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Chevrolet Corvette Electrical Problems

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Comments

  • 91roadster91roadster Member Posts: 2
    1991 Vette coupe digital speedo just flashes "SYS" now and again. Big ZERO displayed all the time when I'm driving, will not display your driving speed eng backfires and loosed power and stalls..please help
  • 91roadster91roadster Member Posts: 2
    I retrieved trouble code c41 from my 91 Corvette, what does it mean and what failed. The car only idles.
  • ClairesClaires Member Posts: 1,222
    Hi, 91roadster,

    Have you tried posting your question in the "Edmunds Answers" box on the lower right side of this page? Just enter your question and then click the "Ask" button.

    ClaireS, Host
    Automotive News & Views | Coupes & Convertibles

    MODERATOR

    Need help getting around? claires@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.

    Tell everyone about your buying experience: Write a Dealer Review

  • bolivarbolivar Member Posts: 2,316
    Here is a link with some more info on the error code. But no help on a solution. Seem to be same car as yours.

    http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-tech-performance/2579168-1991-error-codes-c41- -c51.html

    Here's another

    http://www.justanswer.com/chevy/2b4kn-93-corvette-ccm-dtc-c41-indicates-problem-- communication.html

    And another

    http://www.10w40.com/questions/auto-problems-questions/1990-corvette-that-lost

    These all came from a google search for 'c41 error' and 'c41 corvette'.
    Could be a PCM module, a bad wire somewhere in the data communication wiring. Doesn't look like an easy find or fix.
  • starrow68starrow68 Member Posts: 1,142
    Just for the record, I had several kinds of codes that would recur, but it all turned out to be
    bad grounds. On the C5 there are 13 different ground locations with multiple connection
    points at each, I'm sure it's the same on C4's. Any bad ground will give bad voltage message
    to any system and that will produce a code for that system. Good luck.
  • c2c35c2c35 Member Posts: 37
    Ok guys help me out please!! I have a 93' 40th Anniversary. It had just spent some time getting a tune up and, was running good. I knew the battery was bad so i bought a new one. At the same time i also noticed that due to the old battery being in worse shape than i had thought the 2 grounds behind the battery plate looked like to snow balls!! Well I cleaned them up the i looked at the condition of the main fuses. They are all original and looking really gooded up. So i changed then out with brand new ones. So getting to the point. I went to start the car and nothing! i have no gauges (no speedo no gas, trip ect) but, i do have light warnings in the warning cluster. Also no crank no start! I have gone thru everything possible double and tripple checked everything (battery, fuse) inside and out. The security light does not flash at all. the remotes do not work. Now my brand new battery is being drained almost daily! I've been told to reset the security system by turning on the key to accessory lock all doors ect give it 15 or so minutes and that'll do it. Nope! Now the lastest i've been told is that replacing the battery may have fried the alternator. Please anyone Help me out with this!! Any advise is great by me!!

    Thank You
    :sick:
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    Did you replace the battery cables?
  • c2c35c2c35 Member Posts: 37
    edited July 2011
    no but they are both ok. I had popped both centers out and soaked both cable ends in baking soda including the centers. The only issue that i did see was the extreme build up of battery acid on the grounds behind the battery plate. Which i also dowced and scubbed with baking soda and looking like new. I am really thinking the the alternator. what do you think? battery dieing, no power on my dash, no crank and, no run. By the way if it was the alternator would a fuse blow before if there may have been a battery or power surge?

    Thanks for getting back to me!! :sick:
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    I don't know how replacing a battery can damage the alternator, but it may very well be that the alternator is dead from natural causes (they don't last forever). You should have the alternator checked and replace it if necessary.

    Still, I am suspicious of all the build up you found on the battery and cable terminals and the fuses(?) too. Cleaning the ends that are visible is no indication that corrosion/damage didn't travel up the cables. A change in cable resistance (due to corrosion) could easily explain your troubles.

    I'm not a mechanic - just my opinion.
  • c2c35c2c35 Member Posts: 37
    i totally appreciate your input!! I went back in today and inspected everything once again. after another couple hours of checking and rechecking the wires themselves i did finally see a lil gremlin staring rite back at me!! A lil mouse sitting rite there on the lower engine support! I really hope the lil gremlin didn't sink his lil teeth into any of my wires underneath! Well how about relays? Do you think that with a power surge maybe 1 or 2 relays may have been blown? 2nd question where are they located!!! as you can see i'm starting to get burned out from looking at wires!!! eeesshh i wish it is that simple to be relays! :confuse: :sick:
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    It sounds like you have some more in-depth inspecting to do...
  • c2c35c2c35 Member Posts: 37
    yeah tell me about it!! I spent another couple of hours yesterday just trying to find the relay for the starter or actually any other relays other than the ones for the lights! i'll tell ya what when they packed this motor in there, they packed all the wires and hid them real good! Even with the book forget about it! Anyway thanks for all of your input!!
    :confuse: :sick:
  • newvibebuyernewvibebuyer Member Posts: 14
    I had ongoing minor problems with the Climate Controls on an 89 convertible. They would start flashing all buttons and stop working. Turning it off and back on would get it back on track. I also had horrible radio static problems. I traded the car before it quit completely. (Sorry if the person that bought it is reading this!)

