Question: Maintenance on 2004 Vette

[gonetobama13]

Corvette Lovers:

I have a 2004 Vette Coupe that I bought new. It has the standard 350 HP with 6 spd and has 20K southern US miles on it, both short and long trip mileage. I've had no problems with it and have the oil and filter changed at regular intervals. I've never driven it "hard".

Now, after five years, I'd like your advice before talking to Mr. Goodwrench about the maintenance work I should get on my beauty. Should I be concerned about replacing the fuel filter, engine coolant, transmission fluid and/or the battery? The owners manual is vague about these items. Is there anything else besides the obvious (like the serpentine belt and air filter)? Thanks in advance.

John K.

Vietnam Vet from long ago.

 

[DRTH VTR]

John K-

I moved this from the C1-C2 form (1953-1967 Corvettes) to the C5 General Discussion forum. It will get more traffic from the C5 owners (1997-2004 Corvettes). Let me know if this is not what you wanted.

Jim

 

[Gry Ghst]

Welcome.Where is Madison,Al?(We have visited Orange,Beach for vacation)I have been known to drive mine hard and I do keep up on my maintance per the book and Lingenfelter.I do not have your answer but someone will come along soon with your info.

 

[gonetobama13]

Madison is adjacent to Huntsville, which is in the north central part of Alabama.

 

[Tuna]

Keep an eye out for a 'reverse GS' C4 with chrome wheels in the Madison area. My son is now the owner of my old '92 and he lives in Toney.

Coolant - GM calls for new coolant every 5 years or 100K miles.

I'd have the belts and hoses checked - I usually replace the belt around 50K so yours ought to be good.

I don't trust batteries over 3 years old now. My '03's battery lasted just over 3 years, 3 months and died without warning. Now, I replace batteries on time rather than wait for them to strand me.

 

[gonetobama13]

Thanks for the advice, Tuna. I've had batteries die on me unexpectedly in the past, too.

What about the fuel filter and the injectors? Nothing is mentioned in the owners manual about the filter. Do I need to have my injectors serviced if my car is running well? While I don't run my Vette hard, I do tromp it once in awhile and there's no sign of lag.

 

[Tuna]

Thanks for the advice, Tuna. I've had batteries die on me unexpectedly in the past, too.

What about the fuel filter and the injectors? Nothing is mentioned in the owners manual about the filter. Do I need to have my injectors serviced if my car is running well? While I don't run my Vette hard, I do tromp it once in awhile and there's no sign of lag.

I've only replaced fuel filters twice and both times on C4s. Once on my old '92 when it was around 100K miles and 11 years old and once on my old '96 when I found rust in the tank and a bad fuel pump, sending unit, etc. The '96 had to have a new filter. The '92 probably. I'm not sure how to tell when the filter is going bad and I'm not aware of a time interval on it either.

As for injectors, I routinedly use BG 44K or an equally good fuel system cleaner in my cars and I've not had any problem with the injectors. I'd suggest treating your fuel system to a good cleaner (BG 44K, Red Line, etc.) and see if that makes any difference. I also spray the throttle bodies with TB cleaner one a year or so as preventative maintenance. So far, so good.

 

[leftyvette]

Howdy Neighbor!

Hey, gonetobama13. I'm next door in Athens, Alabama. If you don't have a favorite place to have your vette serviced, I would recommend Lynn Layton Chevrolet over in Decatur. I think he sells more vettes than anyone around us. He is the go to man for all things vette! See you on the road!!

 

[gonetobama13]

Thanks again for the good advice, Tuna.

Lefty, you got that right. I bought my '99 Silverado and my Vette from Lynn Layton. I've since sold the truck, but I plan to get my Vette serviced at LL.

 

[Hib Halverson]

On coolant changes, ignore GM's instructions. On a four-year old car, change the coolant. The instructions are in the Service Manual.

On an 04, the fuel filter is said to not have a service interval. 04s have them inside the left fuel tank. They can be replaced and new ones are available but typically, they are replaced only if they somehow get damaged or after a case of fuel contamination. I suppose on an 04 with over 100,000 miles, you might want to replace it, but the job will be very expensive as it required removal of the left tank.

Change the trans lube every 3yrs or 36,000 miles.

Change the battery when it starts having trouble holding a charge.

Replace the air filter if it is dirty.

Replace the drive belt if it's condition warrants it. If you see a lot of cracks, if you see the belts is "chunking" or you see cords or fraying, replace it.

 

[Gry Ghst]

How do you dispose of used coolant?

 

[gonetobama13]

Thanks a lot, Guys. You've been a big help.
John

 

[Tom73]

Change the trans lube every 3yrs or 36,000 miles.

What about an automatic?

 

[j84buick]

Did GM still put that leaky battery in the 04? You may want to look at replacing that before it leaks.

 

[Back9]

How do you dispose of used coolant?

Carefully remove it without spilling so pets aren't exposed to risks of exposure . Put it in a sealed container, pour it into the first open Mustang you see. (Just kidding of course)