C5 1999 Model ABS and Traction Lights came ON yesterday - HELP

[Nickerbocker Glory]

Thanks again JR / TeamZR-1... a lot for me to digest

I am away picking up my daily driver - an 80 series Landcruiser (engineering simplicity / reliability but no escape from rust) - for a week in Devon which a friend has been welding and fabricating, so the truck will see me and my wife out (we're in our 70's). So I can't practically address the issues you have so precisely raised on the Vette as quickly as I'd like.

But I can of course comment:

The TPMS service light came on within a few days of my driving the Vette (but I had already fitted the Battery Brain, turning everything off/on when parking up - not now of course, but it may have interfered with the Fob(s). They are Euro=spec and came with the car.
1: I will have the grounds checked
2-5: Both Fobs came with the car and both of them worked. I did fit a new battery to one of them. I will check the other one. I will also check the four antenna points.
6: I don't understand what 'passive' mode is but will look it up. Yes I lost the seat settings which were there originally. I don't know how to view actual tyre pressures on the DIC while driving, but will look it up. As I recall (my car is garaged away from my house) the tyres have a normal rubber stem. I did purchase TPMS service kits to give to the Tyre Shop who will be fitting Michelin's instead of the run-flats. I was counting on them to do the magnet trick for re-programming but by the looks of it I will have to order replacement sensors - and that's a potential problem because if they have been removed I can't 'pattern' them and the '99 sensors are - apparently - not the same as the 2000 sensors... which brings me back to my original query regarding what sensors / relays will be in my car - the last one attributed to the 1999 production run.

I'm naturally intrigued by your suggestion that you could custom tune my PCM and A4 auto tranny via email - especially given your in-depth experience and assurances of increased HP and torque with faster tranny shift. But I am fundamentally a maladroit marketing strategist and report writer - not a nimble fingered mechanically minded engineer. I have neither the electronic equipment nor the confidence to redo all the timing tables, fuel, idle, fans, engine knock, misfires, etc.... Although, truth be told, I would love to be able to

Having a third party do it for me will be expensive - but needs must when the Devil drives as they say. And 'twas ever thus: I've always paid someone else to modify / improve the stock cars I've owned. And then been frequently disappointed with the results (as will have many other would-be 'petrolheads' like me). A strong argument for learning to do things for oneself of course

Thanks for the Owners Manual - I do have a generic European version that came with the car but not as good. I'll let you know how I get on in due course. 'A la prochaine'.

 

[Nickerbocker Glory]

BTW my name is Nick (a Nickerbocker Glory was a compelling mix of fruit and ice-cream served in a tall cornet shaped glass with a cherry on the top at Lyons Corner Houses in London in the 50's... )

 

[teamzr1]

And here is the GM engineering design specs for your 1999 C5 as a PDF file attached

 

[teamzr1]

Hi Nick

Being the FOB worked before and stopped when battery is disconnected for some time, then that caused the FOBs not to be sync'd up with the
remote controller, use the owner's manual and pair the FOBs back up
After doing that via the DIC is set up how you want the FOBs to work
If the passive switch on the front of FOB is set to "OFF" then doors will not auto lock/unlock on their own and the FOB buttons have to be
manually pressed.

To see what tire pressures are being reported is press the "gauges" button, each time you press then different gauge info will be shown
press until on DIC shows the front air pressures, next push of button then shows rear pressures
If no values are shown, then the TPMs are not learned to controller and have to do the learn process with magnets

On the left edge of driver's door is a Memory 1 and 2, that is once you have set seats, mirrors, etc then by pressing 1 for example and holding down tells the controller to save those setting for FOB 1 and other setting can be set and then save for driver 2 with the button
Follow owner's manual and learn how to use all the DIC buttons

You can get an idea of results from my remotely custom tuning off my forum at :

Custom tuning results

 

[petchy56]

Mine came on after rear censor cable was disconected. took it apart again and noticed corrosion on coections. Cleaned them up and no problems.

 

[Nickerbocker Glory]

Blimey JR - the digital age huh: everything can de done remotely if you know how - what is a flash btw? Thanks for the GM engineering / design spec. Reads well - and don't forget until 2006 Jaguar were still turning out X100 XKR's with plastic chain tensioners and steel chassis! Yet they're zooming up in value over here... Corvette much better spec with more reliable delivery (aside from the electronic shortfalls) Is it infra dig to mention other car marques in a Forum - if so: apologies

Thanks Petchy - as I said to JR: I'll be checking all the connections and earths for 'furring up'.... a relief to know that the ETCBM probably isn't terminal as I first feared ("The Kiss of Death" for 97-2000 C5's I read somewhere )

 

[Nickerbocker Glory]

Good advice / great help again on the Owners Manual Fob / memory setting etc, JR...
Will follow it

