cgladish

do you ever feel like you're the test case for problems? i mentioned on a previous note that, i felt like i've had my share of issues over the years ( almost 6yrs ).
i thought that i was down to just a few hopefully small issues ( fuel level sensor & a small rubbing noise from the rear end ).the fuel level sensor issue has recently been accompanied with P2068 CEL.
i've been able to live with this for a while. i was going to have my local shop check out the rubbing noise ( been present for about 2 - 3 weeks ). took a ride this weekend to Oregon for an overnight.
along the way on the freeway, i hit a section that felt like i hit some cross winds. the car felt like it was moving a bit sideways. it wasn't that windy though, thought that maybe it was just the road condition.
fast forward about 2hrs, went to make a left lane change when, the car literally jumped into the left lane with minimal steering input, tried correcting it back to the right, with the same experience. it felt like i had no steering.
quite a eye opening experience when doing 70 mph! immediately got off the freeway. was able drive about 1/4 mile to a tire shop. they said that their is plastic retainer ring that holds the steering rod bearing in place. that ring was missing.
they weren't able to fix it ( Not within their scope ). this did not make sense as, the steering column is hard mounted to fire at one end and, the steering rack on the other end.
the local Chevy dealership, with it being a Holiday weekend, had their service dept. closed until Tuesday ( might you this is Saturday ). being too far a AAA tow ( 7hrs, +/- 400 miles ),
i was stuck in Grants Pass, Or. till Tuesday. i was able to drive it around town ( -30mph ). felt like driving on ice skates. fast forward to Tuesday. dealership was able to squeeze me in. called me few hours later. said that the one of the control arms bolts, was missing!
when i went to pick up the car, i asked the tech which control arm it was. imagine my surprise when he told me, it was the drivers REAR! that's when it hit me, cross wind issues, hearing rubbing noises from the rear end. DOH!
luckily they had the bolt and hand. $260.00 later, all fixed. at least that issue.
7 hour drive home was uneventful. A/C on doing 70 - 80 mph, averaging about 28 - 29 mpg tunes cranking. stopped by the grocery store when i got home. on the drive home, i noticed that the A/C wasn't putting out any cold air. when i turned it off, i felt a bit cold air for a few seconds. when i turned the A/C back on. i was making loud moaning noise. got home let it over night. tried it again this morning, noise was still there. louder than the engine. if i revved the engine, the compressor got even louder.
now, i get to deal with another new issue.
i've been telling myself that, once i get this car running with no issue, I'm going to sell it. on the times when it is running well, i can see why i've ended up keeping it. it's blast to drive but, lately the joy has been less and less. i keep thinking, I fixed and / or
replaced just about everything then, something new pops up. when i factor the cost of a new engine, I'm easily at spending just as much on repairs, as for the initial purchase price.
i feel that i've reached the end of my corvette ownership. after this next batch of repairs, she may be gone.
it sometimes feel like that old joke, how to you make a small fortune in ( fill in the blank ), start with a large one. for me, i started with a modest amount that, over time been dwindling down.
not feeling sad so much, i knew what was expected prior to ownership, was just hoping for bit less issues that what i've experienced.
sorry for the long note, some venting, some of it carthartic.

Turbo6TA

Like the old saying ...

If it wasn't for bad luck, you would have no luck at all.

cgladish

i see where some people have had almost no issues and, some with one off issues. i would feel better if i felt that i could put the blame on my driving style or, lack of maintenance. but i haven't been to attribute this.
while i do drive this pretty hard, i don't feel that it's any harder that others. can you blame these issues on the driver:
harmonic balancer
rear axle bearings
transaxle bearings / seals
transaxle mounts
power steering hose leaks
(2) fuel injector failures
fuel level sensor failure
loosing a control arm bolt
A/C compressor failure ( yet undetermined )
new factory LS3 crate engine, loosing an oil pump @ 32k miles
i know that there a few more to list but, my original thought was to get something newer ( at the time it was 5 yrs old. ), vs. a C3 ( preference ) that would probably require constant fiddling.
obviously, i didn't factor in the consumable items ( tires / brakes / oil changes ), even those these items make a large portion of the expense of ownership, i do understand the cost of playing at this level.
again, i feel that i played this game long enough. after i retire in a year or so, i may dip my toes back in the water. so, for the next month or so, I'll enjoy what i have and see what happens.

