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New Computer Problem

TheSearcher

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 7, 2005
Messages
146
Location
Arkansas
Corvette
2004 Torch Red Coupe
Took my C5 to the dealer yesterday. The computer says the right rear is flat; and it was a bit low before it went to flat. No leak found, air added to 30 psi several days ago, tire gauge still says 30 psi. Computer won't reset reading on this tire, despite at least half a dozen starts, drives and sits (they reset within 5 minutes when wheels were changed to Crays about 2 years ago). Dealer tech tested the sensor for this wheel and says it is OK.

Dealer tech (my long time Vette man) says computer analysis says the right side door sensor ($118) is faulty and on telephone, the GM tech says this may be preventling the computer from allowing a reset for the right rear wheel. GM tech also says they are starting to have a lot of problems with the computers on these models. Apparently they changed frequencies on the wireless stuff and only models made after the frequency change are having these problems. Unfortunately, mine was one of the very last C5s made, so its certain to be in that bunch.

Must wait until next Tuesday to get new door sensor; I'll keep you informed.

Get ready to open your wallets guys!
 
Could the wheel sensor/transmitter be bad?
 
Here's the latest - 24 days later.

Bought new sensor.

Took car to place that installed my Cray Scorpion wheels. Asked to have left rear flat fixed and sensor installed in left front. They destroyed the bead on the left rear in removing it from the wheel. They remounted left rear and I drove it to another tire dealer.

There I ordered a set of Michelin non run flats the Pilot Sport A/S Plus (z rated) and waited two weeks for the tires.

Last Friday they ripped off the run flats (almost literally). Everyone told me that run flats were difficult to remove from stock rims and impossible to remove from almost all aftermarket rims; however, installing them was no big deal. In short, just never get a flat with run flats.

Friday, I had the Michelins put on and the new sensor put on the left front. It took 45 minutes to do the tire and 2 hours to do the sensor as it required a ultra thinwall socket to install (we had to grind down a cheap thin walled Chinese socket - I knew what to do as I have had the need a thinwall socket blues before).

I thought that all I had to do now was get the dealer to reset the tire sensors, but now my key remotes have stopped working. I have an appointment at the dealer tomorrow morning; wish me luck!
 
Run flats have an extremely stiff sidewall. Tire dealers need a special machine (expensive) to remove run flats. I found out even all Goodyear dealers do not have that type of machine. They said the buisness they do does not justify the cost.

Damage can easily occur if the technitian is not trained properly.

There is a procedure to relearn all four of the the sensors so the computer knows where they are. I believe it involves a magnet at each wheel in conjunction with executing the computer sensor software in the car.

Go to a knowlegeable tire station. Make sure they know what their doing.

Good luck!
 
I was at the dealer this morning. The magnet trick still works on all of the wheels except the left front (#1 in the sequence).

Technician thinks the new sensor I just had installed was bad too. Unfortunately, you can only test the sensor for this model on a wheel made for this sensor with an inflated tire in place.

They said they get lots of new sensors that are bad. These are made in England where they apparently have no quality control.

Anyway, their only solution is to keep trying sensors until they find a good one.

Did GM bring in some idiot at Ford to design this nonsense?
 
I don't know about aftermarket wheels but I thought the magnet worked on all wheel positions.
 
Problem resolved! After numerous calls to GM, my mechanic said an advisor said that some wheels can become slightly magnetized (apparently there are many, many possible causes including a simple bump in the road), which blocks the initial recognition.

The solution was to remove the sensor from the wheel and then take it to the left rear of the car (where the sensor receiver is behind the left rear wheel well), let the system "read" it, then reinstall it on the wheel. Once the sensor has been recognized the system can read it fine from the magnetized wheel.

Strange, but it worked.

The alternative was to find a place with a deguassing machine that could demagnetize the wheel completely. In my small town forget that!

This is why I still drive a pickup with manual crank windows, manual (push on a corner) mirrors, manual seats, etc. None of that stuff mystifies anyone and besides, it never seems to break down.
 
