New-To-Me 1998 Corvette: Help Me Sort Out The Squawks

[Dad]

One last thought, how near is charge level and rate the same as when it had the other battery in it?

 

[Jeff P]

I unplugged mine so it wouldn't burn while at car shows. When I read tim's post, I thought of that immediately. I'd check that connection.

VERY common thing to do if you go to "shine and shows"... I just removed my bulbs and put the glass back on to protect the connections...will install the bulbs for top=flight judging...
as for the battery mine discharged over the winter and instead of using a trickle charger it bring it back I "jumped" the car...about a week later I had to replace my alternator, so be aware that it may happen to you....

Congrats on your find!

Jeff

 

[catbert]

I replaced a few lights, including the hood light and interior footwell with LEDs. Takes away the worry about leaving something open will run down a low battery before the timer shuts it light down.

VERY common thing to do if you go to "shine and shows"... I just removed my bulbs and put the glass back on to protect the connections...will install the bulbs for top=flight judging...
as for the battery mine discharged over the winter and instead of using a trickle charger it bring it back I "jumped" the car...about a week later I had to replace my alternator, so be aware that it may happen to you....

Congrats on your find!

JeffView attachment 5148

 

[timfitz63]

One last thought, how near is charge level and rate the same as when it had the other battery in it?

If I understand your question correctly, the return-to-nominal charge rate is noticeably quicker with the new battery; volts hovering in the 13.5 range, plus or minus.

... as for the battery mine discharged over the winter and instead of using a trickle charger it bring it back I "jumped" the car...about a week later I had to replace my alternator, so be aware that it may happen to you...

Yeah, I had a similar thing happen to me with my '97 GMC Jimmy; I'll keep that in mind about the alternator, but so far, so good...!

... Congrats on your find!

Thanks! I'll be the first to admit that I got lucky on this one!

OK. A few new squawks I've noted during the course of driving around today:

• I seem to be getting an occasional 'thump' when I roll over a bump in the road (which around Pittsburgh, isn't hard to find). Doesn't happen every time, seems to be coming from the front suspension, and happens more often when turning rather than driving straight-ahead. Any thoughts...?
• Driver's seat has a tendency, depending on how you position it for driving (I have the seat pan tilted up in the front, which seems to contribute to this), to slide fore and aft about an inch or so (i.e., it's not being held fixed in position). Obviously, this can be a bit disconcerting when it happens as one is driving; very noticeable when coming to a quick stop, or rolling downhill -- or stopping on a hill. Is there a recall out on this for the early C5 models, or something under the seat that I should check/adjust...? Would really like to get this one resolved ASAP...!

 

[XLR8]

I can't help with the 'thump'... but the driver seat sounds like the C5 'rocking chair' gremlin. If you're handy with a few tools, it shouldn't be too difficult to fix. Do a search for ROCKING SEAT or ROCKING CHAIR FIX and that should bring up a thread or two. If it doesn't, shoot me a PM and I'll dig in my archived threads to see if I can find it.

Jane Ann

 

[Dad]

Some of the early C5s had a few that had transverse spring retainer bolts come loose that would allow it to "thump" a bit. Re-torque to 62 N-m (45 lb ft) and it would be even better if you used new bolts.

 

[timfitz63]

... the driver seat sounds like the c5 'rocking chair' gremlin. If you're handy with a few tools, it shouldn't be too difficult to fix. Do a search for ROCKING SEAT or ROCKING CHAIR FIX and that should bring up a thread or two. If it doesn't, shoot me a pm and i'll dig in my archived threads to see if i can find it.

Thanks, Jane Ann! Using your search keywords, I found a thread that pointed to a web site with detailed instructions to fix the 'rocking seat.' This doesn't look too terribly difficult, but is probably more involved than I want to get into for the next day or so.

Then there's these folks, who offer some kind of repair kit for the crappy shims that GM apparently used in the early C5 models... Here's a site that doesn't offer much in the way of instructions, but does show a little better close-up of the problem part...

Apparently there's also a Service Bulletin that corrects the problem by replacing the seat adjuster assembly. Is a Service Bulletin something that a Chevy dealer would do at no cost outside of the warranty period, or just the procedure they would follow to correct the complaint...? I'm a bit leery of taking my Aztec Gold coupe in to a dealer, and chancing the same thing that happened to my '04 convertible when they had to pull the passenger seat out to replace on the adjustable lumbar support mechanism: paint on the door sill all scuffed up. They repaired that damage at no charge (as well they should have), but this paint is not so readily available as Millennium Yellow... Another tack may be to get a later (2003-2004) set of seat adjuster assemblies from a Corvette salvage place like Dino's.

