OBD question

[Nick90vetteguy]

First off thank you to everybody that has helped me out big kudos to BoomDriver and VetteOz you guys helped me out alot.

So my SES light came on today, first time this light came on since the relay fans werent working, Does anybody know or have a list on what codes are what, or what SES codes come up?

Thank you!

 

[boomdriver]

First off thank you to everybody that has helped me out big kudos to BoomDriver and VetteOz you guys helped me out alot.

So my SES light came on today, first time this light came on since the relay fans werent working, Does anybody know or have a list on what codes are what, or what SES codes come up?

Thank you!

Thanks for the opportunity to help !

heres a link to the Tech section where the "L98 start-up" article has instructions on reading the flash display and getting the stored codes. The codes are also listed.
L-98 Engine Start Sequence .: Corvette Action Center How-To
Remember, there is NOT a number displayed. the "Service eng Soon" or SES lite simply blinks or flashes...hence the term "flash-code"...
1 flash = 1
2 flashes=2
code 12 is one flash pause flash flash.
The same is repeated into the 50's although there are no codes with a zero for obvious reasons...:confused

Also, what the cose will do is tell you what the system is seeing, it does not tell you what part to replace. Many folks make that mistake. It may flash a o2 sensor code, so someone goes out and buys a new o2 sensor and the code remains. It might just be the wire, not the sensor. See what I'm talk'n about?

This is the reason that a paper clip is listed in the C4 must-have tools....along with the fuel pressure gauge, noid lite,. spark tester, paper clip. Official GM test equipment.
Be sure to use only Delco paper clips. Made in the USA...I guessotfl

 

[Nick90vetteguy]

Thanks boomdriver! Wow this really helps!! Wow this paper clip thing works?

How can I use the paper clip I read the A&B spots are the drawings of the module and the codes will come up on the dash, now if I were to take a paperclip and stick one in in the (A) and the other in the (B) would this work?

 

[Hib Halverson]

For more information on your Corvettes OBD system see this article here on the CAC:
Corvette Action Center | Tech | A Dose of Digital: Part 1 - The Basics - Page 1 of 5

 

[boomdriver]

Thanks boomdriver! Wow this really helps!! Wow this paper clip thing works?

How can I use the paper clip I read the A&B spots are the drawings of the module and the codes will come up on the dash, now if I were to take a paperclip and stick one in in the (A) and the other in the (B) would this work?

Yep...

I think its Hibs write up that we're looking at, so he should get the credit.

paper clip or jumper wire, whatever is handy.

 

[Nick90vetteguy]

Ok cool, Ill give that a shot tomm when I come from work, good looks Hibs

WHat corvettes do you have boom driver?

 

[boomdriver]

Ok cool, Ill give that a shot tomm when I come from work, good looks Hibs

WHat corvettes do you have boom driver?

Just the 87 Z-51 thats been in the family for 18 yrs. It's my 3rd 87 and by far the most expensive...and fastest of all 3. Of course the others did not have the benefit of a motor built to my needs...also destroyed by my needs..

Currently 278,000 miles on the chassis and at least 160,000 on this motor.
I add less than 1 qt of eng oil between 3000-4000 mile oil changes. Most of that loss leaks from the drain plug seal or the valve seals (normal). Runs Mobile-1 5-30wt for winter, and will go to 10-40 for summer.

If I'm not "fixing" something I'm upgrading something. I think "it" owns me...

1987 model with around $10K worth of 2010 parts....:ugh We went thru a major mechanical restoration this past yr. Still more to come. Necessary? Not entirely...Do I have ANYTHING better to do? nope.

Thats makes it a 24 yr old 2000 model? or a 2000 C4?:confused

nawwwww

Currently trying to figure out how to, or which way to do a complete paint strip down and repaint.

 

[WhalePirot]

Currently trying to figure out how to, or which way to do a complete paint strip down and repaint.

I have learned that this is nothing like the old days of lacquer. First, stripping a fiberglass car is a delicate thing and may not be necessary if all you have is the original paint.

My car had been repainted once but he hacks at Prestige Collision, who sprayed the wrong white color; that's the good news on their work.

Not removing all the paint makes the job easier, in that no primer is needed, unless there is body work; that section gets primed/prepped.

A magazine, titled like or cars, recently did a piece on paint; a short primer (ugh, a pun!). The combinations of the paint layers vary some, with state law, but are essential to know. Even so, these paints are not as forgiving as the old stuff.

