maybe bad/stale fuel (which wouldn't help overall, but likely not be the primary cause)

Yeah I need to get the codes and see whats up. Done this with C5 many times and will figure out how to do it with C6. Battery was just replaced with a brand new interstate battery.

Thanks...

2008 Corvette with 1000 miles. All codes flashing, service electrical system, car runs like crap......I am going to guess it is the original battery and it could have a bad cell or whatever.

See if who sold it to you will replace the battery. If they don't it's only about $100 or so to replace. I would start with the battery first.

:cheers:

I pulled a Car Fax but there was nothing, whatsoever, indicating a problem. I did not check service records at GM. With 1,000 miles I was not too concerned. We'll see...

Sounds like the guy about a week back, that said he put headers on the car. His was bucking, snorting, lost power, etc, turned out to be a bad O2 sensor if I recall correctly.

Guys...ok, maybe the new battery is bad??? Your comments plus I'm still getting a "service charging system" message? Maybe I need to get the battery tested.

Car runs and shakes really bad. It all went to $hit after I hit the gas tonight...would that also be battery?

with a C6 you gotta have a code reader. you can try simple reader first, but you reach the point where a TechII is required to reach into "C" codes. Some autoparts places will do a read for you, but again, some codes can only be read with TechII (gm dealer probably)

I don't know what state you're in or if there's a used car warranty.If there is,use it.Also,see if there is any of the 5yr/100k warranty left on the powertrain.

Good tip. That should not be too bad to replace. Wonder if engine codes would indicate the O2 sensor if that is the issue? Thank you

...well darn :shrug:

yea (P0130 thru P0167) , plus another 1,000 codes. (actually i havent counted them.. lol)

http://westersgarage.eidnet.ca/OBD2%...le%20Codes.pdf

I use a simple code reader I bought at AUTO ZONE for 40 bucks.I got the codes and looked them up here and online. It's not a spaceship,have the auto parts store read it or better yet,go directly to the dealer since they will fix it anyway,whatever it is.

NP, anytime. I'd think they would. When you mentioned the loss of power, bucking, etc, the first thing that came to mind, was the guy with a bad O2 sensor. I'm wondering how old the fuel was in the car, could have had moisture in it, or just gummed up from being old. Worth looking into...

check the battery connections first then check at the starter battery connection. if loose, it can give the service charging system message. also check the positive lug on the fuse block. check the ground side of the battery also. then check for codes. hope this helps :thumbs:

I have a "3 month/3,000 mile" used car warranty but...the little dealer does not understand the Indy 500 collectible value of the car. It was Mari George Hulman's personal #1 Festival car, photographed in most IMS pictures documented in the '08 Indy 500, very collectible and ultra low miles. It's a long story, but the dealer guy did more to screw up this car in a couple months than ever happened in the 5 years previous. He was a blind squirrel that found a nut, I got lucky, but don't really want to go back there. Will probably take my chances with a trusted, albeit pricey, Chevy dealer. :cool:

not sure I understand OP's terminology: is this an Indy-used car for one of the races? or is it just "marked" that way, as in a halo car?

regardless, with all those Vettes in your collection and being on here for awhile, you probably know all about battery issues. if you didn't before, based on the above posts, you do now.

while batt. may not be the issue, diagnosing a problem such as this from afar and with no tech analysis is virtually impossible. this is, as you know, no longer a simple, non-computer car where everything is mechanical save for plugs, points, distributor, coil, alternator and starter.

maybe bad alternator or connection on alternator
loose spark plug(s) or wires
bad fuel pump
check air filter

sounds to me like maybe one of the coil packs went

A festival car is a car ordered for the Indy 500 and used in the parade and typically displayed at the track, parade laps, etc. They are also used by dignitaries for the event and the weeks prior, these folks are members of the festival committee. It is standard that festival car 1 is given to to the lady whose family owns the IMS.

Festival cars are usually what the replica pace cars are based after. They typically use between 25 and 50 festival cars. Festival cars are highly collectible among pace car collectors as in years where they produce replicas there maybe a couple hundred or thousand replicas but only a handful of festival cars.

Sometimes when a new car is rolled out, such as in 2009 with the 2010 Camaro, some of the 25 festival cars were actually preproduction cars, so those which were sold to the public afterwards fetched decent prices and are still considered collectible. Festival cars really took off after 1967 and 69 with the Indy Camaros.

A lot of festival cars (5-10 a year) nowadays get stripped of their Indy decals and relabeled for the Brickyard race making the Indy cars even more valuable.

Op congrats on the great find, if it were me I'd check the air intake and the mass air flow sensor and make sure it is free of an air leak and oil/contaminants. I'm sure it'll be an easy fix and wish you many years of happiness with your car.