Ahrmike

Re: steering shaft bearing cover missing - you likely have the service active handling issue posted in the stickie in this forum. Telescoping steering wheel pushes out bearing, pushes out steering angle sensor, = bad times.

Get a good mechanic to take a look at that SAS as soon as you can.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...action-49.html

cgladish

this turned out not to be the problem. i have never been sent a code for this. and as it turns out, was not the correct diagnosis. chevy found that the rear drivers side control arm, was missing a bolt.
the fact that they found this, was extremely fortunate as, i only mentioned that it felt like it was a steering issue. assuming that maybe once that it was in the air, it was obvious what the problem was.
regardless, i'm now onto the a/c compressor this weekend. once that is addressed, i think it's going on craigs list.

Ahrmike

Yeah, i read that portion of your writeup but I figured you may want to check into why the mechanic thought it was an issue with the bearing mount...

Anyway, sounds like youve fixed most of the problems your car had. I'd say keep it, but some cars are just bad luck.. better luck next time, maybe? My c6 has been nothing but reliable. I've had it for 70K miles and 7 years and i think ive only done preventative maintenance and the steering issue i mentioned earlier...

tektrans

Could sell it after all fixed but what if that's the last fix i needs? lol

Klawp

I think the issues you're having are pretty normal considering the cars nearly 13 years old - perhaps it's more so you're just at a point now in life the once 'normal' problems that come of owning a 400hp plastic sports car that's ageing are more of a nuisance and fixing them is a hassle. You just want a nice sports car thats reliable and not having issues (don't we all). Maybe time for something newer that wont have as many problems!

cgladish

this was a Les Schwab tire shop. i'm guessing that they were happy to found 'A problem' so quickly that, they found ' THE problem '. i thought about heading back to them afterwards to tell what the real problem was. but then again, this wasn't really their focus of expertise.
i read other peoples experience with their cars and am happy for them. lately, i've had a run of fixing one issue then, having another pop up. sometimes they overlap. of course, for me, it's like playing Black Jack. knowing when to hit or, not to, measures your success.
i've always thought that the current problem will be the last one ( for awhile anyways ). after getting caught in run of issues, has me thinking, it might time for a break. i keep thinking that, i fixed quite a few items already, what else could / will be next?
i can handle the occasional flat tire type issues but, a missing control arm bolt? really? maybe i've got the factory test mule? still on the fence but, currently have both legs one side of it.

cgladish

some of the issues i would agree with you. i'm aware of the usual ones, Harmonic Balancer, radiator fan / plug melt downs, fuel level sensors. but transaxle mounts ( both sides broken ), ride height sensors ( 2 - 3 over the years ), rear axle seals ( though i do understand these being a wear item ) and, the recent control arm both going AWOL. this was didn't bother me until i after it was diagnosed. if i had known previously what it was, i would have parked it. of me being me, i decided to take it on 800 mile road trip ( getting stuck halfway from home ).
but hey, it just adds to the allure of ownership. if i really think back, like way back, 40 - 45 years that i've driving ( legally ), their are quite a few stories that have some sketchy scenarios that have occurred.

cgladish

while i do agree with your reasoning, that currently is the only reason i'm still in possession of it. the one variable of course, is not knowing when or what the last fix will be.

RodRamos

When am I NOT the test subject of every horrific and obtuse problem the universe has dreamt up? I'm still waiting for that day. Car problems are on the easier side of the spectrum. They're tangible, physical, definable, solvable, & fixable. Plus they just require time & money & sometimes effort.