Example: I have a pal who owns an auto paint supply. I sanded a replacement hood (newer design) , then shot the color and, within the time limits specified, the clear coat. (The clear needs a tacky color coat to bond to.) The clear refused to harden for whatever reason, even after weeks. Now THAT was fun to remove!

With the longer dry times of this water based paint, it not only travels to unintended targets, but loves to pickup airborne garbage, making a GOOD spray booth essential; one that runs for some time as the paint dries.

I really wanted to paint my car, and a Corvette-suspended 1955 truck I am building, but no longer think I can do it here, or alone IF I want to be proud of the result.

 

[boomdriver]

I have learned that this is nothing like the old days of lacquer. First, stripping a fiberglass car is a delicate thing and may not be necessary if all you have is the original paint.

My car had been repainted once but he hacks at Prestige Collision, who sprayed the wrong white color; that's the good news on their work.

Not removing all the paint makes the job easier, in that no primer is needed, unless there is body work; that section gets primed/prepped.

A magazine, titled like or cars, recently did a piece on paint; a short primer (ugh, a pun!). The combinations of the paint layers vary some, with state law, but are essential to know. Even so, these paints are not as forgiving as the old stuff.

Example: I have a pal who owns an auto paint supply. I sanded a replacement hood (newer design) , then shot the color and, within the time limits specified, the clear coat. (The clear needs a tacky color coat to bond to.) The clear refused to harden for whatever reason, even after weeks. Now THAT was fun to remove!

With the longer dry times of this water based paint, it not only travels to unintended targets, but loves to pickup airborne garbage, making a GOOD spray booth essential; one that runs for some time as the paint dries.

I really wanted to paint my car, and a Corvette-suspended 1955 truck I am building, but no longer think I can do it here, or alone IF I want to be proud of the result.

Thanks for the heads up...
But< i'm stuck with a total strip down like it or not. Its been painted twice. Last layer was so crappy that its flaking apart and seperating. Whats underneath was not done properly with taped edges instead of pulling trim and having fully painted body sections. What I got was panels that are split in half with the taped edge trying to lift or peel. There's no saving ANY of this paint...
What I'd really love to do is find the guy that did the past paint job and beat him with a cloths hanger wire.....

So, that ain;t gonna happen so I'm left with soda blasting the body clean or one shop wants to chemical strip and another wants to sand. I have to get some other things done before anyone touches it, so its no emergency, just ugly.
I'm too familiar with the useless PP quality of water-born auto paints. Automatic orange peel and extra thickness that leads to cracking and lifting.Its more like spraying stucco than auto-color, its so heavy and thick. Thin it too much and it don;t dry except in an oven.
Oh yeah, blistering too. I think every Ca state politician should have their personal vehicle painted with this s*** and see how they like it. They still have real paint here in Tx, for the time being.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Just the 87 Z-51 thats been in the family for 18 yrs. It's my 3rd 87 and by far the most expensive...and fastest of all 3. Of course the others did not have the benefit of a motor built to my needs...also destroyed by my needs..

Currently 278,000 miles on the chassis and at least 160,000 on this motor.

Boomdriver's car is a freakin' "survivor" that's for sure.

 

[boomdriver]

Boomdriver's car is a freakin' "survivor" that's for sure.

TY.

I keep making the miles public hoping that GM will donate the paint job !


The key....maintinence. Do it all, do it often, do it right.

 

[Nick90vetteguy]

WOW! I guess the strong due survive thats incredible, my 90 has 134,xxx miles I sure hope mine can last as long as yours! I love mine I just need to do something with a set of calipers I have my uncles Z06 rims on there with Goodyear Eagles 375r's I just want to keep it clean and make it last for a long time, what type of transmission do you have if you dont mind me asking?

 

[boomdriver]

WOW! I guess the strong due survive thats incredible, my 90 has 134,xxx miles I sure hope mine can last as long as yours! I love mine I just need to do something with a set of calipers I have my uncles Z06 rims on there with Goodyear Eagles 375r's I just want to keep it clean and make it last for a long time, what type of transmission do you have if you dont mind me asking?

Its the stock automatic. That had a partial rebuild around 12-14 yrs ago. I forget how many miles that was...Big battle with a major trans shop over that. They claimed to have "upgraded" my valve body and a servo, and I get it back and it shifts like a minivan...or worse. This idiot shop manager tries to tell me how much smoother it is now....ad
Found out they installed the GM version of some HD parts, which are less than the parts labeled for "Corvette" only. So I made them take it apart and put the right parts back in and its been good ever since.