Quick tutorial. 3 Corvettes were produced as "Pace Cars", fully strobbed, fire extinguishers, on the track pacing the race. One goes to race winner, one stays at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, and one goes to Chevrolet's Heritage Museum. Qty 500 2008 Corvettes were replicated as Pace Cars sent to dealers, for sale after the race as special edition Corvettes.

About 60 of those 500 dealer cars were used as festival and parade cars for the 2008 Indy 500 in the month of May. These cars were given to Indy 500 VIPs for track, festival, and parade duties around town (Indy), then given back to Chevrolet to be sold when the race is over. Festival cars were numbered, with numbered decals on the windshield and matching Indiana License Plates. Festival cars also had a "CORVETTE" windshield banner. These cars are very collectible for us " Indy pace car geeks".

My car is documented festival car #1. It was issued to Mari George Hulman (owns the Indianapolis Motor Speedway), and is one of the most photographed festival cars in the '08 Indy 500. I bought it, and it is running like crap...:smash:

Ozzy12...exactly correct. :thumbs: I hit "send" on my own summary as you were posting this.
:flag:

That is a cool car and a nice addition to a corvette collection

I have no idea what is causing your problem but, if it were me I would get it back to the dealer ASAP, they sold it to you with a warranty. Get the problem documented, tell them not to change anything without checking with you first. See where it goes, but this should be their problem, not yours. Best of luck:cheers:

+1...The connections were the first thing I thought of after reading the OP's thread, next, check the charge on the battery.:thumbs:

Check the electrical connections in the passenger footwell. Loose connection, loose wire, arching on back of panel etc.

I would have the battery load tested...interstate batteries are junk. imo

im sure it has nothing to do with it never being used in the 5 or so years since produced.

Yep! The car feels like it NEEDS to be driven! :thumbs:

I started reading this post thinking parts were actually falling off the car, then come to find via your post that it's not charging and throwing codes... Thats not falling apart.....the charging problem alone could be the whole issue by its self...take it to a shop or dealer and find out what the issue is ...asking opinions here is guesswork at best ..

Change the battery, not the 02 sensor. If that doesn't do it, is the car still under warranty?

I skipped through things so maybe missed a comment here or there. It seems you have a new interstate battery and it is misfiring with service ah/tc messages being displayed.

The messages are being driven by the rough running engine. Rough running probably results from an issue with the ignition or fuel systems where the ECM cannot properly control engine torque production. When that happens you get a check engine light and the ecm sends a message to the ebcm telling it the ecm can't control torque. The ebcm sets a code that recognizes the ecm can't do its job and then lights the service message. Start looking at spark plug and spark plug wiring connections, the coil packs, etc. From there you probably check the fuel system to see if all the sitting around has allowed old fuel to plug some of the injectors. I am a firm believer that old low mile cars have been abused. They weren't designed or built to sit around and letting them sit for extended periods is one of the worst things you can do to them. It affects the complete drive train, engine, transmission and diff.

Bill

Happened to my car about a year ago. Had the same symptoms.... :salute:

Although I do have the "Corvette" windshield banner on my 2008 Pace Car, all the media pictures I have seen to date show them with a "Chevrolet" banner. :cheers:

Haha I had my very own Festival Car at one point and time. I sold it to a collector to buy my C6. These truly are unique cars and a cool thing to own in today's world of "limited editions" that are produced in the thousands.
http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x...7/DSC01326.jpg

Honestly...I would RELAX.

Its a like new car with low miles...its probably something silly.

Dont get all crazy until the dealer tells you that you have a blown motor lol....in all seriousness though I know it can be crazy..because you just bought it but I am sure it will all work out ....Just wait till you get it diagnosed

Oh and one other thing, I have seen festival cars in the past with extended warranties because they were classified as GM PEP cars. Something similar to a certified program where it extends it out a year or something to that effect. It's been a while since I looked into one. I think it's definitely worth a trip to a dealer and see what they say. You can always send the bill, if any, to the used car lot.

My '06 is relevant to Ths in that when I bought it last year as a "barn" find it had 154 miles on it... The local Chevy dealer when it was delivered to them refused to take delivery on it unles the prior owners pulled the battery and promised not to start it...

In talking to the service manager fluids not being where they should be were one concern, but it was mentioned an old battery that sat like that could cause a can of worms to open..

Change that battery :)

My money is on Service Active Handling too....when the dealer did my SAH recall fix, they had to clear a bunch of codes that were a result of SAH and DBS.

Maybe the gas has gone to wax. At 1000 miles, that's only 2 gas tanks in how many years?

As Bill said check plug wires I had one with a skip tech tool showed misfire tech couldn't not figure out why. I went home waited on Corvette to cool down and started checking plug wires #8 fell off in my had put it back on good and tight no problem but tech had no clue.
z51vett
Doug

Plug wires was the first thing I thought of. Running great, stomp on it, runs rough. Forces shakes of loose plug wire. Easy to check. Happened to me on the C5.

