Obligatory C5 Thread

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Your definition of "reliable".

How does hatch bubbling strand you? Or a leaky diff? Even the cracked wheel won't strand you (but does need to be replaced ASAP, that's a BS issue...agreed). You can drive with the EBCM dead, especially in CA...but certainly a safety thing that needs to be addressed.

read what I wrote, my leafspring bolt broke off. And I specifically listed it under mods since it wasn't a stock bolt.
And the bubbling rear hatch was it bugged me and I am no where near [user not found] levels of behind the tail light mud content

You said:

My C5 was not overly reliable ... by 50k miles (from 20)

Then listed no real reliability issues that weren't due to modz.

[max225]

read what I wrote, my leafspring bolt broke off. And I specifically listed it under mods since it wasn't a stock bolt.
And the bubbling rear hatch was it bugged me and I am no where near [user not found] levels of behind the tail light mud content

You said:

My C5 was not overly reliable ... by 50k miles (from 20)

Then listed no real reliability issues that weren't due to modz.

I think EBCM is a real issue as is a leaky rear end as is a fucking cracked wheel, that's just bullshit. total was around $1500 out of pocket for that in 30k miles. The cracked wheels were not due to hitting bumps it was a quality issue with GM.

[Melon]

My BCM acts up, I just giggle the wires connecting to it.
Some do seriously fook up doe.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

You said:


Then listed no real reliability issues that weren't due to modz.

I think EBCM is a real issue as is a leaky rear end. total was around $1000 out of pocket for that in 30k miles

Neither will strand you. All cars have issues pop up that need to be addressed.

And FWIW, my car had 55k miles on it when I rebuilt the diff and it was perfectly clean on the outside. The leaky ass doesn't apply to every car.

My EBCM did die, doe. $100 to ABSFixer and it's been fine for years now.

[max225]

I think EBCM is a real issue as is a leaky rear end. total was around $1000 out of pocket for that in 30k miles

Neither will strand you. All cars have issues pop up that need to be addressed.

And FWIW, my car had 55k miles on it when I rebuilt the diff and it was perfectly clean on the outside. The leaky ass doesn't apply to every car.

My EBCM did die, doe. $100 to ABSFixer and it's been fine for years now.

And you got stranded in your work garage and if you didn't have the tools or garage mahal you would have gotten an epic ass raping on that repair.

Yes all cars have issues, some ppl just say ...Reliable to me is a civic or camry, a C5 isn't.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Neither will strand you. All cars have issues pop up that need to be addressed.

And FWIW, my car had 55k miles on it when I rebuilt the diff and it was perfectly clean on the outside. The leaky ass doesn't apply to every car.

My EBCM did die, doe. $100 to ABSFixer and it's been fine for years now.

And you got stranded in your work garage and if you didn't have the tools or garage mahal you would have gotten an epic ass raping on that repair.

Yes all cars have issues, some ppl just say ...Reliable to me is a civic or camry, a C5 isn't.

My issue was a one-off. I can't find anyone else that's had the same issue. Parts can fail even on a Civic or Camry the same way.

There's nothing known to be unreliable that will strand a stock C5...other than maybe the column lock.

[troyguitar]

And you got stranded in your work garage and if you didn't have the tools or garage mahal you would have gotten an epic ass raping on that repair.

Yes all cars have issues, some ppl just say ...Reliable to me is a civic or camry, a C5 isn't.

My issue was a one-off. I can't find anyone else that's had the same issue. Parts can fail even on a Civic or Camry the same way.

There's nothing known to be unreliable that will strand a stock C5...other than maybe the column lock.

I just replaced the starter on the Vibe, it had been getting slower and slower to crank in cold weather over the years (even with a new and fully charged battery) to the point where I was finally worried it might strand me somewhere eventually... what an unreliable POS.

[max225]

And you got stranded in your work garage and if you didn't have the tools or garage mahal you would have gotten an epic ass raping on that repair.

Yes all cars have issues, some ppl just say ...Reliable to me is a civic or camry, a C5 isn't.

My issue was a one-off. I can't find anyone else that's had the same issue. Parts can fail even on a Civic or Camry the same way.

There's nothing known to be unreliable that will strand a stock C5...other than maybe the column lock.

Oh shit I forgot I did the bypass in that... and I did some other minor preventative stuff like wrap an ABS sensor with tape that was wearing through.

[max225]

My issue was a one-off. I can't find anyone else that's had the same issue. Parts can fail even on a Civic or Camry the same way.

There's nothing known to be unreliable that will strand a stock C5...other than maybe the column lock.

