Rust Colored Stain under 2K C5

[CorvetteWave]

I have a rather large rust colored stain under my 2K C5 that appears to be coming from the passenger side, about where the fire-wall is located. My delearship said they see no problems, and no sign of leaks. Any ideas? I know the C5's have a problem with the hearter plumbing( i think ) under the dash that will cause leaks in the passenger compartment, but there is no sign of moisture inside my car.
I also started getting ABS and Traction Control Service warning on my DIC. My dealership is saying they are trying to track down an "Open" circuit.
If anyone has information that may help please let me know either by posting a reply, or sending me a direct email at: almasters@corvettewave.com
thanks...

 

[CorvetteWave]

the two links below are pics of the stain under my Vette.
the first pics is a pic of the car in my garage with the stain appearing from under the left front.
the next pic is a sideways( sorry ) of my garage floor without the car. the area of green/red is from an earlier stain that i tried to clean.
caution these are large high res pics. download time may be long...
http://www.corvettewave.com/images/2002_1209_175222AA.JPG
http://www.corvettewave.com/images/2002_1211_163102AA.JPG

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

CorvetteWave,

I had the same problem - I think I have your solution:

The original Delco battery in my 1999 C5 coupe leaked acid, causing considerable damage to items below the battery tray. The acid ate the paint off of the frame, causing it to rust. When the car was washed, rusty water dripped from the front, pasenger side (behind the RF wheel/tire). It also caused other damage.

The "C5 Team" placed a computer, wiring, vacuum lines, and other items below the battery tray.

I suspect that your DIC warnings are a result of acid damage below the battery tray.

The acid leak is difficult to detect, because the foam insulator conceals the leak and it is not obvious to a casual glance.

You must remove the tray (easy - 4 bolts), and the RF wheel/tire and fender liner. You will probably be surprised with the amount of damage.

It took three trips to my dealer to have the problem repaired under the new car warranty (Mr. Goodwrench......)

A note of warning: Mr. Goodwrench painted my frame black, because the acid ate away the black frame paint. The technician got a considerable amount of black spray paint (overspray) inside the right door, in the hinge area. My car is white (like yours) so be very careful and make sure the painter is very careful.

Good luck.

 

[CorvetteWave]

99White, Your reply makes sense because the floor under the stain is pitted very badly as if it was acid. a friend took a look at the stain and at once stated it looked like an acid stain because of the pitting on the cement.
My car is now at the dealership being checked out for the ABS and Traction control problem. I will give them a call and have them remove the battery and tray/ right front wheel and check for damage.
again thanks...

 

[BlackNBlue95]

Looks like a coolant leak to me.. try to see where the stain is located as compared to what is above it.. look for signs of coolant which is orange because its most likely dex cool coolant.. and see what component could be leaking if it looks like descibed below pass side like under the floor board onthe pass side could be a heater core issue...
-Rick

 

[The Car Whisperer]

I agree with BlackNBlue95, that looks like Dex-Cool to me. If your battery leaked that much acid it would probably be dead by now.

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

CorvetteWave,

Despite the battery acid leak, my car would start and stay running. I drove it to the dealerhip for the repair(s).

The dealership would only replace the original battery with a Delco "professional" 72 month battery. They would not replace it with the newer style AGM battery. You may want to see if the dealership will install an AGM battery, to prevent future leaks and problems.

Good luck.

 

[CorvetteWave]

I wager it will be one of the two items mentioned in your replies. I took the car in for repairs yesterday( Tuesday ) and chatted with the service manager today twice. He clearly stated there was no leaks, but I disagree. The reason he stated that they needed to keep the car another day was to resolve an electronic problem with the ABS/Traction Control. He said an Open circuit was found that would not close. From researching this problem it looks like intermittent electrical problems occur when moisture is present from a bad heater core.
I will certainly post the results of my visit to the service dept tomorrow.
By the way, I forgot to mention that I am on my third battery since the car was new. Each failed and was replaced under warranty.
Thanks again for all the replies and for the best Vette forum on the net...

 

[BlackNBlue95]

I'm placing my bet (guess) that its the heater core.. if it's a small leak it may be hard to find... well not hard but difficult to see.. not to bad mouth dealers because this field is not always easy.. it seems they come up with alot of tell the customer what they want to hear or anything to keep them happy even sometimes when it means bending the truth... I dunnno.. anyway.. I'm guessing it's the heater core because that looks like dexcool.. from the pic.. if you hose down the spot/ stain and it seems like the floor is nice and clean under it.. it may be battery acid though but as someone stated.. usually when you leak that much acid you'r gonna have a no-start... just my two sense..