It's sometimes a puzzle to solve, but it's better than waking up in a hospital bed with 4 surgeons attacking you, or waking up in a Nicaraguan jail, or having all your friends die in THE SAME MONTH while your relatives take all your cash & then develop amnesia. No, cars a joy to work on.

That's the long answer. The short answer is that you are not the only one to suffer the wrath of car-Gods, no matter how bleak & personalized your own particular hellish situation may seem. It's little consolation, but every problem you solve makes you that much wiser (& bitter, but try to focus on the wiser part). I read a book a long time ago called "Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.. I just put myself into that Zen mindset when I work on cantankerous machines. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Wikipedia

449er

C6 Corvettes are usually pretty reliable cars, especially with the LS3..... hopefully, you have found the last of the issues with your car

cgladish

i don't want this to turn into a 'woe is me' story. i knew the what i was getting involve with from the get go. i guess this is just more of a venting situation. now, regarding your reference to "Zen", over the course of over 45 yrs. of driving & repairing, i should be a Zen master.
i do agree that you learn more from problems and mistakes ( as long as you don't repeat them ). i do feel that i've accumulated quite the reference acumen of repair. maybe not always applicable but, hopefully useful info.
having said all of that, received confirmation Saturday that the A/C compressor took a dump. Is 208k miles a good life span? i'm quickly approaching a new car or, i guess more correctly, having had replaced most of the parts at least once

cgladish

that's the $64k question, when to say when. that may have been several repairs ago. sometimes i feel like, just hanging around to see how it all ends up. especially with upcoming proposed ban on new ICE cars.
i may just ride it out and enjoy till the end.
while i may ( or may not ) have gained some experience, i've definitely to not have all of the answers.

FatsWaller

@cgladish You’re on your 3rd engine. In order to R&R 2 engines, did the AC system get disassembled in any way? Seems to me that whenever anything mechanical gets taken apart and put back together is the time that problems get injected into the mix. If some crud found its way into the lines, it might have shortened the compressor’s remaining life. A lot of what’s happened might be traced back to the results of having the first engine go down.

cgladish

at this point, even if any of what you mentioned happened, it's been through different sets of hands ( the last being the dealership ). from the first engine replacement to the second one, i saw 32k miles. from the second to the third ( current one ), it's seen about 8k miles.
not sure about how much, if any, of the A/C system was disturbed.

Sledge Hammer

Not trying to be a dick here, but that 208,000 miles mentioned in your second to last post could be a big part of your issues. While several have gone beyond that, most would have to put some repairs in to get there. You also mentioned "spirited driving" early in this thread. While you are correct most of us here do some spirited driving, if spirited driving to you means dumping the clutch and doing smoky burnouts, that could have something to do with the trans axle mount failures. Or you may just have had some bad luck. In any event, with 208,000 miles on the clock I think you can be pretty sure there will be more repairs in the future.

StayinStock

I'm currently at 140k on mine, Issues do seem to become more and more frequent but given the age of the car and the abuse I put it through I don't feel like it owes me much. Part of the fun for me is tinkering on it when it does mess up so I guess it doesn't bother me as much as it has on other builds/cars. I feel your pain for sure though, it can certainly get annoying constantly chasing gremlins.

cgladish

you'd have to do a lot more to be a dick. i can honestly say, that in the 110k miles that i've owned this car, i've never done a smoky burn out. that doesn't mean that i may or may not leave the line aggressively. my burn out days stopped just after high school.
for what these tires cost ( Michelin run flats ), I'm not a fan of wasting the treads. i do realize the age ( and my driving style ) has a played a factor in some of issues. for now, I'll have to consider it a 'painting a bridge' type of car for now.. it is coming up on 14 years old.
for what it's worth, when i had the first engine replaced, i also changed the clutch too, only because of the access allowed. the clutch was fine even after 162k miles. still,