Important! C5 Column Lock debunked

[Toms007]

Hey guys, while at CruiseFest last week, Paul (C4C5specialist) gave a seminar on Column lock. I videoed it and have it posted on Vettetube. Paul debunks many myths of column lock.

Part 1
Paul Koerner Seminar on C5 Column Lock Issues | VetteTube.com

Part 2
Paul Koerner Seminar on Corvette C5 Colum Lock Issues Part 2 | VetteTube.com
Make sure that you watch both parts, you might think that the first part doesn't have anything to do with Column Lock issue, but it leads directly into it.

 

[vett boy]

Well Paul would know

 

[mike m]

kick ass tread----very interesting....even when you buy that new battery, charge that bad boy up at home before installing it----they say its ready to go, but they are WRONG!

 

[leftyvette]

Paul is a great asset to this forum!!!! Paul, thanks!!!!!

 

[Red Vette]

The column lock seminar was great, I attended it twice. An important point that Paul made was that the correct battery and its condition are paramount in the corvette. Paul looked at many of the CAC corvettes and they had the wrong one. I had purchased a new AC Delco for the 02 Coupe the day before I left for CF10. It was the wrong one and I was able to exchange it for the correct one. For the C5, Paul said the battery must have at least 120 Reserve Capacity and at least 650 CCA. I purchased the Solar BA7 tester from Mid America and checked both the volts and CCA on my original battery in the 02 Coupe. CCA was low while the volage was above 12. Paul had some photos of the correct and incorrect batteries in his Power Point. The correct battery part number for the AC Delco is 19001632. This battery has 700 CCA and 120 RC. I've included a photo of the battery below.
One question I forgot to ask Paul was since the RC cannot be measured by our instruments, does the fact that when the CCA drops below the rated capacity, does the RC also drop by the same percentage? A second question, at what point should the battery be replaced if the CCA is below the rating, i.e. if rated at 700 and test shows 600, should the battery be replaced?

This is the AC Delco battery recommended by Paul.

Hope this helps the C5 owners.
Barrett

 

[O Vette]

tomso1, thanks for taping that presentation for those of us not able to attend. It was informative and cleared up the questions on this issue. Thanks again.

 

[Toms007]

tomso1, thanks for taping that presentation for those of us not able to attend. It was informative and cleared up the questions on this issue. Thanks again.

No problem, I was there....there was a real need, and hopefully many can learn from this seminar.

 

[B747VET]

The column lock seminar was great, I attended it twice. An important point that Paul made was that the correct battery and its condition are paramount in the corvette. Paul looked at many of the CAC corvettes and they had the wrong one. I had purchased a new AC Delco for the 02 Coupe the day before I left for CF10. It was the wrong one and I was able to exchange it for the correct one. For the C5, Paul said the battery must have at least 120 Reserve Capacity and at least 650 CCA. I purchased the Solar BA7 tester from Mid America and checked both the volts and CCA on my original battery in the 02 Coupe. CCA was low while the volage was above 12. Paul had some photos of the correct and incorrect batteries in his Power Point. The correct battery part number for the AC Delco is 19001632. This battery has 700 CCA and 120 RC. I've included a photo of the battery below.
One question I forgot to ask Paul was since the RC cannot be measured by our instruments, does the fact that when the CCA drops below the rated capacity, does the RC also drop by the same percentage? A second question, at what point should the battery be replaced if the CCA is below the rating, i.e. if rated at 700 and test shows 600, should the battery be replaced?

This is the AC Delco battery recommended by Paul.

Hope this helps the C5 owners.
Barrett

I decided to bump this thread after the problems I experienced getting a new battery this week.

The local Chevy dealer gave me three different batteries before finally begrudgingly agreeing to give me the battery shown above. One of the batteries was a 78, one was a 75, one had 850 CCA and 100 RC, one had 650 CCA and 110 RC etc. etc.

They kept telling me the battery shown above was discontinued, then said it wasn't in stock, then said it wasn't recommended by Chevrolet.

I finally called AC Delco and they said it was good for the C5 and was still being made. I took the 3rd battery back to the dealer and this time they had the battery shown above in stock. This all occurred over a two day period.

The battery shown above was a little too snug and I had to cut off a 1/2" of the right side carrying ledge/handle to get it in under the hood latch bracket. Fits great now and secures very tight. Huge improvement in starting and other electrical issues.

As far as the old battery, the maintenance receipts said the battery shown above was installed 5 years ago. But when I pulled it out because it was getting weak, it turned out that at some time the previous owner had put in an AC Delco battery with 600 CCA and 100 RC specs. Unfortunately, all the labeling was on the back side and couldn't be read while installed in the car.

So, this thread was very helpful in my quest for a new battery. I hope it helps others.

Battery shown above is the 19001632 AC Delco 78-6yr, 700 CCA 120 RC.


Note: One other battery they tried to give me was the 19001631 AC Delco 78-7Yr, 800 CCA 110 RC. It was the exact same dimensions but I was concerned about the 110 RC versus the recommended 120 RC. I figured I would stick with the 120 RC recommended above.

 

[timfitz63]

I decided to bump this thread after the problems I experienced getting a new battery this week.

The local Chevy dealer gave me three different batteries before finally begrudgingly agreeing to give me the battery shown above. One of the batteries was a 78, one was a 75, one had 850 CCA and 100 RC, one had 650 CCA and 110 RC etc. etc.