 

[teamzr1]

Blimey JR - the digital age huh: everything can de done remotely if you know how - what is a flash btw? Thanks for the GM engineering / design spec. Reads well - and don't forget until 2006 Jaguar were still turning out X100 XKR's with plastic chain tensioners and steel chassis! Yet they're zooming up in value over here... Corvette much better spec with more reliable delivery (aside from the electronic shortfalls) Is it infra dig to mention other car marques in a Forum - if so: apologies

Thanks Petchy - as I said to JR: I'll be checking all the connections and earths for 'furring up'.... a relief to know that the ETCBM probably isn't terminal as I first feared ("The Kiss of Death" for 97-2000 C5's I read somewhere )

Yes Nick it is all electronics in vehicles today, but they also can be used to correct problems the vehicles may have or be able to change the CAM grind, add boost, etc and then dial it all via a tune to make the engine or tranny perform well

The controllers have "Flash" memory and that is where settings and tunes are stored so like a little hard drive
When changing the calibration via a tune, you're "flashing" (overwriting) the tune and replacing the calibration with the tune changes made

 

[Nickerbocker Glory]

I don't want to be a Remote Tuning Vendor for TeamZR1 - but if I understood how it would work (like: how do I 'load' the tune 'flash' onto my car without an electronic tuning gizmo like an MPVI) it could be an individual (just me) alternative to spending two days driving to the 'remapping' expert some distance from my home, leaving the car with them and then driving back. It could also be a little more cost effective / accessible for continuing assessment and adjustment..... could be.

I will take the time to read up on your custom tuning on your website while I'm away - n

 

[teamzr1]

Nick, the process for the vehicle owner is pretty easy, this is all done with the engine not even running

 

[Nickerbocker Glory]

OK Cool - supercool actually but:
- I have two Mac Powerbooks but no PC running Windows
- Why do expert tuner / re-mappers here in UK need a full morning and an MPVI gizmo to individually 'tune' my C5 as a one-off? When you can do it in moments with a 'standardised' tune based on years working on C5's?

 

[teamzr1]

What is an MPVI ?

It only takes the owner of the vehicle like 5 minutes, it takes me a good 1 hour (if stock vehicle) to do all the tuning changes as I want
the tune perfect.

 

[Nickerbocker Glory]

I don't know (lol) what it means - I pulled it off a photo of a tuning company which purports to use the latest digital kit. It plugs into the OBD port I imagine... but my question was rhetorical really. I'm assuming that each 'stock' C5 may differ from another by virtue of changes like Bilsteins instead of stock shockers, uprated cold air intake, heavy duty sway bars with ease jointed suspension and a Borla 'Touring' (I am a pussy and like to listen to loud well reproduced music) exhaust - and that your Flash read picks this all up?
Clearly there are also real advantages to being able to patch into your detailed knowledge bank on all things C5 Corvette as easily as I've been able to over the last few days: I've learned a lot and all of it FOC so you are already well ahead. One thing I'm hoping to get rid of with the Bilsteins and uprated (bigger than Z06) sway bars + links is the appalling nose up steering light rear bogged down when under hard acceleration - yes? (Nothing new fitted yet - its all been delivered to the shop and I'm booked in last week of April)... You prefer mailing to WhatsApp phone I imagine - more precise / less waffle wasted time?

 

[Nickerbocker Glory]

correction: ROSE-jointed links

 

[teamzr1]

I don't know (lol) what it means - I pulled it off a photo of a tuning company which purports to use the latest digital kit. It plugs into the OBD port I imagine... but my question was rhetorical really. I'm assuming that each 'stock' C5 may differ from another by virtue of changes like Bilsteins instead of stock shockers, uprated cold air intake, heavy duty sway bars with ease jointed suspension and a Borla 'Touring' (I am a pussy and like to listen to loud well reproduced music) exhaust - and that your Flash read picks this all up?
Clearly there are also real advantages to being able to patch into your detailed knowledge bank on all things C5 Corvette as easily as I've been able to over the last few days: I've learned a lot and all of it FOC so you are already well ahead. One thing I'm hoping to get rid of with the Bilsteins and uprated (bigger than Z06) sway bars + links is the appalling nose up steering light rear bogged down when under hard acceleration - yes? (Nothing new fitted yet - its all been delivered to the shop and I'm booked in last week of April)... You prefer mailing to WhatsApp phone I imagine - more precise / less waffle wasted time?

I do not tune 2 vehicles the same way, even the same model or year
I take in account lots of things such as what elevation they are, type of gas used, what their drivestyle is, if totally stock, if not then what all the changes/mods are, do they do any racing, etc
a lot of other things to consider when I slant/bias the tune such as wheel, tire, rear end gear changed, if manual or auto tranny, if they want rev limiter changed, want more torque, then how to slant auto tranny, want harder quicker shifts, shifts at higher RPMS or MPH, etc

My 1999 is highly modified, lowered, Penske race shocks, custom front/rear sway bars, larger/wider wheels/tires, adjustable end links, etc

Depends on owner's drivestyle and if what type of racing as to how to bias the suspension

I do not know what Whatsapp is ?