    And according to my dealer, wait until you try and check or change spark plugs!
  • c2c35c2c35 Member Posts: 37
    well 2moro is the big day!! i tried everything i cld think of and, well nothing! i'm really thinking it cld end up being the passive security system but, as luck has it now the brand new battery is totally dead!!!! good thing there's a warranty on it! Well i will be watching my baby being loaded on a flat bed and shipped back to the shop! All of you vette owners no just the flatbed know can make ya cringe! let alone w/ all the electrical problems my check book will be on fire! So fellas wish me luck and cross yur fingers that it's something simple for me here!!

    I'll give updates when i can.
    :sick:
  • ClairesClaires Member Posts: 1,222
    Keep us posted, c2!

    ClaireS, Host
    Automotive News & Views | Coupes & Convertibles

    MODERATOR

    Need help getting around? claires@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.

    Tell everyone about your buying experience: Write a Dealer Review

  • c2c35c2c35 Member Posts: 37
    Well it figures that i get the call from my mechanic Monday morning. I guess he needed a break over the weekend and took the weekend off and he had a line of everyday cars needed to be fixed! I stopped in and yeah he wasn't kidding!! He told me well it could be either nice n safe in your garage or i could tow it to the shop leave it outside and park it under a tree in a unsecured lot. well that was a no brainier!!! He did tell me that he is gonna go ol' school on her. Gotta get the tester out and go through everything. god i really hope it's just a fuse-able link or something real simple. cause if its the ecm that's a like 400 buck part!! anyway wednesday now he's supposed to pick her up. so yes i will keep ya's updated on my black beauty! it's like my 3rd kid. I have my daughter my vette and my 2010 Taurus! eeessshh! I think being a car nut is a disease!!!! It's scary cause my 9 yr old has it too!!!! lol! :) :sick:
  • wghebwgheb Member Posts: 1
    when I connect my battery sparks fly big time, everything is "off " .starts ok , charges ok can't figure out short or where to start
  • c2c35c2c35 Member Posts: 37
    where is it sparking from? Right from the battery? If so the battery connectors may have build up inside the plastic casing. You need a flat head screw driver and a channel lock wrench to pry out the screw connectors. Even just enough to look inside to see if you have to much build up. Get a cup of water and baking soda and soak both of the connectors also, i'm thinking your vette is around my yr of 93' behind the battery plate there are two grounds. check them also mine looked like two snow balls!! use the baking soda and water and a brush it'll all come off. I hope this works.
    c2c27
  • c2c35c2c35 Member Posts: 37
    just an update on my black 93' 40Th. well i did find a good Chevy garage. last Thursday. She just went up on the big lift this afternoon to get the starter checked out and, any other wires underneath. I hope to have her back soon! I have a feeling with a very thinner wallet! lol! I will post the findings on here when I get em.
  • c2c35c2c35 Member Posts: 37
    Well I know it's been a while now since my last update about my 93'. Well the 1st garage i brought it to the guy was full of crap! he had/has no idea about electrical work!!! So my car sat for about 2 weeks or so! It was left outside, looks terrible! and, he just took apart under the dash. Yup that's about it! So i called a TRUE Corvette shop. This guy has over 30 yrs working on vettes! So she is in good hands at least. Unfortunately he found more damage. There is such a huge mouse nest under the dash which surrounds the main computer in the dash. Don't know yet if it is the module or if just 1 or more wires on the out going may have been chewed or the main computer may have been fried by those little bastards and so was my radio!!!!! Unbelievable!!! Well when she's all done i'll be sure to letcha know how she is. :sick:
  • c2c35c2c35 Member Posts: 37
    Well, thank god for Comp insurance! Seeing as it's major "animal" damage that has caused all the issues with my vette lucky it is covered under my Comp insurance! I have been there to see first hand the damage. All i have to say is UN FREAKN REAL!! All under the entire dashboard is nothing but a mouse nest! It is all surrounded around the CCM (the main computer brains of the car!) also my Bose gold radio is ruined and also all the way under the shifter to the middle arm rest! Now mind you my car has been kept in a proper garage concrete floor for the past @ least 11 years with mouse poison and traps etc.. and these lil bastards still got in! The mechanic actually told me that it was just luck that the car didn't burn down whether driving or sitting in the garage! Well like i said before my baby's in great hands at the "Corvette Shop" the guy has been working on all years of vettes for over 30 years so i am definitely in good hands! Well hopefully I'll see her in the next couple of weeks! more updates soon. :sick:
  • hjenssenhjenssen Member Posts: 2
    The car should start even if the alternator was off the car.

