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Some issues I am seeing - 12/13/13- 11/19/14

95K views 280 replies 76 participants last post by  Chip 
#1 · (Edited)
I like to check our forum and other vette websites just to see what sort of trends I can find. I am seeing a couple of issues that have had more than a single occurrence. I am throwing them up here so that if anyone here has the same issue we can have it posted in our “issues & resolution” forum. I have spotted a couple of issues that are worrisome.
Base and Z-51 cars are still experiencing problems that require a rear diff replacement. I cannot tell if the cars affected were only those early low VIN cars with low lube or not? From what I’ve read the lack of proper lube level can kill a diff. pretty quickly.

Another issue that I am starting to see is that several owners of manual tranny equipped cars are reporting that their shifter moves hard into neutral as the tranny kicks out of gear. I have not seen follow ups on these reports and will see what happens and follow up here.

Lastly, there seems to be more issues with the infotainment screen going blank. A new owner of a convertible owner has reported issues with his doing this.
 
#41 ·
I've also experienced the 1st gear pop-out problem when the tranny is cold (VIN 916) and mentioned it to my dealer to make sure the issue is recorded. They drove the car and said it was normal so now I make darn sure I'm firmly in 1st before leaving a stop sign or light. Initially, I thought the gears were not fully engaged due to a linkage adjustment issue but using brut force has seemed to work.

I also feel/hear a crunch going into 2nd when the tranny is cold and was wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

Also - my differential was 1/2 quart low but with just over 600 miles on the car - they declared no damage had been done.

Finally - No infotainment screen problems have been noted at the 862 mile point.
 
#42 ·
Vin 7035- I have noticed it being a little difficult to engage first gear when cold. We went for a drive today ambient about 40 degrees, 1st gear was difficult the first 3 or 4 stop signs. I have not had mine pop out of gear yet, I have also noticed 2nd gear when cold also being a little crunchy as well. Everything is fine after maybe 2 miles. I am not really sure if this is really a problem or not because some of my past Vettes acted similar to this.
I have not had any issues with the infotainment. 765 miles. :)
Oh and my diff. was full we checked it at the dealer before we left...
 
#44 ·
Another car re-purchased after engine change.
"11/14/2013: Sorry to report that I've now experienced my second major problem with my C7. My car is an early VIN (low 300s) and first problem was a bad fuel sending unit which had to be replaced with only 40 miles on the car and took 5 days.
This morning on way to work (670 miles on car) it just dies when coming to a stop. The RPMs just dropped down to zero and it died. Put it in park and started it again (although it didn't want to start). Did same thing at next stop light. Again, it didn't want to re-start, but it did. So I figured I would try to limp home, trying to keep the RPM up when slowing (mine is an automatic) by putting in neutral. Needless to say I didn't make it home and it died in the middle of the road and would not start. Had to get it towed to a local dealer and there it sits for now.


01/06/2014 Here’s the deal. Local dealer replaced the engine and I got the car back in early December. Prior to that I had a case opened up with GM about the problem and apparently there was a good bit of discussion between GM, its engineers, my local dealer (not the one who sold me the car, nor the one who first worked on the fuel sending problem), etc. By the time I picked up the repaired car, GM had agreed to replace the car with a carbon copy of the old one. I must say, the Corvette guy I was able to speak with really stepped up to the plate. He understood how some of us view these cars and how we take care of them. He was a class act. I also understand there were other GM folks behind the scenes who obviously must have taken this issue seriously and I’m sure were helpful in trying to find a resolution. It is a large corporation, however, and getting things figured out and deciphered down to a local dealer does take time and does require a good bit of following up and following through. I just picked up the new car and drove it into work today. So hopeful that I won’t have any more problems.
Here’s the kicker. The night before I was to turn in the old car so I could pick up the new one, I’m driving downtown at night, in the rain when I come up to an intersection and the car dies. The RPM just drop to zero and it died. Put it in park to try and start it and nothing – very similar to when the engine died previously. Car wouldn’t even try to start. Doors would not open and windows would not work (although they would index – but that’s all – and the flashers seemed to work). Another long story which I won’t get into, but in the end the car was towed to the local dealer and that is where it currently sits. I have no idea if it is the same problem as before or a different one, and who knows if I will ever learn what happened. I now have a new car which I hope will be trouble free. The process was long and difficult and I wish it upon no one. I still love the car and the brand. Corvettes are awesome."


Good to see that GM stepped up and took care of this problem.
 
#45 ·
Break Squeal

Just in case your car has break squeal issues here is a reply that speaks to the issue. This owner tried various methods to try to silence his brake squeal and some with the problem have gone to trouble to remove each wheel and burnish each brake rotor, in most cases to no avail. This is his reply to the question of what he did to remedy his problem:

"It took two visits to the dealership. First time they said it was normal and they are hi performance brakes and will squeal, they are supposed to squeal and they are operating as intended. They cleaned the pads per GM and sent me on my way.