 

[Nickerbocker Glory]

WhatsApp is a mobile phone software programme - encrypted end to end - which enables you to phone anywhere in the world using your home broadband signal so no charge. Also accepts clips and files in excess of the usual 20MB on normal email... my daughter phones from Hong Kong on her iPad for hours with her mother
I will get back to you JR - very informative, I like learning new things. It's nearly midnight here so I'm going to hit the sack. I'll be in touch
(What about Mac Book compatibility?)

 

[teamzr1]

I do not know anything about apples other than I used to go to war with apple owners back in the early 1980s
As I only saw it as a toy compared to my TRS-80 Model 1 computer

The flashing software was written for MSwindows and is dependent on functions of it
so unless you have some way to run some OS that is like windows, the software would not function

Could even be a desktop P/C with windows and placed close to the car and connect with the USB cable
or a hand held notebook that using the MS Windows OS

 

[Stingray]

Couple of things. A European C5 will not have a "passive" switch on the key fobs. Also the Central locking and TPMS systems on European cars operate on a different radio frequency than US cars.

Do you really need more performance out of a C5? I always felt the wonderful LS1 engine was the best part of the car and that limitations lay elsewhere. The principle issue was "dive" - where the front of the scar squats under heavy braking. This isn't a particularly big deal when braking in a straight line but with any steering applied the car would dive down onto one corner and could become unstable.

Shift speed and quality of the standard A4 transmission seemed fine to me. However, I was cautious of swift acceleration. When driving in 4th I might want to get moving but commitment on the throttle pedal risked an immediate downshift to 2nd which could overwhelm the rear axle. This could be suppressed by making an initial manual downshift to 3rd although the box might still go for 2nd once throttle was applied. (The downshift to 3rd was best achieved with some throttle applied at the same time, much like rev-matching in a manual car, so everything was nice and stable before giving it more beans.)

If I was modifying a C5 I'd start with the chassis rather than the driveline. By the way, I felt that in corners the standard car can benefit from the load transfer of appropriate left foot braking.

 

[Nickerbocker Glory]

Hmm... thanks Stingray.

Slight dilemma here. My C5 is bloody awful under hard acceleration. (Compared to the Porsche 930 and Jaguar XKR it's pitiful). The rear squats and the nose lifts. Steering feels dangerously light and the whole car feels as though it could careen off the road and into the ditch! Braking is exactly as you describe. So I have (may have mentioned this already) purchased Bilstein shocks and competition sway bars and rose jointed links but have yet to fit them. I'm not out for big low down acceleration for sub 12 sec 1/4 mile - I do like to pull through 40-100mph plus quickly.. for continental driving.

Do I go the local UK 'morning set aside for tweaking by a reputable re-mapper' or rely on stateside TeamZR1 / JR with big experience (and no doubt many glowing testimonials) providing a 5 minute remote digital fix - where there's no face to face exchanges.

Or do I jack the whole idea of re-mapping and look for additional ways to improve drive-ability?

I have never tried left foot braking with right foot on the accelerator. Slower in and foot down fast out pretty much the limit of my technique: I just like to enjoy controlled / progressive power and speed. The 930 Turbo was a handful and would go from oversteer to understeer in a heartbeat on cornering. Keep the power on was the only option I'm still familiarising myself with the Corvette - and am holding back on testing its limits until the Bilsteins and sway bars are fitted. I should add that the puny factory fitted sway bar links are shot after 30k miles which might account for the awful response under hard acceleration / braking (and I expect the shocks are pretty ropy too).

 

[teamzr1]

Nick you have to keep in mind the C5 with LS1 engine and having the A4 auto tranny is not the same as if having the MN6 manual tranny

GM designed the A4 C5 for waxers, as they know they putz around, go to car shows, drive in the slow lane of highways and Corvette
event is to pizza joint to eat and get drunk

Let's look at 2 C5s, 1 with A4 keep in mind the rear end gear ratio is only 2.73 where with MN6 gear is a 3.42
Let's take the 2 and put them into a vehicle model/simulator and see how they fair for performance

Here is from zero to 160 MPH and the time it takes them
A4 takes almost 10 seconds more to get to 160 MPH then the MN6


I selected the Silverstone in the UK (newer layout) as you would know it
A4 is 3 seconds per lap slower than the MN6 C5



Here is a compare at different speeds A4 (car 1) you see is slower in most cases



A4 C5 is in red



Drag strip A4 again is slower