I just replaced the starter on the Vibe, it had been getting slower and slower to crank in cold weather over the years (even with a new and fully charged battery) to the point where I was finally worried it might strand me somewhere eventually... what an unreliable POS.

Your vibe has been reliable... sometimes I give up with you

[D Griff]

Neither will strand you. All cars have issues pop up that need to be addressed.

And FWIW, my car had 55k miles on it when I rebuilt the diff and it was perfectly clean on the outside. The leaky ass doesn't apply to every car.

My EBCM did die, doe. $100 to ABSFixer and it's been fine for years now.

And you got stranded in your work garage and if you didn't have the tools or garage mahal you would have gotten an epic ass raping on that repair.

Yes all cars have issues, some ppl just say ...Reliable to me is a civic or camry, a C5 isn't.

Meh... I had a Civic and have had MANY friends with Civics and none were trouble free, in my world, a C5 is actually more reliable than a Civic... Admittedly most C5s are far better cared for than the average Civic, if maintained the same maybe the Civic is better. I was basically Zillspec with mine though and it was a pretty big POS. Granted it never stranded me, but many, many rough trips and lots of headaches that were difficult to diagnose, even by the

Also, the C5 is a high performance car that was near supercar level in its time. What other thing from '99-04 that performs close to a C5 is as reliable? There's a reason this forum of cheap asses loved the C5, it's one of the few things that's actually cheap, fast, and reliable. It has it's own unique set of compromises, scraping on everything, comically massive turning radius, hideous interior design and build quality, tons of road noise, poor shifter feel, anus shattering... but unreliable it is not.

[Melon]

And you got stranded in your work garage and if you didn't have the tools or garage mahal you would have gotten an epic ass raping on that repair.

Yes all cars have issues, some ppl just say ...Reliable to me is a civic or camry, a C5 isn't.

Meh... I had a Civic and have had MANY friends with Civics and none were trouble free, in my world, a C5 is actually more reliable than a Civic... Admittedly most C5s are far better cared for than the average Civic, if maintained the same maybe the Civic is better. I was basically Zillspec with mine though and it was a pretty big POS. Granted it never stranded me, but many, many rough trips and lots of headaches that were difficult to diagnose, even by the

Also, the C5 is a high performance car that was near supercar level in its time. What other thing from '99-04 that performs close to a C5 is as reliable? There's a reason this forum of cheap asses loved the C5, it's one of the few things that's actually cheap, fast, and reliable. It has it's own unique set of compromises, scraping on everything, comically massive turning radius, hideous interior design and build quality, tons of road noise, poor shifter feel, anus shattering... but unreliable it is not.

I found a flag, hung it, and saluted it after reading this post.

[troyguitar]

Meh... I had a Civic and have had MANY friends with Civics and none were trouble free, in my world, a C5 is actually more reliable than a Civic... Admittedly most C5s are far better cared for than the average Civic, if maintained the same maybe the Civic is better. I was basically Zillspec with mine though and it was a pretty big POS. Granted it never stranded me, but many, many rough trips and lots of headaches that were difficult to diagnose, even by the

Also, the C5 is a high performance car that was near supercar level in its time. What other thing from '99-04 that performs close to a C5 is as reliable? There's a reason this forum of cheap asses loved the C5, it's one of the few things that's actually cheap, fast, and reliable. It has it's own unique set of compromises, scraping on everything, comically massive turning radius, hideous interior design and build quality, tons of road noise, poor shifter feel, anus shattering... but unreliable it is not.

I found a flag, hung it, and saluted it after reading this post.

Asshole.

[Melon]

I found a flag, hung it, and saluted it after reading this post.

Asshole.

[wap]

Meh... I had a Civic and have had MANY friends with Civics and none were trouble free, in my world, a C5 is actually more reliable than a Civic... Admittedly most C5s are far better cared for than the average Civic, if maintained the same maybe the Civic is better. I was basically Zillspec with mine though and it was a pretty big POS. Granted it never stranded me, but many, many rough trips and lots of headaches that were difficult to diagnose, even by the

Also, the C5 is a high performance car that was near supercar level in its time. What other thing from '99-04 that performs close to a C5 is as reliable? There's a reason this forum of cheap asses loved the C5, it's one of the few things that's actually cheap, fast, and reliable. It has it's own unique set of compromises, scraping on everything, comically massive turning radius, hideous interior design and build quality, tons of road noise, poor shifter feel, anus shattering... but unreliable it is not.

I found a flag, hung it, and saluted it after reading this post.