They still squealed and I told them that they need to put a massive recall on the brake pads as I haven't heard any other z51s squeal and something was wrong because that can't be normal for them not to squeal as per them.
They agreed to replace the pads. They also noted the pads were missing some compound that is supposed to be on the back of the pads.

1000 miles so far on the new pads and no squeal!"
 
#46 ·
Z51 leaking 1/2 shaft

I've only seen one report of this issue...

"Half shaft left side leaking diff fluid after 1200 miles.
Not real happy. Master tech says about 2 hours to
replace the seals after he gets the part.
Parts are on the way. Evidently 2 O-rings on each side. they are
replacing both sides even though only one side is leaking. Not the
first occurrence of this from what I have been told. Sounds like
about 6 hours of labor total."
 
#52 ·
I've only seen one report of this issue...

"Half shaft left side leaking diff fluid after 1200 miles.
Not real happy. Master tech says about 2 hours to
replace the seals after he gets the part.
Parts are on the way. Evidently 2 O-rings on each side. they are
replacing both sides even though only one side is leaking. Not the
first occurrence of this from what I have been told. Sounds like
about 6 hours of labor total."
A follow up by this owner. I have seen indications that at least 5 other owners have had leaking diffs.:" After having both seals replaced, the right side is leak free, left side still leaks, but much less. GM issued an IPO (or something like that) and they are going to replace the differential. I'm driving the car till the parts show up. I very much doubt this is going to fix the problem. It would be nice to be able to monitor the fluid level in the differential. And then top it off as necessary. I don't think the seals like cold weather. The seals are going to need a re-design. Also twice now, happens very fast, "rear axle off" messages on the display screen. So fast that by the time you hear the beep the message is already off the display."
 
#47 ·
Another leaking Diff.

"C7 Z51 is leaking fluid from rear differential. Only 70 miles on the car! Cleaned the area to see if it was just overflow from dealer checking/replacing the fluid on delivery, but it keeps leaking on garage floor after it's driven. Will be bringing it to the dealer when weather permits, just giving you guys a "heads up."

2014 Z51 3LT
Production Date 12/05/2013

I am given to believe that this leaking seal is the same on Z-51's and the standard diff. on the base car.
 
#48 ·
we had to have ours towed to dealer wife called said it was decelerating while trying to accelerate and shaking bad dealer said broken valve spring they are having an expert that is in engine product development with g m and lives close to dealer and is in town to try and figure out why this happened. car has a little over 5000 miles on it and just had it serviced. when I talked to them this morning I had some concerns about valve /piston contact they said they put there scope in the cylinder and could se no damage to piston and compression test is good I will post what they come back with when I have more info.
 
#50 ·
Brake Squeal TSB

PI0917B: Front Brake Squeal or Squeak Noise Intermittently on Initial Brake Applies - (Dec 10, 2013) Subject: Front Brake Squeal or Squeak Noise Intermittently on Initial Brake Applies
Models:
2013-2014 Buick Regal GS
2013-2014 Cadillac ATS, Equipped with RPO J55
2013-2014 Cadillac XTS Equipped with RPO J64
2014 Cadillac CTS Sedan Equipped with RPO J55 orJ56
2014 Chevrolet Corvette, SS
This PI has been revised to update the Models and the Parts Information. Please discard PI0917A.
Condition/Concern
Some customers may comment on a squeal or squeak noise from the front brakes. This condition normally only occurs on initial brake applications after the vehicle has sat for an extended time. The condition occurs typically under light braking, in speeds under 16 km/h (10 mph). After 1-6 brake applies, or after braking at higher speeds, the noise no longer occurs. This condition may occur more often in high humidity conditions.
Recommendation/Instructions
Important: Do not apply the lubricant to the back of the backing plate. Apply a light coat of the lubricant to completely cover the pad backing plate abutments on each end. The lubricant should not extend onto the friction material.
 
#57 ·
My '14 stingray #10261 BLK 3LT also has a leaking left axle seal at 2000 miles. Should get fixed sometime this week. At first the dealer told me it was a cracked housing, but the mechanic and I had a closer look and I showed him it was the seal. Then said they needed an atom-splitting carbon-diffuser tool from GM to unload the leaf spring. I asked if he was sure, he said he just mainly works on trucks. I was thinking O great. I told them I had my own Kent Moore tools and could do the job myself, just as I have done C5's and C6's. It's going to need a new CV axle and a new seal to make it stop leaking. Hope I don't have to get whole differential, but I guess time will tell.
 
#58 ·
... Then said they needed an atom-splitting carbon-diffuser tool from GM to unload the leaf spring. I asked if he was sure, he said he just mainly works on trucks...
Man I got to tell you, I've heard of a lot different excuses, but this one takes the cake! I will refrain from throwing the BOGUS flag, but it's about to be tossed. Can anyone else speak to the existence of such a tool? Sounds like something from the movie "Back to the Future". ;)
 
#60 ·
Chip,

I had this issue. Since the new Vettes don't have CD players anymore, before I left home to take delivery at the museum, I grabbed a dozen or so CDs and ripped them to my PC. Then dowloaded those MP3 files to a brand new SanDisk 32 gb thumb drive. On the ride back to Florida, I put the thumb drive in a USB port and it played great. Maybe the nicest sounding stereo I have had. But I noticed that on a few of the artists, when a song was over, instead of it rolling to the next song on the playlist, it repeated the same song. My first thought was that there was a problem with the stereo and it was not advancing through the playlist. While playing around on the ride back, I noticed that the song was actually listed multiple times on the play list. If I by passed the song enough, I would eventually get to the next song, but would go through the same routine after that song was completed. I immediately assumed that I must have screwed up when I downloaded the files from my PC to the SanDisk drive. So, when I got home, I plugged the drive back into my PC and looked at the play list and there were no duplicate songs. I then took the drive to my smart TV and plugged it in to play the songs their and the play list on the TV also did not have any duplicate songs.

I then took the car in for a few minor issues, of which this was the most problematic. My dealer got two techies from Michigan on the phone to help diagnose the problem. BTW, these are the infotainment system experts. They did tell us that they were experiencing the same problem elsewhere in the country but it appeared to be only associated with the SanDisk drives. They recommended that I try a different brand thumb drive. I then went out and bought a PNY 32 gb thumb drive and downloaded the exact same CDs that I had on the SanDisk drive and the problem is now gone. Not sure what the problem is with the formatting on the SanDisk drives, but there appears to be a compatibility issue with the SanDisk drives and the Infotainment system.

Now that I have posted this, I want to make sure that everyone understands that I don't view this as a huge problem. In fact, the car is the best Vette I have ever owned, and I have had a few.
 
#61 ·
The name for the mysterious tool was a only a joke. I don't see why the leaf spring needed to come off. But on a serious note, I think the problem might stem from a machining flaw in the differential. Might be the reason they are all on the left side. If it was bad batch of seals, the right side would leak also.(if they are the same) So there is a chance I will need a new differential. It is a 7sd if that helps, they all have the 3.42 gears.

Either way, just like Rich427, this new car is awesome and blast to drive.

If plan to get a picture of that mystery tool, might need to buy a lead suit.
 
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#63 ·
New rear diff. leak info.

This from an owner that has had a leaking diff. and was told...
"Well it took a lot of arm twisting, but GM has finally acknowledged that
the seals do in fact contract at temperatures below 20F and then leak.
So a new seal design which probably means a new rubber formulation is
in the works. ETA unknown at this time. There is another non-chevy vehicle
effected by this seal issue."
 
#87 ·
More info on leaking Diff. seal, but still no progress on fix

This from an owner that has had a leaking diff. and was told...
"Well it took a lot of arm twisting, but GM has finally acknowledged that
the seals do in fact contract at temperatures below 20F and then leak.
So a new seal design which probably means a new rubber formulation is
in the works. ETA unknown at this time. There is another non-chevy vehicle
effected by this seal issue."
" The new seals are not available yet, and doing this is a waste
of everyone's time and money. Have your dealer contact GM
before doing this. Wait for the new seals. Today was the first day in a while that it was below 20.
So I expect a leak spot on the garage floor tomorrow morning.
My dealer has a new trick, just lifting the back of the car up by about 1 foot
and filling it as much as possible. So I can now go about 4 weeks per fillup. Last fillup was .5 quart.
This should be the last below 20F day this season, and I should have new seals before next winter.
The part number for the bad seals are 19301560 The new seals when they come out will be a different number.
Replacing bad seals with more bad seals is a bad idea. they do not
come out easy, and if you scratch the shaft, it will leak forever even
with the new seals...
After changing out in excess of 30 sets of seals with the same result
every time, my dealer has been told to stop replacing seals and wait
for redesigned parts. Reinstalling seals on C7's requires a special tool that some dealers might
not have yet."
 
#65 ·
Good morning Kelly.
Just bought a 14 Z-51 and yes I'm also having the rear diff issues. Can you give me a number of someone at G.M. ? MacMulkin was the dealership where the car was purchased I called the service dept. yesterday they told me to bring it in today. I explained to the sales person I didn't feel safe driving the car could they come pick it up. With a very smart ass rather F/U attitude
they said they wouldn't come get a car it's a normal thing ,with 40 miles on it it's hardly normal. I didn't buy a car to get screwed and that's what I feel like what I'M getting. I don't even want the car any more I will never deal with MacMulkin ever again. Thanks Charlie.
 