:lurk:

misleading thread...Just get your garage queen fixed...period

:iagree: Another reason to purchase brand new with little mileage on it so you are the original owner and don't have to worry what someone else did or modified.

This condition can be induced by a sudden surge of cold or turbulant air that the sensors can't rectify quickly enough. The car goes into limp mode like you described.

First, disconnect the battery for at least 15 minutes to reset the entire electrical system.

If no cure, check battery load test and alternator output. replace as necessary.

If no cure, get codes read to narrow the search.

If no cure, PM me to trade even up for my good running '08 with only 106K miles. :D

AH has no ability to cause an engine misfire whether it is on or off. SAH just means there is a code that has caused the EBCM to disable AH. When AH is turned off by the EBCM it just means you don't have AH and in the grand scheme of things is not a big whoop te do since the car is still driveable and can be driven forever that way. It is more important than a Service Radio message (if the car had the ability to display such a message) but not that much more important. Don't let the pile of falsehoods in the SAH sticky mislead you.

Not the same with a misfire which can be indicative of a major engine issue or if not resolved the cause of a major engine issue.

Misfires are usually caused by a problem in the ignition or fuel systems. In this case fixing the misfire will probably make the Service messages disappear.

Bill

sure could be. a low battery will not have the power to operate the ignition system correctly.

the car is a 2008 which means the battery is 5 years old and due for replacement. if it has been ran low a time or two or sat {as i'm sure the car did} without a battery tender it's shot

I had something similiar happen last summer in my 2012 GS Vert. It was an accelerator pedal sensor...did clear up once service.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...n-the-dic.html

All the symptoms of a "reduced power "status . Ive had this and it was a bad battery

Clif

problems willl cease once you remove the logo off the windshield

Crank sensor?
 

I have a 06 C6 A6 F55 NAV and I had the CRANK SENSOR act up coming home from vacation at 9K miles. Here are the symtoms:

1. Engine stopped running - coasted to side of road with dead engine, tack, etc. quit working,
2. Car restarted but ran like on six (6) cylinders or so and tack crazy and jumping,
3. Limped on to store near house and turned off engine and picked up few groceries near house,
4. Car started up immediately and RAN NORMALLY, and
5. Drove home and drove to dealer next morning.

They found CRANK SENSOR BAD and replaced and no problems since driving 60K+ miles.

Take to dealer for sure!
 

:iagree: TOO MUCH SPECULATION! Take it to a respectable dealer and let them resolve the problem.

As the above poster stated, that the OP sounded like the car was falling apart (body parts falling off, etc.) and this was not the actual problem, misrepresented the problem. Now, there may be other misrepresatations which may also confuse CF members trying to help. Therefore, take it to a dealer who most likely can resolve the problem and take the guess work out of it. :cheers:

OP here; posting a follow up to this thread. Thanks to everyone that had productive and helpful suggestions. CF is awesome and you guys rock. Thank you!

I tried everything you guys suggested. From checking battery, to seating fuses under hood and behind passenger foot well, checked if spark plug wires were tight, battery is brand new and tested fine, pulled the codes and best I could see was a oxygen sensor error but ultimately...no luck. Gas was fresh and windshield banner had nothing to do with it. Finally took it to my Chevy dealer.

And the verdict is (drum roll............)
Bad Spark Plug Wire on #3 cylinder :woohoo:

$271 fix (including diagnosis and synthetic oil change). Car runs great! Took it out tonight and pushed it a little hard (110mph) and no errors, shifts fine, runs fine, very strong car. Cost me 43 miles while at the dealership (they must have had fun test driving) which sucks when your car has 1,170 miles on it. But overall, I'm glad things are fixed.
:cheers:

Thanks to everyone for the help! :thumbs:

P.S. dudes...stop ragging on the windshield banner! That's one of the ways you can tell a "Festive/Parade" track-used Indy 500 pace car from a plain "dealer" replica. Like it or not it's part of the collectability of the car. :yesnod:


:cool:

Glad to hear it. $271 for plug wires, and an oil change :ack:

Is the 5/100k powertrain warranty all done on it?

Don't panic buddy, that Vette has been sit ting for some time. Get it running and give it a good flogging :rock:

Bad Battery, Very Old Fuel!! repalce battery and clean fuel system, car will be perfect. Sitting can kill a car, drive it!:flag::cool:

So can a "Bad Spark Plug Wire on #3 cylinder" :yesnod:

Update your orig post #1 refer them to your fix above. Thanks, glad you got it fixed. Some members don't read ALL origional posts and immediately jump in to help when fix has been determined and completed. Thanks again! :woohoo:

You have a very nice collection and website for them.

:lurk:

I'll stick with the loose battery term. Over time the dealer has probley had it off and on hundreds of times.

:rofl::rofl::rofl: