General Information on the C5 – Things to Consider

This thread is an evolution of a couple old threads, and topics that come up over and
over and over again. I’ve compiled most everything I know into this one thread. I’m
always expanding and correcting this information; if anything is incorrect or missing,
please post and point them out or private message me. I know I’m extremely fallible,
yet humble, so feel free to shred this post to shreds, but do it constructively. As
many of you have surely noticed, I’ve posted up lots of garbage in the past, but I’ve
learned and will continue to learn. Because of the constant updates, posts down the
road may get confusing, but just remember the information at the top is my latest
and greatest. Enjoy!

Common Problems

Leaking Battery
Many C5's came with AC Delco Freedom batteries that had a tendency to have its
case crack open near the battery posts. The leaking battery acid would drip down the
side of the battery, down the funnel-like battery support, straight down onto the PCM
and the wiring loom. It can also get onto the air conditioning lines. I believe they are
the vacuum lines that control the movement of the interior vents, and usually the
system will default to blowing out the defroster vent. Sometimes car crippling
damage would occur, sometimes not. It worst it would mean replacing the battery,
the PCM, the wiring harness, grinding the rust off the frame to repaint it, changing
the air conditioning lines and possibly swapping out another computer as well. This
mostly happened on early C5’s because later C5’s used a gel-type battery that
cannot leak, but I believe the problem resurfaced on 2004 or 2005 models again.

Check this out on any car you look at. Use an 8mm monkey wrench, preferably a
ratcheting closed-end version, to remove the battery cables. You also remove a
holding block on the front side of the battery. You will need a long extension to reach
it. The battery basically lifts right out. Also remove the black plastic battery tray.
Look beneath the tray for rust or white powder. Signs of both are evidence of battery
acid damage. It would probably be best to move to the next Corvette unless you
don't mind possibly tackling this repair in the future. It's possible that the car will
throw codes for no apparent reason.

No matter what Corvette you buy, just make sure you replace the battery with a gel-
type battery, like the Optima Redtop, sold at CostCo for $100.

Grounding Problems aka CRAZY electrical gremlins!

Bill Curlee has a great thread on the problems that corroded ground connections can
create, and how to clean out the grounds. The most problematic ground connections
are behind the headlights on both sides. Check out Bill’s thread for detailed
information.

Water Intrusion
Water leaks have several ways of getting in the car, and none of them as far as I
know are very difficult to fix. Proper adjustments and maintenance will prevent most
leaks.
See Bill Curlee’s thread about locating and cleaning the udders, and sealing the door
hinges.

Here’s a few TSB’s from the CorvetteActionCenter.com:

1997-1998: Service Bulletin: Water leak Above Door Glass (Reseal Blowout Clip)
1997-2002: Service Bulletin: General Water leak Guide
1997: Service Bulletin: Water Drips into Rear Compartment After Hatch/Glass Has
Been Opened

Seats

Corvette seats are delicate.

Sliding hard across the bolster can break it, causing it to flap side-to-side.

The leather is cheap, and there's little protection for it. It will wear out and form
cracks, which is normal…for cheap leather.

The wire springs in the seat bottom, and the bars in the bolsters can also wear thru
the foam and leather, but that can be fixed by placing a layer of burlap between the
springs and the foam.

Check the black plastic surround on the bottom of the seat to make sure it fits snugly
against the leather, and isn't cracked. Older style plastic surrounds had a tendency
to separate from the seat, but could be pushed back in. The newer style plastic
surrounds can be used as a direct replacement, but one of the plastic studs may
need to be ground off, or a hole will need to get punched into the leather.

The seats tend to rock back and forth by about a 1/4" during acceleration and
braking. It can be fixed, but GM will not fix it. Some lucky owners can get the dealer
to replace the frame under warranty. The seat backs swinging forward under braking
is normal, and not considered a problem.

Here are a couple fixes:

Corvettemechanic.com --- must be a member
Rocking Seat Fix

Seat choice

Get the sport seats. The sport seats have a hole under the headrest. Some people
put racing harness belts thru those loops. The seat frames and foam in both seats
are interchangeable. Harness belt holes can be installed using Ford harness cutouts.
Ask the dealership for them, they should know what it is without a part #. The foam
in a standard seat will need to be cut, and sewing will have to be done, but it’s an
easy job.

Headlight bezel plugs

There are 1-1/2" plugs that are located on the headlight bezels that would fall off on
the older Corvette's. The new style plugs, have a twist-lock to prevent them from
falling out, but also requires new bezels. Only the new bezels & plugs are available
now, and they are compatible with older C5’s.

Headlight gears

The gears in the headlight motor are plastic, and wear out over time. Ice, heavy
Euro or projector headlights and twilight sentinel will cause the gears to wear out
quickly. Fortunately a few years ago, Rodney Dickman started selling replacement
brass gears, check out his website. Corvette America and probably a few other
vendors now sell their own copy of his brass gears.

Roof noises

If you buy a coupe with a removable roof, you can expect wind noise and some
creaking. The wind noise will never totally go away, but if there's creaking, you can
eliminate that by thinly applying dielectric silicone grease to the weather-stripping. It
also prevents cracking, so do this to all weather-stripping, on any car.

Hood rattles

During cold weather the rubber hood stops can also rub and rattle against the hood.
Adjust and lubricate the rubber stops so when you pull the corner of the hood up, it
doesn’t pull up, but the hood still closes.

Drivetrain rattling

The valve train makes a significant amount of noise at idle. It may sound like sewing
machine. Converting the valve rockers to true shaft-mounted adjustable roller
rockers with may help eliminate the valve train noise if adjusted properly. Installing
a big cam and stiffer valve springs will make the noise louder.

On manual transmission cars (M6 or M12), the transmission sounds like it is rattling
when leaving the line. It is normal. It is the clutch throwout bearing rattling around.
Sometimes you'll hear a horrible rattle if you shut off the engine. If you press the
clutch pedal in while shutting off the car, you won't hear it.

Shaky breaking

The front brake rotors warp easily under heavy braking…or at least that’s what
uneducated drivers think. I tend to believe StopTech:
http://www.stoptech.com/whitepapers...rotors_myth.htm

I verified this by lightly grinding my rotors with steel wool. Garnet paper is
recommended, but I haven’t tried it.

If you insist the problem is warping, don’t turn the rotors since thinner rotors warp
more easily. Resurfacing the rotors is only a temporary fix, one that is less effective
each time your resurface the rotors due to the reduced thermal capacity of the
rotors. Rotors are available for $25 at Napa and RockAuto.

Scraped front ends and rocker panels

Checking for scrapes is an easy way to tell if the car was treated well. It's almost
impossible not to scrape the front end, but there are two metal crash bar loops that
should prevent the bumper from scraping. The bumper itself should not have scrape
marks on it. Check the underside of the tip of the bumper, and the bottom corners of
the bumper. If the crash bar gets scraped enough, eventually it will wear down to
the point where it needs to get replaced. It costs about $220 for the crash bar, nut-
serts, bolts and insulators, and can be replaced in a couple of hours, just be sure to
hook the hoses and electric connector back to the A.I.R. pump.
Here’s a list of ALL the parts you’ll need to replace the impact bar and the side air
deflectors:
Part #------Qty---Description
10188023---001---Insulator (goes to bottom of radiator)
10278679---001---Insulator (goes to bottom of radiator)
10278679---005---Nut
10400765---001---Plate (the actual impact bar, unpainted)
10419312---001---Panel (air deflector)
10419313---001---Panel (air deflector)
11515638---010---Nut-speci
11515757---010---Bolt-Metric
10281487---010---Nut
Not all of these parts need to get replaced, and there will be a few leftovers, but it
will get the job done.

The rocker panels tend to get scraped on lifts and big speed bumps.

A & A Corvettes invented two products to prevent damage from both kinds of
scraping. They have wheels that attach to the crash bar, allowing the car to roll on
driveways instead of wearing down the crash bar. It will still scrape the spoiler, but
the spoiler is a cheap wear item that takes only two minutes to replace without a lift
or jack. They also make two aluminum strips that attached the frame next to the
rocker panels, and they take the scrapes themselves instead of the rockers panels.
Neither of the devices are visible unless looking under the car, and they are discreet
enough to possibly be missed anyway. If you see these devices installed, you can be
pretty sure the owner took good care of the car. Without this extra protection, you
can expect to replace the crash bar and repair the rockers several times over the life
of the car. WARNING: It won’t stop all scraping damage, just reduce the possibility
of it happening, and reduce the damage when it does happen. Low hanging headers
will probably still scrape.