I think the secret to longivity is cleanliness. I jack it up a couple times a year and pressure wash the underside and remove ANY wet spots that will collect dirt and grit. Thats what wears out suspension bushings and joints. Grit and road grime. I grease the crap out of it after the frame washing. Wipe the excess off with a rag. No wet spots...thats a magnet for sandy grit to collect.

I've learned my lessons with the 1st two c4s I owned. Now I let it warm up, never push it when its still cold, flush and change the coolant every 1-2 yrs, and spend the money on lubes and fluids. To properly maintain a Corvette you will treat it and spend like it was a small plane. I also attribute the life of this engine to the quality rebuild and a good machinist that balanced the rotating assembly well. I do not spin it to 6000 very often now, but I have and it was smooth all the way. Also use Prolong in the motor with every oil change....booster dose.
I did loose a head gasket 2 yrs ago and do not know for sure why or how...but it got replaced before any more damage was done and all is well. Did compression test afterwards (had to hone the wet cyl) and it came up equal to others, all within 2-3 lbs of each other. Most were right on.

The single biggest challenge for this car is the made in Taiwan wiring harness that some jerkoff vendor sold to GM and installed in the C4. Its fragile, rots out easily, with weak splices and this can cause all nature of trouble if/when the harness is disturbed and a wire breaks or shorts. The use of chemicals under the hood to assist in degreasing has not helped the weak wire insulation. I've had to replace many elec plugs under the hood, but thats to be expected at 24 yrs old. I also run synthetic trans fluid now, after seeing results from fleet conversions where trans failures were dramatically reduced in fleets that were converted to syn fluids. I also run an extra trans oil cooler up front and have a big all alum thick double row radiator that could cool a Mack.

I spend a LOT of time on my car. I truely believe that if you drive a performance car, then you have to perform in order for the car to.
Even after all these yrs and all this work, there are still many things that I do not know squat about...many other things that I DO know about...ask me how..!
If it came on the Corvette, I found some way to break it...The cost (ongoing) of an education.

 

[Nick90vetteguy]

Its funny how you mention your trans, the previous owner of my vette installed a "shift kit" unfortunately he didnt drill holes in the vavleplate(think its called) for those small metal balls shift properly, rebuild was 2,800 bucks, the guy at my midas actually took the time to sit down with me and discuss what I want it to do, and took the time to show me how a tranny works and worked hands on with me, I still dont understand it, he got me a B&M 700r4 and took out the lockup selinoid. shifts great now has about 400 miles on it, I blew my gaskets from overheating, new ZZ4 heads cams(thanks to you for helping me) and rebuilt almost everything. it runs great, I just have some weather strippin to replace and I would like to have new exhaust piping, but I really love my vette

 

[Nick90vetteguy]

I did the paperclip trick, and inserted in the A&B section, and the relay fans can on quickly and the service engine soon blinked once......then 3 times. any ideas?

 

[Hib Halverson]

Turn the key on with the engine off and insert the clip, again.

You should first get code 12 which would be flash-----flash--flash. Then you'll get flashes in a difference sequence for a code and then the series will end with code 12, a second time.

If you saw flash-----flash--flash--flash (code 13) it should have been "bracketed" by code 12s.

DTC13 is an oxygen sensor fault.

 

[Nick90vetteguy]

Ahhhh I see I see I see now, hmm could that be from the headers? I drilled a hole and welded the bung and the same 02 sensor. either way its good to get it checked out, thanks agian Mr. Halverson!

 

[vetteoz]

I did the paperclip trick,the service engine soon blinked once......then 3 times. any ideas?

For '90+ you should be looking at the speedo display when checking codes

See
C4 Corvette Diagnostic Code Recovery Techniques

Pay attention to what MODULE the codes are in as CCM codes will be displayed as well

the modules are Module "1", the CCM
and module "4", the ECM

 

[vetteoz]

could that be from the headers? I drilled a hole and welded the bung and the same 02 sensor. either way its good to get it checked out,

You need to understand that a code indicates something " unexpected " has happen in a a particular circuit; not that the item itself is faulty.

In your other post you say you have a H13 which indicates the ECM has in the past seen ( or not seen as the case may be) something on the O2 circuit when it expects otherwise

 

[Nick90vetteguy]

You need to understand that a code indicates something " unexpected " has happen in a a particular circuit; not that the item itself is faulty.

Ok well if it turns out to be the O2 sensor(ill check it out) and with my vette having the speed densor instead of the MAF, will this effect the balance of fuel/air or performance?

And yea I did the digital gauge codes too, one clip in the A the other in the G, I love this OBD stuff so simple!