    It has nothing to do with starting the car.
  • stuccomanstuccoman Member Posts: 1
    i can straight wire it meaning running a wire from battery to coil but coil start heating up ?
  • ktooktoo Member Posts: 1
    while starting my vette this a.m. i lost all electrical function, the car did not start and manually had to exit the vehicle. i tapped the negative post on my battery and the electricity was restored, the car started. the same event happend later this morning.
    any ideas what the problem is?
  • bolivarbolivar Member Posts: 2,316
    1) Take both battery cables loose and clean the posts with sandpaper. Don't lose the 'special' cone shaped nuts on the cable ends. They cannot be bought easily. Just loose a little and twist to loosen and pull up.

    2) You may need a new battery.
  • gmcustsvcsarahgmcustsvcsarah Member Posts: 1,964
    ktoo,
    I'm very sorry to hear that you're experiencing these electrical issues with your new Corvette. Are you planning on working with a dealership to get this looked into? If we can look into anything on our end (open recalls, for example), please get in touch via email at socialmedia@gm.com

    All the best,
    Sarah
    GM Customer Service
  • mickjazzmickjazz Member Posts: 21
    You think this is bad. I have a 2005 with 11,000 miles. In April of this year it stalled electronically while driving on a highway not a freeway. All power shut down, no flashers nothing and I couldn't get out of the car. The lift up latch release failed. Fortunately it was in the daylight. I don't even know if the brake lights showed or not. Since then I have filed a notice with NBHTSA and have spent almost a $1000 dollars trying to repair it. As of 9/2013 nobody knows for sure what's wrong with it and we are swapping out modules. I have had it towed 8 times, the last 2 times while trying to drive home from the Chevy dealer after the 'repair'.

    There is a significant design flaw in these vehicles and I'm sure Corvette Division knows about it. I don't even think it's all that rare. But make no mistake, these are death cars. Any car that will electronically cut off power while driving and lock you in your own car is a car you don't want too own.

    God help you if there was a fire and that safety latch fails like mine did. Toast. (if it happened to me again, I'd release the roof and knock it out, probably destroying the roof panel but at least escaping. Still you wouldn't want to do this at night in the fast lane on Interstate 5, would you??) Doors that require an electrically driven solenoid to open are just plain stupid and should never be used. They're not cool, or cute, just stupid.

    Don't buy these cars.
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    edited September 2013
    Sounds like your alternator died.

    I personally wouldnt touch an 8 year-old car with only 11,000 miles on it. Cars need to be driven, otherwise youre just asking for problems.
  • mickjazzmickjazz Member Posts: 21
    I wish that were the case. The gm 'repair techs' have already replaced the starter switch, the battery, the alternator and 2 modules included the ecm.

    Actually all had nothing wrong with them. I know these guys have families and house payments etc but it's a shame they don't work some place like dsw shoes where they can do no harm.

    No, the corvette elect system is a special kind of lunacy that one has to see up close to fully appreciate. there have been over 250 sbs on this model and half were related to the electrical system.

    The sad thing is that the car doesn't need any of this crap. The engine, transmission and suspension are enough. The quality of most of the other components is exceptional. But the elec system is something that should never have been allowed on the car. Turning a car into a 'system' is risky at best and the gm people have not been up to the challenge.

    Your comment tells me you have never heard of the 'Serivce trac system - Reduced Power Mode' phenomenon on these cars.
  • gmcustsvcgmcustsvc Member Posts: 4,252
    Hi mickjazz,

    I'm sorry that this happened to you in your Corvette and we want you to feel that you have a safe and reliable vehicle. Have you made a case with GM Customer Service already about this? If not, we would like to start one for you within our system. If this interests you, please email us your full name, VIN, contact info, mileage, dealership, and a few details of your experience to socialmedia@gm.com.

    Thank you

    Amber N.
    GM Customer Care
  • fedlawmanfedlawman Member Posts: 3,118
    ^

    Agreed. Edmunds is a great place to chat about cars, but for deeper, more specific information/discussion, the specialty enthusiast forums are where you need to be.

    PS: No, I haven't heard of the specific failure you mentioned. These systems are very (and unecessarily) complex and interconnected, so Im not surprised the dealer is struggling to figure it out. I had a Buick that had all kinds of electrical gremlins that could never be repaired. I lemon-lawed the car and GM bought it back.

    Good luck!
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