#66 ·
Some issues I am seeing



Honestly, if the service department said bring it in and you are within 50 miles of the dealership, which it sounds like you are then what's the problem? If it's broken and you damage it even more driving it in then they replace the diff under warranty. If you drove after they told you not to then that's different but that's not the situation here.


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#68 ·
I might, how is it optioned, color, etc.

I'm not trying to make light of your situation, I understand how upsetting this can be. However, you haven't described the condition beyond differential binding. When does it happen, when did it start, what are the symptoms, etc. It's well documented that what some have called differential binding is actually the Ackerman effect caused buy the front suspension geometry exacerbated by the cold temperatures on the high performance tires.

I assume you described your concerns to the service department and based on that they said to drive it in. If the unit is defective then it gets replaced, if you believe replacing the differential on a new car will somehow diminish the value or make it less than "perfect" then nothing anyone types here is going to change that.

If roadside assistance won't help then you could always pay to have it towed with the understanding that if they did find something damaged you would be reimbursed for the expense. Another option would be using any towing clause you have in your insurance policy to submit a claim for reimbursement.
 
#69 ·
@mjw930 I believe Charlie's frustration lies in the fact that he only has 40 miles on this car and this is happening. I know when my car comes in within the next few weeks I would be pissed to have to deal with something like this after dropping $60000 on a car. This should not be happening and after the dealer just made thousands of dollar off you with the car purchase they should be bending over backwards for you. As far as the dealer picking it up, maybe Charlie does not feel safe driving this car with these issues. I feel Charlie makes great points and I too would go straight to GM if the dealer did not want to help me.


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#73 ·
I usually agree with you on most points Mark, but not this time. If Charlie does not feel safe driving it, then he should call GM and explain his issues to them. I think Jeff suggested in another thread (to Charlie or someone with a very similar problem) to get GM roadside assistance to flat bed the car to the closest Corvette-trained dealership. I think Jeff had some great advice there.
I can respect that and I find it strange that MacMulkin is treating him like this considering their reputation, I'd be pissed too.
 
#70 ·
I usually agree with you on most points Mark, but not this time. If Charlie does not feel safe driving it, then he should call GM and explain his issues to them. I think Jeff suggested in another thread (to Charlie or someone with a very similar problem) to get GM roadside assistance to flat bed the car to the closest Corvette-trained dealership. I think Jeff had some great advice there.
 
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#71 ·
A new issue to be aware of:
The issue: Engine Rattle
"The engine is rattling on light acceleration. Sometimes it goes away quickly other times if I hold the throttle at the right position it stays. Hard acceleration I hear nothing.

The fix: Went to dealer and had them check it out. They had to call GM engineering. What they found is the serpentine belt tensioner has a small leak in hydraulic fluid. That causes the belt to become loose. The harmonic vibration of the engine during cylinder deactivation at low RPM with little acceleration causes this belt to squeak and rattle.
GM states that they have seen this on a few cars and that they will replace the belt tensioner."
 
#72 ·
A TSB number or something like that would be extremely useful if a few others ever run into this. I hope you can eventually get one, Chip. Thanks for keeping on top of the potential issues and making this site such a great service resource!
 
#74 ·
Just because their sales department moves so many Corvettes all over the country does not mean that they service a lot of Corvettes. Maybe they do, maybe they do not. I don't know. However, it is not unusual for a dealership to have one strong branch (either sales or service) and not such a stellar branch on the other side (KUNI Cadillac, for example, where my wife bought her car - great sales manager, but the service manager, well...)

If Charlie does get GM to flatbed his Corvette to a dealership, I wonder if he would be better off having his service done elsewhere? He indicated that he was not happy with talking to the service department on the phone, so, in that case, if I were him I would ask GM to take it somewhere else (which is also Corvette certified, of course). Of course, that is just me.
 
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#76 ·
If anybody having issues is in the Dallas/Ft Worth area, I have a great Corvette tech here. I keep up with all of the issues that happen via Service Bulletins and as well as various internet forums. My tech came from a well respected Corvette Specialty Shop in the Dallas area and now is on the GM team. He brought a wealth of knowledge with him from working on strictly Corvettes for years. My background is as a Performance Shop owner of 9 years(Sold the shop in 09, and now work for GM).

If any of you are in the area, I'm happy to put my Specialist on it.
 
#77 ·
Dealer called and said that the cruise control switch that was backordered had come in. Picked the car up later and he told me that they still couldn't get the switch, so they changed to whole steering wheel....that is pretty good service. I was very surprised.
 
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