Hood seal weatherstrip

The sides and back of the hood compartment have weatherstrip installed from the
factory. The front is left open. Many owners install weather-strip along this front
edge. You may not even notice it since it looks identical to rest of the
weatherstripping. This extra weatherstrip helps keep the engine compartment clean,
and may also help the air intake system work better. This is another sign that the
owner took good care of the car. The engine compartment stays pretty clean, but
this is the "extra step".

A/C System

There are two kinds of climate controls. One is manual with knobs, and the other is a
dual-zone electronic system. The dual-zone system did cost more, but is not as
reliable as the manual system. A leaking battery can affect both systems. A strong
system is when the vents cannot be switched.

Over time, and especially in humid climates, the system can cause condensation to
leak onto the passenger side carpet. There are three udders under the driver’s side
cowl. There are slits on the bottom, much like real udders. Vigorously squeeze and
massage the udders until the debris has fallen out. Stop laughing!
If the vent settings cannot be changed, the vacuum line is probably loose, clogged or
broken.

Squeaky steering wheel

When you turn the steering wheel, you may hear a squeak. It's just the plastic
surfaces rubbing against each other. A shot of lubricant fixes this.

Squeaky/chirping/grinding wheel bearings

Drive slowly, better yet, coast along at low speeds with the windows open in a quiet
location. Listen for a squeak from the wheels. Try turning in different directions. If
you hear the rear wheels squeaking, you may have a worn wheel bearing. A
replacement bearing costs $600 list, but you can usually find it for $400-450. I've
heard that AutoZone has a better replacement for $126 by a company named
Timken. The part is easy to replace if you can separate the ball joints. I had to buy a
special Kent-Moore tool to do mine. This problem may persist safely for a few
months, but eventually will become annoying. It seems to be a common problem,
and more so for the rear wheel bearing. I've never heard of it happening twice to the
same car, so if you fix it once, you're probably good for life. Several racers replace
their wheel bearing every year.

A broken emergency drum clip may cause a false diagnosis. Be careful when
removing and replacing the rear rotors.

Oil woes

Many late 2000 thru 2001 Corvettes burn a lot of oil when the engine is kept
constantly over 4,000 rpm's. This is caused by ring flutter, which allows extra oil to
seep past the oil control rings, but doesn't seem to cause any extra wear to the
engine. Chevrolet has rebuilt and replaced engines for owners that complained about
excessive oil consumption. Their policy is that while the engine isn't normally
operated like that outside of racing, it is the owner's prerogative to drive around in
second gear all the time if they want to. It is covered under the warranty.

The PCV system also has a tendency to suck oil back into the intake at high rpm's. It
doesn't seem to cause any problems, other than a slight mess inside the intake
manifold. The newer style PCV system can be installed, but this requires removing all
the components in the top of the engine valley. Usually only racer's bother with the
hassle. Several generations of PCV systems have had the problem, and at this time,
December 2004, the PCV system still sucks oil into the intake.

The oil-sucking problem will cause carbon buildup in the cylinders. The dealership
sells GM Top End Cleaner, and Napa sells SeaFoam. The Top End Cleaner is not
available in some smog states like California. Run a tube from the bottle into the
hole for the PCV system behind the throttle body on the passenger side. Start the
car, then start slowly sucking the solution into the engine. Don’t go too fast or the
engine could lockup. As soon as the solution is gone, stop the motor for >4 hours,
but preferably 12 hours. Be aware that when the engine is restarted, there will be a
LOT of smoke!

The oil-sucking can be prevented by installing a catch can. AMW and Greddy make
catch cans, but a homebuilt catch can may be built using a Campbell-Hausfield air
tool oil separator from most tool stores, including AutoZone. The AMW and Greddy
cans are ~$100, but look great. The CH can is $15-25 for all the parts, and you can
see how much oil is in it.

Overheating & burning smells

Even though the engine can heat up to 220, even 240 degrees Fahrenheit, this is
normal. The radiator will keep the engine cool enough unless the radiator is blocked.
Reprogramming the PCM can allow the fans to turn on earlier. If the fans also cool an
aftermarket oil cooler, make sure the oil occasionally gets to 220 degrees to allow
condensation and fuel to evaporate away. Fan settings and oil thermostats are two
different ways to do this.

It's not uncommon for plastic bags to get sucked up under the front bumper, and
cover the radiator, thus causing the car to truly overheat. If this happens, take a
quick peek under the bumper, and remove anything under there. Sometimes bags
get stuck to the exhaust pipes too, causing quite a stench as they burn away.

