2001 C5 pings!

[AZMike]

At the first sound of pinging, I run the bejeezus out of the car to blow out any carbon. I do the same to my 73 Ford Bronco as well. Neither one pings at all during normal driving conditions here in Phoneix where we see 110+ all the time.

This whole topic just stesses the importance of doing the old 'Italian Tuneup' every so often. It's definately the funnest way to repair the car as well!

Remember, these are sports cars - if you don't run them hard on occasion, you're doing more harm than good to the vehicle. It needs the excercise!

I would bet that the previous owner drove the car very gently all the time and didn't really ever get it past 1/2 throttle. That would definately build up the carbon in there.

 

[Vette Virgin]

Chevy is ****ing me off!

I started this thread several months ago and am still fighting with it. As I type this, my local Chevy dealership has replaced my knock sensor due to an interior memo that came out regarding this problem. I just got a call from them saying to come pick up the car as they just put in some 12345515. I had already told them I used this before along with some BG44.

They retorted with "It must be the fuel", which is exactly what the salesman told me when I bought the car originally 8 months ago!! My ORIGINAL factory warranty expires next month.

They said they can't do anything unless a code develops. I retorted with "screw the code, trust your ears!"

I told them to keep the car and they will have the service manager call me tomorrow.

I will keep you posted.

 

[Vette Virgin]

Chevy is ****ing me off!

As the saga continues;

The service manager tells me the reason for the pinging is due to California gas and that the combined octane might not be as advertised, in this case premium being 91.

As far as what c4c5 had recommended, #1 the 12345515 is not legal in Cali and #2, the manual decarbinization is not under factory warranty.

I have another service manager at another dealership here in Orange County that says that fuel has nothing to do with it as the computer will adapt to an 87 octane fuel if necessary with NO pinging.

I will pick up the Vette from the one Orange County dealership and take it to the other Orange County dealership and see what they say.

Stay tuned!

 

[hawaii-5-lo]

aloha,
i had a very bad pinging problem also(running it hard doesnt blow it out).my timing at WOT would back all the way down to 16.5*,thats sad,after one bottle of BG 44k,my timing yesterday at WOT was 26.5*not perfect,but the rest of my problem is the porting i did to the MAS,it was o.k.without the screen,but way lean at WOT after porting it,i will fix that real soon.the 44k worked perfectly,heres my thought,if you hear 'real' pinging,then its not the sensor,its carbon,if you dont hear pinging but the scanner shows timing being pulled(and fuel trims are o.k.)then its the knock sensor or calibration.i was getting ready to buy a knock sensor,fiqured i give the 44k a shot since i did hear pinging.no knock sensor needed.if your running lean the computer will dump fuel which will help carbon the motor even faster.this was my experience,hope it helps.
Todd.

 

[Vette Virgin]

Mahalo

Thanks for the reply. I've already tried BG44k. Worked on the truck but NOT the Vette.

Thanks for the input though.

es

 

[hawaii-5-lo]

has the dealer driven the car with the Tech 2 scanning?that will tell them pretty much whats going on,a/f,timing,amount of timing being pulled,how much knock,etc....good luck,nothing worse than a car mystery.i also have a Halltech t-1 intake.
Todd.

 

[c4c5specialist]

Hi there,
Did the dealership at least attempt a computer update recalibration??????
c4c5

 

[Vette Virgin]

A new chevy dealership wants me to burn the gas tank down to 1/2 tank and fill it back with 87 octane. Wants to see if this will take care of my pinging problem.

Have you or somebody else heard of bad gas for Vettes in California? The service tech at this dealership said he has heard of gas problems that lead to pinginig from time to time, but hasn't become a big problem.

I'm really getting worried that Chevy is going to leave me in a lurch and cause me to potentially seek legal problems against them since they are almost to the point of saying they can't fix the pinging problem. I.e. pound sand.

I was excited about my Vette when I bought it. That enthusiasm is waning.

 

[c4c5specialist]

Hi there,
I would add another can of 44K, and see how it goes.
My theory, and it is only that, is that you have such bad carbon deposits, that you may need a second can.
Even if you use 87 octane, you will still have the issue.
Allthebest, c4c5

 

[cavettefan]

Vette Virgin, just out of curiousity, what brand of gas have you been using? In another lifetime (non-Corvette), I ran Shell and Arco and had a severe carbon build-up after 10K miles. (So severe, the car would stall right after starting, much less ping....)

As c4c5specialist notes, you are probably looking at a de-carbonization treatment. After decarbonizing, if it were my car, I would run Chevron Supreme exclusively. Fourteen years after my last experience with carbon build-up, I am happy to say that with Chevron, I have almost managed to forget about the experience of having the car stall right after it was started.

