I've just purchased from a "youthful" owner a 2002 Z with 53K on the odo. It has some cosmetic issues that kept the price relatively low, but in the cold light of dawn on day 2 of my ownership, I'm confronted by warning prompts that indicate Service ABS, Service Traction System, and Service Active Handling, and static yellow icons indicating engine, traction and ABS. I've followed the procedure posted elsewhere on the forum intending to ferret out the issues, but after years of living with trouble-free ricers am relegated to standing by the car, slack-jawed, contemplating the electrical complexity of my ZO6, feeling a sense of impending doom.
The young seller left behind receipts for multiple passes (and some good ETs) at a dragstrip near Boston where he is a student, so it is now evident he had his ZO6 "swan song"before listing and selling it. The tires are brand new Supercars installed after his day at the drags in mid-August, so I'm suspicous (and hoping) that swapping on the new rubber rather than some drag strip cataclysm may be the event that has triggered the warnings.
I'm looking for a quick tutorial on what to look for and to expect with the dash prompts and lights before I engege a local shop a blank check. Crystal ball readings and ESP are as welcome as hardcore advice from those who know the differecne between a crescent wrench and a torque wrench.
And, Lordy, Lordy, what am I going to do with my thousand dollar investment in metric tools?
Sorry to hear about your problems. Here is tutorial on how to get the trouble codes from your car. You can then proceed to either a Chevy dealer or knowledgeable Corvette mechanic and get your problems fixed. You can also search this website for other members that had similar trouble codes and see what they did.
Best of luck! Robert
The IPC display, the 20-character, vacuum florescent screen above the steering column that says "Corvette by Chevrolet" every time you turn on the key is a powerful device.
DIY Service Techs are going to be most interested in the LPG’s ability to show diagnostic trouble codes (DTC) for all the modules that transmit them.
The "diagnostic display" mode is entered with the following Procedure: Page 8-500
1) Turn on the ignition but don't start the engine.
2) Press the "reset" button to turn off any warning messages
3) Press and hold "options" and
4) While holding "options", press "fuel" four times within a 10-Second period.
Initially, the on-board diagnostics go into the "automatic" mode, which shows each module's DTCs in a
pre-set sequence: (Page No. are for the GM Service Manual)
10 PCNI Powertrain Control Module page 6-357 - 6-361
28 TCS Traction Control system ABS on page 5-86
?? RTD Real Time damping page 3-136
40 BCM Body Control Module page 8-405 LTD Page 8-727
60 [PC instrument Pane! Cluster page 8-508
80 radio page 8-213
99 FIVAC Heater Vent-Air Conditioning page 1-118
A0 LDCM Left Door Control module page 8-904 to 8-951
Al RDCM Right Door Control Module page 8-904 to 8-951
AC SCM Seat Control module page 8-1064-8-1082
B0 RFA Remote Function Actuation page 8-676
For each module, all DTCs will be displayed. If none are present in a module, you will see "no more codes" on the ICP display.
There are two kinds of DTCs, "Current" and "History," designated with a letter suffix, "C" or "H". A current code indicates that the malfunction is present in the system whose module is displaying data. A history code indicates a problem existed in that module sometime in the last 40 or 50 ignition cycles. When not accompanied by a current code of the same number, it is possible it's evidence of a previous problem. Now solved, that was not removed by clearing codes. More likely is that a history code indicates an intermittent malfunction.
"Intermittent" are the most challenging DTCs. An intermittent may have happened only once, may have happened more than once but is inconsistent in its appearance or may be happening on a regular basis but not at the time the IPC is displaying codes. History codes can also be caused by a current malfunction in a system that is not Operating at the time DTCs are displayed. An example is the rear window defogger, which doesn't operate until the BCM detects engine rpm. For history codes set by a system that does not operate with the key on and engine off, a special diagnostic tool called a "scan tester is necessary to properly diagnose the malfunction.
Once the IPC has displayed all 11 modules, the system goes into the manual mode, which allows selection of each module, using combinations of DIC buttons. The manual mode can also be entered at any time during the automatic sequence by pressing any button except "E/M". Once the IPC displays "manual diagnostics", you may select a particular module by pressing the options button to go forward or the "trip" button to go back. Once a system is selected and a DTC is displayed, if more than one are present; press "gages" To move forward or "fuel" to go back. To exit the diagnostic mode at any time, press E/M". If you want to erase or "clear" codes, press "reset". Clearing a code does not repair a problem. You are simply erasing the evidence of it in the module's memory.
Sounds like your EBCM is dead. 5-700 for the part...easy DIY (as I understand it) install....I have the same issue and have been living with the codes now for 3 months.
Not a good thing to be without (AH) with 571 rwhp!
You mentioned your engine light is on also? If not flashing, probably no big deal - emissions related. Does the car have headers?
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Sounds like your EBCM is dead. 5-700 for the part...easy DIY (as I understand it) install....I have the same issue and have been living with the codes now for 3 months.