Locked steering column

All C5’s, particularly manual transmission C5’s, and early C6 steering columns have a
tendency to lock and stay locked. Usually it can be unlocked once, but just once.
Some owners claim that vigorously shaking the steering wheel can unlock the
steering wheel. Dealers are able to disable the locking mechanism with a modified
locking plate. Currently this is the only real method to disable the locking
mechanism. Basically the wheel will still try to lock, but there will be nothing for it to
lock to. It’s like a door dead bolt with a slot cut into the door jamb. There is a $100
kit that disables the steering column lock, and can be installed easily, but enough car
vibrations can cause the lock to fall into the locking plate, even while driving!

GM has a part (#88952428 or 88952428) that has a harness wiring jumper and
different lock plate. Not sure what the difference in the kits are.

After reading a few posts, manual transmission C5’s and C6’s are still in danger,
even if the lock is disabled. The lock can vibrate out over time and get trapped in the
locking plate. Auto transmission cars that have undergone the recall and new
automatics will not have the locking plate at all, so they are safe. More information
about COMPLETELY disabling the steering column lock will be forthcoming from
others on the forum, and by my own personal project. Until then, here are a few
links about the topic:

Corvette Forum - Column Lock Harness K Installation

Corvettemechanic - A4 non locking column plate --- must be a member
Corvette Forum - Column-lock again even with CLB!
Corvette Forum - Has anyone ELSE beat column lock?

Faulty gas gauge

If you have bad gas, the fuel sender can be affected by the high sulfur content in the
fuel, and cause the gauge to read empty. They car will still operate normally, and the
gas gauge will work again if you use better gas, and will usually start again when
you restart the car. It's just better to use good gas. Some people have had luck with
running fuel filter cleaners thru the gas tank. New fuel senders sometimes fixes this
problem. This thread has a LOT of ideas about what could be causing the problems,
how to avoid problems, and how to fix it. It also points out how the late C5 fuel
tanks and crossover tube is different.

Noisy fuel pump

There are two fuel tanks, and two fuel pumps. One fuel pump continually pumps gas
from the passenger side tank into the driver side tank, and is quiet. The main fuel
pump is directly behind the driver’s seat, and can be annoyingly loud, especially on
early C5’s. It's normal, and not a sign of a failing fuel pump. Chevrolet does have a
bulletin out instructing how to better insulate against the sound of the fuel pump.
This is merely an annoyance. A newer, quieter pump can also be installed.

Extremely high oil pressure reading

The oil pressure sensor can fail, but it is still okay to drive. Turn the car off, but with
the key in the “on” position and check the oil pressure gauge. It should read “0”. If
the oil pressure sensor is bad, it will show a positive reading. The oil pressure sender
is located behind the intake manifold, and will require moving the intake manifold.
The sender costs about $40 and part # 12573107 or 12562230. There is also an oil
pressure sensor relocation procedure that can be done – a search on the forum
should provide a thread detailing the procedure.

Suspension squeaking

In cold weather you may hear the suspension creak when you go over speed bumps.
To fix this, clean (optional) and lubricate the sway bar bushings. The adjustable
metal sway bar end links on Hotchkis and T1 bars can also create loud clicking
sounds. Most adjustable end links are quiet initially, but wear out and get noisy over
time. Greasing and protecting the end links from dirt may prevent wear.

Tough shifting

The shifter in manually shifted Corvettes takes a strong arm to get it into gear. You
really have to make sure that the shifter is fully in 1st and Reverse, or it will pop out
of gear when you let the clutch out. This is not the fault of the car, but rather the
fault of the driver.

Manual transmissions -- Replacing the transmission fluid often helps shifting. Early
transmissions have a paper blocker ring that requires Dexron III compatible (usually
organic) fluid because some synthetics will destroy the paper blocker rings and
subsequently the transmission. Later transmissions, and all rebuilt transmissions,
have Kevlar/carbon fiber parts that allow the use of synthetic fluids. I believe the
1998-2000 transmissions have the paper blocker rings. The safe transmission fluids
seem to be: GM Synchromesh PN #12345349, Honda ATF-Z1, Royal Purple
Synchromax, Amsoil ATF, O’Reilly Dexron III ATF. The following transmission fluids
may be unsafe for early transmissions: Redline D4 ATF, Mobil 1 ATF, Royal Purple
Max ATF.