 

[les]

My moneys on the battery leak. AC delco, what a piece of junk

 

[BlackNBlue95]

My moneys on the battery leak. AC delco, what a piece of junk

Yeah I'm kinda starting to change my bet.. I think it could be either.. trying to picture the dexcool puddle.. to dry up it would have to have been there for more then a day atleast.. because if I spill some dexcool on the floor in my shop and leave it there onthe floor the puddle looks the same the next day.. I think unless the car has been sitting for atleast a week or more i don;t think the dexcool would dry like that.. so it could be batt acid.. I dunno.. I'd like to hear what the dealer concludes....
-Rick

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

Corvette Wave stated that his car is on its third battery. I'll bet one of the previous ones leaked and thus the rust stains now and the DIC warnings (acid damage). The current battery may look okay (and be okay), but I'll bet the damage is from a prior acid leak.

 

[BlackNBlue95]

Corvette Wave stated that his car is on its third battery. I'll bet one of the previous ones leaked and thus the rust stains now and the DIC warnings (acid damage). The current battery may look okay (and be okay), but I'll bet the damage is from a prior acid leak.

Right but what would explain the stains? I agree that could cause his elec. problems..
-Rick

 

[99WhiteC5Coupe]

BlackNBlue95,

The leaking acid causes considerable frame paint damage. When I washed my C5 after the battery leaked, there would be "rusty water" that would drain from the right, front side.

I returned to the dealer (the third trip) and they removed the RF wheel/tire and fender liner. The rusting frame and other metal items were causing the "rusty water" that was draining after washing. I could not belive how much damage was caused by a small amount of battery acid. The dealer cleaned the area like they should have the first two trips, then spray painted the frame and other components.

I'll bet another trip to Mr. Goodwrench that the rust color stains on CorvetteWave's C5 are caused by rusting metal as a result of a battery acid leak.

 

[JR_Vette]

That would be your battery leaking. I would IMMEDIATELY take the battery and tray out. More than likely the damage has already been done. The acid will lead all over your frame, computer, wiring harness and a vacuum hose for your climate control (if you have electronic climate control).

I am the second owner of my car. The previous owner appearantly had a leaky battery while it was under warranty. They replaced the battery, and cleaned up the acid spill pretty good, but they didn't treat any of the rust on the frame rail. I spent about an hour one day treating this area. Hopefully it hasn't done too much damage. I would NOT replace the battery with another one that could leak. Get a ACDelco AGM battery, OR a Optima. The ACDelco AGM battery is what I bought. It ran about $110, but was worth every penny.

Here's a FAQ writeup I did a few months back :

http://www.corvetteforum.com/techtips/viewsubtopic.php?SubTopicID=188&TopicID=1

Good luck!

 

[Yeller Z06]

My 2001 Silverado (I bought it new) had similiar driveway stains which I initially thought was just dirt or something until finally the damn thing wouldn't start one day. Turns out it was the GM Delco battery leaking acid all over the bloody truck. So I vote for the battery, in this case.

Michael

 

[CorvetteWave]

UPDATE...
Well, I finally picked up my car from dealer service today. According to what they told me they found no leak that caused the rust colored stain. They did say the replaced a gasket/seal in the rear-end that had a slight leak( I had never seen any spots ), and a speed sensor on the left front brake that was causing the ABS service warnings.
This is what really make me angry with service -- I know that a problem exists yet was told that nothing is wrong.
So, what next? Do I wait until a major problem exists or take it to another dealer...
If I wanted to take the car to a local repair garage and pay them for an hours labor, what would I have them do to verify if a battery problem exist? I need advise on the easiest way to determine if the problem.
If any of you service techs out there can advise me please do so. My factory warranty is out in early Feb, but the car has only 16K miles...Thanks.

 

[JR_Vette]

If it were me, I would pull the battery and the battery tray. It will not void your warranty, and would be good piece of mind. If you find something, THEN you can go back to the dealer. This is not something you want to mess around with, especially if you are nearing the end of your warranty (this could be a $2K+ repair job!)

 

[BlackNBlue95]

If it were me, I would pull the battery and the battery tray. It will not void your warranty, and would be good piece of mind. If you find something, THEN you can go back to the dealer. This is not something you want to mess around with, especially if you are nearing the end of your warranty (this could be a $2K+ repair job!)

Right on.. pull the batt and tray and take a look...

 

[JR_Vette]

One more thing worth noting (I looked at your mileage). I bought my 99 used with only 16,750 miles in October, and it had already experienced the dreaded battery leak when the previous owner had it, so mileage has nothing to do with it.