They kept telling me the battery shown above was discontinued, then said it wasn't in stock, then said it wasn't recommended by Chevrolet.

I finally called AC Delco and they said it was good for the C5 and was still being made. I took the 3rd battery back to the dealer and this time they had the battery shown above in stock. This all occurred over a two day period.

The battery shown above was a little too snug and I had to cut off a 1/2" of the right side carrying ledge/handle to get it in under the hood latch bracket. Fits great now and secures very tight. Huge improvement in starting and other electrical issues.

As far as the old battery, the maintenance receipts said the battery shown above was installed 5 years ago. But when I pulled it out because it was getting weak, it turned out that at some time the previous owner had put in an AC Delco battery with 600 CCA and 100 RC specs. Unfortunately, all the labeling was on the back side and couldn't be read while installed in the car.

So, this thread was very helpful in my quest for a new battery. I hope it helps others.

Battery shown above is the 19001632 AC Delco 78-6yr, 700 CCA 120 RC.


Note: One other battery they tried to give me was the 19001631 AC Delco 78-7Yr, 800 CCA 110 RC. It was the exact same dimensions but I was concerned about the 110 RC versus the recommended 120 RC. I figured I would stick with the 120 RC recommended above.

My story was similar when trying to obtain this battery for my '98 coupe last year: despite specifically asking for this battery, the Chevy dealer gave me the battery they said was correct for the early C5 -- but was different (with different ratings) than the one recommended herein. It seems that being persistent (and insistent) will finally get you the battery recommended in this thread...

 

[c4c5specialist]

New c5 gm battery!!!!!

HI there,

Just an FYI to this thread, the GM ACDelco brand has changed battery designation.

The new battery for this car is a 78PS, which stands for PROFESSIONAL SILVER.

Do NOT GET THE GOLD, it has a lower reserve capacity.

Allthebest, c4c5

 

[O Vette]

Thank you for the information.

 

[c4c5specialist]

Thank you for the information.

This information on the 78PS does NOT apply to your 2004. That battery in your vehicle should be an 86PS because you have top post battery terminals.

Allthebest < Paul

 

[Toms007]

Thanks for the update, Paul.

 

[O Vette]

Paul, thanks for setting me straight. I've made a note.

 

[c4c5specialist]

On a side note:

HAS IT BEEN 3 YEARS SINCE WE DID THAT SEMINAR??????!!!!!!!!!!

Where has the time gone? sheesh!

 

[Phinstr]

Column Lock help

I know....beat the dead horse but I have read through all the posts and I am still not clear....

99 FRC (Manual).....I started getting the Service Column Lock message but never the Remove Key for 10 Seconds message....It does NOT appear that my column locks at all. I just got the car and cannot remember if it ever did lock when I shut it down. Battery is a Les Schwab 78XHD with 695CCR....it does NOT list RC. It is 1 year old. The car starts and drives down the road fine but we keep having to clear the DIC.

Any ideas on what is going on. I dont know if the car has had any of the "fixes" listed but it seems to me that something was done to disable the column lock. OR could the problem be that the column lock plate was removed but the car thinks it is locked? I would think the fuel cutoff would have kicked in. My wife says this has been going on since yesterday. Of course, she hit the reset and ignored it. Hope she doesnt do that if the Oil pressure drops off.....hahahaha...really not that funny.

any help would be greatly appreciated. I did watch the video and it was very informative

Ed

 

[c4c5specialist]

HI there,

If you have owned it since new, it may have had the column lock recall done. If that is the case, the relay in that recall may need to be removed.

Also, too many technicians do NOT check the battery terminals and or the fastener tightening. 11 ft lbs is the torque specification on those terminals at the battery. If they are loose, or corroded, then problems could arise, even though the battery is perfect.

So, with that, also checking to see if there is a column lock bypass is part of the diagnostics, as they can cause BCM failures.

If you like, you can PM me your VIN and we can see what recalls were done to the vehicle.

Allthebest, Paul

 

[Toms007]

Thank you Paul for checking in here. Your expertise is greatly appreciated.

 

[Phinstr]

Vin Number

HI there,

If you have owned it since new, it may have had the column lock recall done. If that is the case, the relay in that recall may need to be removed.

Also, too many technicians do NOT check the battery terminals and or the fastener tightening. 11 ft lbs is the torque specification on those terminals at the battery. If they are loose, or corroded, then problems could arise, even though the battery is perfect.

So, with that, also checking to see if there is a column lock bypass is part of the diagnostics, as they can cause BCM failures.

If you like, you can PM me your VIN and we can see what recalls were done to the vehicle.

Allthebest, Paul

Paul - Thanks for the help. Do you know if that battery I listed has the appropriate RC?
Vin #: 1G1YY12G7X5122999

I'll check the torque too

Ed

 

[Phinstr]

HI there,

If you have owned it since new, it may have had the column lock recall done. If that is the case, the relay in that recall may need to be removed.

Also, too many technicians do NOT check the battery terminals and or the fastener tightening. 11 ft lbs is the torque specification on those terminals at the battery. If they are loose, or corroded, then problems could arise, even though the battery is perfect.

So, with that, also checking to see if there is a column lock bypass is part of the diagnostics, as they can cause BCM failures.

If you like, you can PM me your VIN and we can see what recalls were done to the vehicle.

Allthebest, Paul

At what point does the car tell me to remove the key for 10 seconds and only go 2mph? So far, no issues with how it runs or drives...

Ed