Related threads:

LS1.com - Ending the speculation: Blocker rings, who's had them fail?
LS1Tech.com - Ending the speculation: Blocker rings, who's had them fail?
Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF for a M6?

If it is especially tough to shift into 2nd or 4th gear, it's possible that the synchro's
are worn out or the forks are bent. Do NOT force it into gear. Abuse creates and
aggravates this problem. You can still drive, even quite well, without synchro's....or a
clutch for that matter if you know how to rev match.

Some aftermarket shifters make it easier to make sure you're fully in gear, and
prevent gear grinding, but they also vibrate, and require more effort to shift. The
stock shifter has a tuned weight damper that changes the vibrations to a non-audible
frequency. The shaking doesn’t annoy some people, and there are some fixes.

Leaky butt

The differential can leak from the side covers. The problem has to do with the
design. The lip on the casing is not wide enough to create a proper seal with the
cover. Resealing the covers can be successful, but many dealers do not use the
correct sealant.

Inside/outside tire spinning

If one tire spins while turning, adjust the friction modifier ratio. Aftermarket gear
fluid from Royal Purple, Amsoil and Redline do not require additional friction
modifier. GM’s friction modifier is PN #12377916. Too much friction modifier and the
inside tire will spin/skip/hop. Too little friction modifier and the outside tire will
spin/skip/hop.

Tire hop

Tire hop during hard acceleration in cold weather is common, even if the same tires
don’t hop in warmer weather. Tire rubber when viewed thru a microscope looks like a
web. Normally parts of this web grabs onto objects on the ground and stretch until
either the car moves forward, or the web breaks, resulting in tire spin. I believe in
cold weather, the web is too stiff for either of these events to occur, so the tires hop.
To find out more, read Racing & High Performance Tire: Using Tires to Tune for Grip
and Balance. I haven’t read it, but if you do, please let me know if my guess is
correct. I found a couple stories on Google about people curing wheel hop with stiffer
bushings and/or (jounce) shocks.

Interior rattles

The visors may rattle when they are put up, but if you flip them down, the rattle
goes away. Squeezing the mirror lid down seems to take care of it. Try gluing a piece
of felt or velcro between the mirror and lid to see if that fixes it. Caravaggio also
makes replacement leather visors, but they go for $400.

The stereo is Bose, and to go along with the historically crappy build quality of Bose
products, Bose has graced the Corvette with Bose emblems on the door speaker
covers that rattle when you play music with bass. A Bose system doesn't exist that
puts out good bass, but the system still manages to rattle the emblems when playing
Country, Hip Hop, or Techno at moderate volumes. Check this problem by having a
passenger and yourself putting a finger on the emblems with music playing. Glue the
emblems down to fix it.
If the roof isn't tightened down enough, it will rattle. There are some adjustment
screws in the roof to make this adjustment.

Belt Chirping

During cold weather, the belt can chirp. Goodyear Gatorback belts from AutoZone
don’t chirp.

Sticky Hatch

During cold weather, the hatch may pop up slowly, or not at all. Spray the latches
with silicone grease until they come up properly. If the struts do not hold up the
hatch, try lubing the strut bars.

1997: Service Bulletin: Hatch Will Not Pop Up When Activated in Cold Weather

Rocker failure

The needle bearings in the OEM rockers have been known to fail. Usually the
problem is noticed with extra valve train noise and needle bearings stuck to a
magnetic oil plug. Nasty Performance will rebuild OEM rockers with Harland Sharp
bearings. This seems to be one of the better solutions since the stock rocker is very
good at high RPMs. Most aftermarket rockers are nose heavy and require grinding
the heads and valve covers to fit. Currently Harland Sharp rockers are having
problems with c-clip retainers falling off and causing problems on the way. I’ll be
following this issue since I have a set of HS rockers on my shelf waiting for this issue
to be resolved. Here are some links:

LS1Tech - EMERGENCY!! ROCKERS! Help ASAP!

LS1Tech - Harland Sharp Rocker Failure
LS1Tech - Install or not install HS rockers?

Other Information

Active Stability Control

This allows you to keep some control of the car even when you do really stupid
stunts. It doesn't bend the laws of physics, but will keep the car pointed where you
are steering; you may still slide off the road, but at least the car will be pointed in
the direction you were steering! One of the sensors is located around the passenger
seat, and needs to be considered when installing a racing bucket. If you move that
sensor, Active Stability will not know how to balance the car, and can be very
dangerous. Active Stability came out around 1999 (some late 1998 cars had it too).