I think you were just a victim of folks not really knowing what they were doing. It shouldn't have taken that much running around and the service manual has a step by step trouble-shooting flow chart that if followed, would have saved you a lot of headache and down time.
 
I live in a very small town in a very small county in a very sparsely populated state. The average level of education is about 8th grade and the average IQ is about 85. A certified Chevrolet mechanic in this area might make $30K annually with overtime. Of course, the dealer's shop still charges $90 an hour, and they have to because the shop manager has no idea how to run a service department profitably. I can take a car in to this shop on say a Wednesday morning when 2/3s of the bays are empty and he will immediately ask me when I can bring it back, or if I can leave it through the weekend.

Its the same for every skill in this area - plumbers, electricians, HVAC men. etc. are all unlicensed handy men that may or may not show up for weeks.

Living in rural America ain't a bed of roses.

It could be worse. A friend just had his Toyota dealer replace a headlight bulb and it cost $186. I can change the bulbs on all my GMs (even the Vette) by myself in just a few minutes. Another friend owns a Porsche and he has to drive 200 miles roundtrip to see his nearest dealer and he says the dealer's shop minimum is $1,000.00.
 
Problem resolved! After numerous calls to GM, my mechanic said an advisor said that some wheels can become slightly magnetized (apparently there are many, many possible causes including a simple bump in the road), which blocks the initial recognition.

The solution was to remove the sensor from the wheel and then take it to the left rear of the car (where the sensor receiver is behind the left rear wheel well), let the system "read" it, then reinstall it on the wheel. Once the sensor has been recognized the system can read it fine from the magnetized wheel.

Strange, but it worked.

The alternative was to find a place with a deguassing machine that could demagnetize the wheel completely. In my small town forget that!

This is why I still drive a pickup with manual crank windows, manual (push on a corner) mirrors, manual seats, etc. None of that stuff mystifies anyone and besides, it never seems to break down.

I find this explanation dubious at best. Corvette wheels are made from aluminum and therefore have ZERO magnetic properties! I assume that the Cray Wheels are alloy as well? It's the properties of the ferrous metals that allows them to "magnetize". Tell the guy "nice try at baffling them with BS". Obviously he has some issues with dazzling them with brilliance!
 
You have to admit, service managers can spin some real tales when they don't know what is wrong with your car. Where do they teach this stuff? :confused
 
You have to admit, service managers can spin some real tales when they don't know what is wrong with your car. Where do they teach this stuff? :confused[/QUOTEI've never heard of magnetized wheels.
Just who would make STEEL wheels for a C5 ?
 
You have to admit, service managers can spin some real tales when they don't know what is wrong with your car. Where do they teach this stuff? :confused[/QUOTEI've never heard of magnetized wheels.
Just who would make STEEL wheels for a C5 ?


Maybe he's got a set of 15" Crager S/Ss on it...:boogie
 
Run flats have an extremely stiff sidewall. Tire dealers need a special machine (expensive) to remove run flats. I found out even all Goodyear dealers do not have that type of machine. They said the buisness they do does not justify the cost.

Damage can easily occur if the technitian is not trained properly.

There is a procedure to relearn all four of the the sensors so the computer knows where they are. I believe it involves a magnet at each wheel in conjunction with executing the computer sensor software in the car.

Go to a knowlegeable tire station. Make sure they know what their doing.

Good luck!

I had trouble with my GY runflats till I had this done. But then I still had a leak, which turned out to be a faulty made runflat, New tire and all was well, till a bus ran into the side of my car ( No big deal, bus was going 5mph) but then i had to have a new tire installed and shortly there-after I got a deep cut in yet another tire. in short, I've replaced 3 of the original runflats. I wouldn't dare take the car to anyone other than a 'Good' Chevy dealership because of the special machine needed to install or remove a runflat, not to mention the chance of damage done to one of the special alumium wheels. All is well ever since.

Cliff-notes: Most tire shops are hacks and usually do more damage than good. Tires/wheels/sensors and Corvettes are a LOT more complicated than they were not too long ago !
 

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