 

[hawaii-5-lo]

im no c4/c5 spec,but it seems the car would run worse with 87 octane,if i use less than 91 my computer switchs to the low octane table,it runs fine,but the power is down like 20% or something due to the conservitive timing in the low octane table to keep the car from knocking,thats not a fix,its a band-aid.i would demand to ride in the car with the technician with the tech 2 hooked up.that will tell whats going on.no guessing.i would also follow c4/c5s advise,that stuff works,my car knocked so bad i could not believe it.i run a can about every 6 months.just to keep it clean.i do use a little octane boost at the track to make sure there is no knock,or its back to the low octane table-racing over for the night,damn,good luck buddy,it sucks when the car isnt right.i went threw this for 8 months until i used the 44k.now at the track i dont have to say,"why is my car a half a second slower than it used to be".that was ****ing me off.
aloha,Todd.

 

[Vette Virgin]

The gas I use

In the last 8 months since I bought the car, I've use all brands, except Arco, with 91 octane only.

 

[Vette Virgin]

California Gas

Have you heard that California gas could be a problem? I was also told my the most recent Chevy Shop Foreman, a 17 year veteran, that doing a manual decarb can cause far reaching problems considering the electrical wiring etc that has to be detached and reattached.

 

[hawaii-5-lo]

i have'nt been to cali for a while know,so i really dont know.i fiqured maybe if it was the gas there would be alot more people complaining,but maybe its only in certain areas.maybe contact the gas company and file a complaint and see if there are other complaints.does the mechanic have problems witk his car?or anyone else you know?it still sounds like a cop out to me.but anything is possible.can you somehow try out of state gas?fuel filter and pressure at high rpms(tech-2)been checked?i'm suprised to hear the mechanic say that about de-carbing.especially if its a procedure in the g.m. troubleshooting.thats b.s.i would tell him do it or i'm going elsewere.the other thing that makes no sense to me is,they say"its the california gas,so try 87 octane".its the same gas just different octane, whats that.that makes no sense at all.no offense,i'd be at a different dealer.keep the updates coming.
aloha,Todd.

 

[c4c5specialist]

Re: California Gas

Have you heard that California gas could be a problem? I was also told my the most recent Chevy Shop Foreman, a 17 year veteran, that doing a manual decarb can cause far reaching problems considering the electrical wiring etc that has to be detached and reattached.

Hi there,
I can only speak from my point of service.
103 decarb procedures done, and NOT ONE electrical problem.
Allthebest, c4c5

 

[Vette Virgin]

Enter the Lemon Law Lawyer!!

I'm now speaking to a Lemon Law Attorney. He is now telling me that not only are the 2000-2002 Vettes having problems with pinging, but the ary are also burning oil. This is new to me. I have, however, had to add a quart of Mobil 1 before a change is due.

 

[Chick]

They will buy back your car with or without an attorney, but remember you aren't getting back what you paid for that car.

It works like this: EXAMPLES.... These are the general guidelines, not gospel but general.

A $15.000 Cavalier with 12k on it ... is 15 cents times the 12k mileages on it = $1800 off what they will give you back ...it's considered use and they are not paying sales tax etc...

A $46.000 Corvette with 20k mileage on it .... is 46 cents a mile so they will take $9200 off for usage and this is all sticker price NOT what you paid. So that means if you paid $44.000 it doesn't matter they will base it on sticker.

This is where an attorney may come in handy but don't think you'll of used that car for free, it doesn't work that way or people that have buyer remorse and warranteeitis would play the racket with them. The law backs that up to also to protect manufacturer and customer.

 

[Vette Virgin]

Thanks for the info Chick

The LL attorney that I've been chatting with says that the pinging problem has been occuring for the 2000-2002 models. Says I am eligable to sue under the LL when I get my 4th chevy service invoice.

I chatted with a veteran Chevy service guy and he said the same thing about the pinging. What's strange is that I cannot find anywhere on the net where pinging is a problem on C5's. Strange huh?

I've followed ALL the advice in this forum with no luck. I guess I take my chances and see where the law takes me.

Have fun in Florida! A bit of a change from Bahston.

 

[rwd]

Sorry you're having problems. I have a couple of thoughts.

Have you taken a tech for a ride and had them observe the conditions and sound to confirm it is pinging? There are some engine/exhaust noises that are almost identical and easily confused.

Perhaps a fiber optics or similiar scope would allow visual inspection of the cylinders/pistons without pulling the head. If the dealers don't have them, perhaps a race shop would.

It's not a solution, but a lower temperature thermostat might achieve what you want if it's a marginal condition.

If you've done everything that should fix the problem and the problem remains, maybe the real cause has not been discovered. What interests me is that you only notice it on a forced downshift, and not during normal driving. That's pretty selective, and, to me, suggests something fairly specific is at work.

FWIW, I have seen complaints related to CA gas and posts on pinging, and some of all cars develop oil usage problems. Good luck.

 

[atmmac]

If you just bought it from the dealer then you have every right to bring it back. a 2001 should not be pinging thats RIDICULOUS! I would be so angry. If they wont give you a new car or your money back use the lemon law or I guess you could sue if you wanted to. But first contact the Better Business Buereau thats a good start!