Jacking

The C5 was the first car to use hydroformed frame rails. Hydroformed rails are
quickly becoming a common platform for new cars, but not many shops are prepared
to lift these vehicles. The C5 requires an adapter for regular jacks and lifts to fit the
jacking points. Make your own adapters with a hockey puck (or two) with a 1 1/2"
eye bolt screwed thru the center. Stick the eye bolt thru the slit in the jacking point,
turn 90 degrees, place jack under adapter and jack away....if you can get the jack
under the car. You may have to use ramps. The C5 is so low that most people make
their own wooden ramps....Rhino Ramps are too steep.

Key Fobs

There are basically two different kinds of key fobs, and they are not compatible with
each other.

1997-2000, but the 2000 does not have the Passive Lock feature
2001-2004

Spark plugs

The OEM platinum plugs, along with other plugs have had problems with the pucks
falling off. I have a picture of missing pucks in this thread. This thread outlines some
of the problems with using platinum, and a recommendation for using silver tipped
plugs. Basically, of all spark plug tips, platinum is the worst conductor, copper is
good, iridium is even better and silver is the best. Don’t take my word for it, do a
little research, starting with this review. As for longevity, platinum, iridium and silver
do have an advantage over copper, but plugs foul up after ~10K negating any
difference corrosion would cause, and no plug will run well after 100K miles.

To make the spark plugs easier to change, get the Snap-On double-swivel sparkplug
tool and remove the coil packs.
________________________________________ _______________________

These problems, and many others, are addressed at the

www.corvetteactioncenter.com in the Tech Center -> Knowledge Base.

While these problems do sound numerous and severe, just remember that JD Power
considers this a very reliable car. If you buy a Corvette, consider yourself fortunate
that there are many resources available to help you locate and correct problems.

Secrets of the C5

Copied from www.corvettemechanic.com

Quote:
● The little yellow “helper light” on the bottom of the rear-view mirror that
illuminates the shifter area.
● That you can put your key in the driver’s door and turn it twice towards the front
to unlock the passenger door and a third time to pop the trunk.
● That you can pop the trunk and also pop the gas cap cover by pulling on metal
lines hidden in the back.
● The little slotted cover on the dash behind the steering wheel is where the inside
air temperature sensor is located.
● All of the option codes are in the glove box.
● Tire inflation recommended pressures are on the driver’s door.
● The thing that looks like a little LED near the DIC buttons is a light sensor.
● The thing that looks like a little LED near the defroster vent is a UV sensor for
determining A/C usage to compensate for the heating effect of the sun.
● The build sheet is in the front re-bar.
● If you leave your turn signal on, in about 1 minute it will start to ding (loud enough
to hear over the stereo) to let you know you have old timers disease.
● You can reset the oil life by pumping the gas pedal 3 times (but not with the
engine running).
● Hold down the reset button while on one of the trip odometers and it changes that
reading to the miles you’ve traveled since last starting the engine.
● Hold down the Active Handling button for 5 seconds to engage “Competitive
Driving” on cars equipped with active handling (2000 and previous years must be
stopped.)
● If you pull the seatbelts all the way out while you’re buckled in, they ratchet back
in to hold you tighter into the seat (then move the seat forward to make it extra
snug).
● Simply remove fuse #2 under the hood and your DRLs will be out permanently.
Only thing affected is that when you unlock at night using the key fob your front turn
signal lights and back up lights will not flash. Your front turn signals will operate
normally, however.
● The side-view mirrors can twist both forward and backward, decreasing the chance
of damage if struck.
● There is a release opening with a flap to let air out of the car when the hatch is
closed. It is located just above the driver side rear compartment behind the carpet
and on the side of the car. Not that it really works well.
● Also you can ground your amp to a screw/bolt that holds the rear middle
compartment to the frame.
● If you have a 6-speed car you can pop the trunk when the car is running by lifting
the emergency brake.
● There is a spot on the driver side just out of the middle compartment under the
carpet for the lug nut key. You should have a compartment on the drivers and
passenger’s side (in the trunk) and a center compartment. On the left (drivers) side
of the center compartment, on the left side where the center cover fits, there is an
‘indent’ that holds the wheel lock key.
● If you turn on the headlights, then go to parking light position, the lamps remain
up but the headlights are not left on.
● If you have the passive entry feature: If you lock the keys in the car, wait a few
minutes and then shake the car. That will unlock the car.
● HUD has a shift light for the manuals.
● You can easily shift the M6 trans up or down without the clutch if you match revs.
(Not great for longevity, however.)
● You can eject the CD from the in-dash player without turning on any power. Don’t
even need key in the ignition.
● The cruise will disengage if you purposely make sharp side to side turns while
cruising at say 60-80 mph.
● When the engine is shut off, you can get the odometer reading by turning on the
parking lights.
● You can program setting #3 (both memory buttons at once) in the seat memory to
run the seat back and steering wheel forward for getting in/out of the car with the
engine running.
● If you hate DRLs you can pull the emergency brake ONE click and they go off.