Anyway, looks like I have a couple options I can pursue there... And I wonder if that's why both the plastic trim pieces (shown in Steps #1 & #2 of the above DIY) on the passenger's seat were completely off, and the inboard one on the driver's seat was partly off (someone working on this issue)...? Now I wish I hadn't snugged all of them down just yet...

some of the early c5s had a few that had transverse spring retainer bolts come loose that would allow it to "thump" a bit. Re-torque to 62 n-m (45 lb ft) and it would be even better if you used new bolts.

I'll put that on the list of things to check when I get it up in the air for the oil change! Thanks, David!

 

[timfitz63]

Some of the early C5s had a few that had transverse spring retainer bolts come loose that would allow it to "thump" a bit. Re-torque to 62 N-m (45 lb ft) and it would be even better if you used new bolts.

Hey, David. I'm trying to isolate the location of these bolts (and thereby the part number) so I can order new ones, if necessary. Can you point me toward a schematic or diagram that shows these? The diagrams I've found online don't seem to show any mounting/securing hardware; just the components themselves. Thanks!

 

[XLR8]

If you're looking for diagrams/schematics/part numbers, shoot a PM to gmjunkie, Tim:

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/forums/members/gmjunkie.html

Jesse may have what you're looking for and he's great about helping out members on Corvette maintenance, fixes, repairs... etc.
Just don't drink any of that paint stripper moonshine he offers visitors. :L (j/k)

Jane Ann

 

[timfitz63]

If you're looking for diagrams/schematics/part numbers, shoot a PM to gmjunkie, Tim ... Jesse may have what you're looking for and he's great about helping out members on Corvette maintenance, fixes, repairs... etc.
Just don't drink any of that paint stripper moonshine he offers visitors. :L (j/k)

Thanks, Jane Ann; I'll do that. And I'll remember to politely decline the rotgut...!

 

[gmjunkie]

Thanks, Jane Ann; I'll do that. And I'll remember to politely decline the rotgut...!

These are of the Lt Front and Lt Rear showing stabilizer links and bushings!~!

 

[timfitz63]

These are of the Lt Front and Lt Rear showing stabilizer links and bushings!~!

Thanks again, Jesse, for the insight and advice! Good talking with you!

 

[timfitz63]

OK. Well, I know it's been a while, but thought I'd provide a follow-up on the 'thumping' I was getting from the front suspension. Although the mechanic was specifically checking these areas per the recommendations I received on the forum, the issue would have apparently been uncovered as a matter of course during today's annual PA state inspection on the vehicle. It was discovered that the left front sway bar link had failed, and the right one was close to failure. How a vehicle with less than 10,000 miles on it, and which spent most of it's life sitting in a dealer's collection wound up with broken sway bar links is a bit beyond my comprehension. Anyway, that's all fixed now, and I'll give it a good wring-out this evening to check to ensure everything's tight in the front suspension. Thanks for the help on this one, guys!

I also had them check (evacuate, leak check, and replenish) the A/C; it still seemed pretty weak while I was driving the car during the Fourth of July weekend. Apparently it was down 0.5 lb of refrigerant. No leaks found, though; system is reportedly holding a vacuum when tested. So, it should to be nice and cold now!

 

[XLR8]

............
I also had them check (evacuate, leak check, and replenish) the A/C; it still seemed pretty weak while I was driving the car during the Fourth of July weekend. Apparently it was down 0.5 lb of refrigerant. No leaks found, though; system is reportedly holding a vacuum when tested. So, it should to be nice and cold now!

Tim, I was having an issue with my AC awhile back... it just didn't seem to be blowing as cold as it should. They checked everything and couldn't find anything wrong, so Kevin simply had them pull all the refrigerant out... and then re-load it or re-charge it. I think that's how you'd describe what they did.
Long story short... it "fixed" it. The system will run you out of the car now.*

*which is just how I like it.

 

[timfitz63]

... The system will run you out of the car now...

Interesting, Jane Ann! That's just about the same comment my father made about the A/C's performance now! And indeed, it now functions on par with what I'd expect for a GM A/C system!

Regarding the front suspension: I drove the car yesterday evening before tucking it in until it heads to Carlisle in August. I immediately noticed a difference! The car never seemed to handle quite 'right' when compared to my '04, which I'd initially dismissed as the difference between the FE1 (base) and FE3 (Z51) suspensions. But now, it steers a lot more like my '04! No more 'thumps' either!