Not a good thing to be without (AH) with 571 rwhp!
You mentioned your engine light is on also? If not flashing, probably no big deal - emissions related. Does the car have headers?
There is a post somewhere about this and where to get rebuilt units. I will find it for you...
Following the procedures graciously posted above, I found only two codes with the "C" suffix:
10 PCM 0410
28 TCS 1214
There were also several "H" indications elsewhere in the sequence, including 4 associated with the TCS, but I reasoned the "C" codes were worth chasing first ... and ran out of room on the gas slip I was using to take notes in the cockpit.
Drum roll: Does this confirm the speculation about having to replace the module and shell out $500-$700 for the R&R , or does it point elsewhere?
The car does run GREAT and sounds even greater (has been modified with a K&N intake and Borla exhaust), but the static yellow lights indicating Engine, TCS and ABS make driving an emotional challenge, fully expecting a full shutdown and trip home on a flatbed.
Geez ... the ink is hardly dry on the check, I've put less than 10 sweaty miles on it, and am itching to take it on a tour in the Shenandoahs this weekend. But it looks as though I've have to use my ricer (supercharged R-package 94 Miata) instead. The mechanic who has been wrenching the Miata is just going to love THIS ... he was actually a bowtie guy in a former life. I just hope he's up to the challenge of substituting computer disgnostics for the rubber chicken and Rasta incantations he once used on those "vintage" Vettes.
Educate me, please ... I just want to play with this thing and worry more about collecting tickets than confronting a fatal engine error.
Thanks ... I really did need that! It's just sitting there in the driveway, silent and dark ... I'm feeling the way I felt on Christmas Eve when I was a kid, knowing there was a Daisy BB gun under the tree, and I couldn't touch it until the morning. Then morning came, I opened the box and embraced it, only to discover there were no bloody BBs, and all the stores were closed. I think I'm cursed!
To IT L GO: Thanks for leading me to that thread, which I read diligently. But can you establish a correlation between the offending module and the three static yellow lights, as well as the warning prompts for servicing ABS, TCS and Active handling? Put another way, will replacing the modue clear the dash of warnings and let me drive this beast without fear of further failure?
The TCS1214 is responsible for your problem. The other error can be ignored, it's an AIR system error, which won't light the ABS/TC trouble lamps and doesn't cause any real problem anyway, it's emissions for when the car is cold.
When this code is present, the ABS/TC/AH systems are disabled. The car will otherwise operate normally. But be cautious. You're new to the car, and just about every case I know of where a new owner or inexperienced driver has wrecked their car, it happened when they'd turned off these systems (which is something you can do by pressing or holding the TC button on the console).
The TCS1214 error is most commonly associated with a bad EBCM (Electronic Brake Control Module. The EBCM functions as the electro-mechanical interface that lets the ABS/TC/AH systems control the Brakes). The module bolts to the side of the ABS control valve assembly, which is on the driver's side of the car, front of the engine. The ABS assembly is an about-5" cube with 4 steel brake lines coming out of the top. The EBCM is warted on to the side and has a large electrical connector. Replacement is a fairly straighforward swap, a few bolts and the connector and you're done.
How do I know this in such detail? I just replaced my EBCM last week. My car is an 02 Z06 with 53K miles on it. A curious coincidence.
On my car, because of the Supercharger, the radiator had to come out (but it was leaking, anyway) to get to the module. I'm not sure if anything similar is required for a normally aspirated LS6 or you can just reach in and swap it...
If you're not happy with the best price you can find on the open market, send me a PM and I'll ask my guy what he'd charge. He can buy from GM Direct at cost.
In the interim, since you already know how to get the DIC into Diagnostics mode, go toggle to the TCS codes and hold RESET until you hear a beep. This will clear the codes and turn off the touble lights. If the problem is intermittent, the lights will stay off for a while and then come back on at some random point in time (and you can clear them again). If the problem is "hard" the codes will come back immediately and you're no worse off for having tried to clear things out.
In either case, before I bought a new EBCM, I would remove and inspect the one you have now. If you see dirty or corroded connectors or damaged/frayed wires you may be able to clean things up and restore the system to normal operation. And don't forget to go clear the codes after you've replaced the module. The simple act of removing and replacing could be enough to "correct" whatever's gone wrong...
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Hey, Rocketsled, thanks for the detailed and thoughtful reply ... I'll ease my way into the EBCM R&R as you suggest, checking first to confirm it is indeed a "hard" problem. I'm an old fart (over 60) retired Army officer and kind of stubborn about wanting to understand a problem fully before I throw my pension money at some electrical or mechanical germlin. You and the others above have made my day with what seems to be sound advice. This Forum is a great resource, and the folks who've stepped up to help are certainly owed my debt of gratitude for letting me feel a little better about what this car has already done to my back account without provision for the module. Thanks again!
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