Power

First you need to know how your car is doing. A trip to the dyno can give you quick
answers.
Tuning software can diagnose and tune your car. LS1Tech and HPTuners are two
popular tuning packages. At some point in the future, both packages will be able to
do scanning with incorporated wideband sensor support. At this time, December
2004, only HPTuners can do both.

Popular upgrades:

Cold air intakes: Vararam, Halltech, Blackwing, zip-tie

Intake manifolds: LS6, LS2, LSX, Weiand, sheetmetal
Cat-back exhausts: B&B, Borla, Z06 Ti, Corsa
Long tube headers: LG, Kooks, TPIS, Stainless Works, Breathless, Jet-Hot, GHL, QTP
Superchargers: ATI (go to A&A), Vortech, Magnacharger
Turbochargers
Stroke & bore
Head & cam packages: TEA, AFR, TSP, Patriot, Cartek
Tires: Kumho Ecsta MX, Nitto Extreme RII

Quote:
The convertible and coupe (it's really a targa) come with run-flat tires, with 17"
wheels in the front, and 18" in the rear, with tire pressure sensors. The Z06 comes
with non run-flat tire, but has a tire repair kit. Switching from run-flat tires to regular
tires typically allows the C5 to ride softer, accelerate faster, and corner harder, but if
you use the tire repair kit (goo) on wheels with the tire pressure sensors, you'll
destroy the sensors. No C5 has a spare tire. The best way to improve the handling of
any car is usually thru the tires.

Aerodynamics, gearing and top speed

The hardtops and Z06 have shorter rear windows, are less aerodynamic, noisier, and
weigh less than the standard C5 couple. Even though the Z06 has more hp than
standard C5’s, they have a lower top speed than manual Z51 C5 coupes. This is due
to both aerodynamics and gearing. All C5’s top out at redline in 5th gear, so a taller
5th gear, or much shorter 6th gear, or taller redline is required to go faster. All else
being equal, a Z51 coupe will still go faster than a Z06. Above 190 mph, air builds up
under the front of the car. This can be solved with a vented hood like the ACP C5-R
or MCM hoods.

Weight reduction

You can achieve substantial weight reduction with the following modifications, while
still having a car that's very comfortable to drive. Most of these modifications will
directly increase (and decrease in a few cases) the safety of the car, while safety is
indirectly improved due to the better handling and limits of a lighter car. Fighter
pilots say "speed is life". Acceleration, deceleration, and lateral acceleration are all
forms of acceleration, and lighter cars accelerate better in each of these ways
because the tires have less mass to control....thus a lighter car is a safer car. Lighter
cars have better moments of inertia which allows them to turn in more easily and roll
less. Lighter cars are also easier on the tires and gas.

All the stage weight estimates are typically wild guesses, but it makes it easy to see
what is possible. The weight listings in the separate weight posting is MUCH more
reliable.
Stage I: Streetable weight reduction modifications

Non-popup headlights (~40 lbs)

Braking rotors with an aluminum hat, or titanium rotors (unproven on street cars)
(~20-30 lbs)
Carbon fiber hood (~12 lbs)
Z06 (thinner) windshield and side windows (~5.7 lbs)
Non runflat tires (~20 lbs)
Slicks (~30 lbs)
Z06 wheels (~4 lbs est.)
Corsa titanium exhaust (~35 lbs)
Long tube headers (~20 lbs)
Halltech aluminum alternator & bracket (10 lbs)
Carbon fiber driveshaft (~2 lbs)
Newer torque tube
Less options [HUD, electronic AC, Active Stability, seat/mirror/steering wheel
memory, CD changer] (~50 lbs)
Less gasoline and wiper fluid (No wiper fluid=9lbs, 6 lbs for every gallon of gas in
that 18 gallon tank....~81 lbs for autocrossing)
Remove cargo net
Remove targa top (~20 lbs)
Remove BCM’s
Remove C5 "appearance modifications" - exhaust plates, doorsill covers, etc.
Remove fuel rail covers
Replace stock crank pulley with aluminum aftermarket pulley
Replace steel dampener with aluminum dampener
Replace stock targa top with lexan piece (coupes)
Replace water pump with electric water pump
Replace battery with smaller battery
Replace non-stressed fasteners with aluminum or titanium fasteners
Replace leaf springs with coil over shocks with titanium springs
Replace steel shifter with aluminum shifter and delrin or titanium shift knob
Remove all loose change, CD's, golf clubs, miscellaneous items, from center console,
hatch area, and glove box
Empty your pockets of extra change, PDA's, cell phones, keys, lead plates, or
whatever other junk you lug around
Go on a diet

Stage II: Hardcore semi-streetable weight reduction modifications

Aluminum flywheel (~10 lbs)

Lighter clutch like Exedy or Quartermaster (~10 lbs)
Racing buckets (40-50 lbs)
Remove tire repair kit (Z06)

One correction - Optima is not a gel-type. It's a liquid lead-acid in Absorbent Glass
Mat, in a sealed case.

Jacking Pucks

Personally, this is a BIG NO-NO to me! Trusting a $50,000+ vehicle to a $1.29

Czechloslovakian rubber ice hockey puck just isn't right for a few reasons:
1) The metal hardware inserted into the puck will create a weak point within the
puck, and will fail over time.
2) The metal hardware can and will scratch the paint, as well as the frame
3) If you do not use the metal eye-screw hardware, you are left to manually place
the puck on the jack cradle. Doing so (this way) does not assure the puck will be on
the frame alone ... and as such ... may be touching the body. This means, when you
jack the car, the body is under pressure from the puck, and may crack.
4) Rubber has no tensile strength. It's not IF the puck will break, it's a matter of
when. WHY TAKE A CHANCE? Why risk injury to you, or damage to your car. Pick up
a set of polymer jacking pucks from Double D Mods. You will never need another set
- ever!
5) Polymer pucks are 20 times stronger than rubber
6) Polymer pucks do not scratch your paint, and do not scratch the frame.
7) Aluminum or Steel pucks are heavy (steel is very heavy), and do not allow the
jack to "bite" into the puck. This results in a very good chance of the metal puck
sliding or slipping on the jack.
8) Because of the tensile strength of the polymer pucks, they are strong enough to
lift the car, but soft enough to absorb any damage ... in lieu of damage to your car.
These are a life-time product.

As far as using a block of wood versus ANY jacking puck ... using a jacking "puck"
allows you to insert and twist - to keep the puck in place. It is much easier to deal
with jacking to a fixed, known location, without risk of cracking the body. Anyone
with a ZR1 knows the situation involved with jacking under the carbon fiber side-
skirt. You are jacking to a blind location. When the puck is twisted into the slot, you
know the puck is exactly where is supposed to be ... and you will NOT risk cracking
the body.

For what it’s worth - Here is a picture of a used rubber ice hockey puck. Can you see
the damage to the puck? When this puck eventually fails, the car will fall onto the
jack. Hopefully, you are not under the car at the time. Hopefully, the jack will keep
the car in the air, and will not punch a hole in the bottom of the car.
Here is a picture of the polymer puck (it's actually more than just a puck).

This is an old thread brought back to life but it's only a partial listing.

For the complete rundown go to C5 Discussion and look on the top of page for the
STICKY that reads "Weights, measurements..."
Member Leafty deserves the credit for a very comprehensive listing. But don't let all
the issues with C5's get you down. Some wise member once stated "You hear about
planes crashing more than you hear about them landing".

While I got you on here there's another very important link that covers CODES on
your C5. How to retrieve them and a listing of every code to your C5.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=2337779

And one on Important Electrical Info

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-tech/896875-important-electrical-information-
long.html

On last tip - you can always click the SEARCH button found in the red banner on top
of each forum, be it C5 or C6 or any of the multiple forums. While in the red banner
click Forums and explore them all.

That SEARCH is invaluable. Click it and then do Advance Search. Enter any topic or
search for user name and then select from the forum list on where you want the
search to happen. For issues with C5's the TECH forum is your friend.