[Acid666]

Not the worst thing I've ever had to do, but definitely not the funnest. Worked from around 1pm-5pm, takin my time between frustrations. So honestly about 3 hours of solid work to get to this point. Half of the steering rack is jammed so tomorrow I'll try to pry it out and then get the whole thing off. Then I can start working on that pulley. Got a few antifreeze drips in a few spots so I need to evaluate some hoses. Bit more grease than I'd like, I think the PCV might be leaking too.

Gonna tinker with it tomorrow, or just work on it in the evenings takin my time. It'll give me something to do.

[Melon]

I replaced my PCV, but I think the valve cover has a small leak. Oh well, typical GM small block self-rustproofing

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Not the worst thing I've ever had to do, but definitely not the funnest. Worked from around 1pm-5pm, takin my time between frustrations. So honestly about 3 hours of solid work to get to this point. Half of the steering rack is jammed so tomorrow I'll try to pry it out and then get the whole thing off. Then I can start working on that pulley. Got a few antifreeze drips in a few spots so I need to evaluate some hoses. Bit more grease than I'd like, I think the PCV might be leaking too.

Gonna tinker with it tomorrow, or just work on it in the evenings takin my time. It'll give me something to do.

The rack is a bitch. you just need to keep pushing and rotating it to get it out. Not a fun job, and if you can get a helper to assist with just holding it (the damned thing is heavy), that can make a big difference.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

I replaced my PCV, but I think the valve cover has a small leak. Oh well, typical GM small block self-rustproofing

Not sure how a valve cover would leak. Depending on where it' coming from, would most likely be the oil pressure sensor.

[Acid666]

The rack is a bitch. you just need to keep pushing and rotating it to get it out. Not a fun job, and if you can get a helper to assist with just holding it (the damned thing is heavy), that can make a big difference.

The problem with it is you know those 2 bolts that hold it in? The drivers side is loose, but the pass side even with the bolts removed is stuck and just needs to be lifted out of the sleeve. I'm gonna mess with that today.
Those power steering bracket bolts... MY GOD. Seriously? I thought I was gonna strip a couple of them because of extreme angle I had to come in at with a 15mm wrench.

[Melon]

I replaced my PCV, but I think the valve cover has a small leak. Oh well, typical GM small block self-rustproofing

Not sure how a valve cover would leak. Depending on where it' coming from, would most likely be the oil pressure sensor.

Shit leaks, I've cleaned up my engine before, and I have a small oil leak somewhere.


Just brubtub things

[ChrisoftheNorth]

The rack is a bitch. you just need to keep pushing and rotating it to get it out. Not a fun job, and if you can get a helper to assist with just holding it (the damned thing is heavy), that can make a big difference.

The problem with it is you know those 2 bolts that hold it in? The drivers side is loose, but the pass side even with the bolts removed is stuck and just needs to be lifted out of the sleeve. I'm gonna mess with that today.
Those power steering bracket bolts... MY GOD. Seriously? I thought I was gonna strip a couple of them because of extreme angle I had to come in at with a 15mm wrench.

I used a prybar to get the rack out of the pass side mount. It's the only way.

And yea, the power steering bracket bolts are I'd suggest taking this opportunity to swap the plastic pulley to a metal (C6) one. Makes things easier.

BUT, if you're just changing the balancer, you don't need to pull the power steering pump. You can leave all that alone.

[Acid666]

The problem with it is you know those 2 bolts that hold it in? The drivers side is loose, but the pass side even with the bolts removed is stuck and just needs to be lifted out of the sleeve. I'm gonna mess with that today.
Those power steering bracket bolts... MY GOD. Seriously? I thought I was gonna strip a couple of them because of extreme angle I had to come in at with a 15mm wrench.

I used a prybar to get the rack out of the pass side mount. It's the only way.

And yea, the power steering bracket bolts are I'd suggest taking this opportunity to swap the plastic pulley to a metal (C6) one. Makes things easier.

BUT, if you're just changing the balancer, you don't need to pull the power steering pump. You can leave all that alone.

I got the steering rack out. I actually pulled it out the top. I honestly can't see a way to remove the rack without pulling the power steering assembly. I had to unbolt the ABS module as well (from the cradle) to be able to rotate the rack to pull it sideways.
I'm halfway there. Today I got the rack completely out and pulled the pulley off. This we'll I may order some new hoses just to do it, and try to clean up a lot of the front of the engine to be able to find leaks later.

[Melon]

Replace the P/S pulley

Edit: Get the pump rebuilt, I did it on mine, and fucking love it.

[ChrisoftheNorth]

Replace the P/S pulley

Edit: Get the pump rebuilt, I did it on mine, and fucking love it.

The Turn One performance rebuild is a 5/7 mod IMO.

[Melon]

Replace the P/S pulley

Edit: Get the pump rebuilt, I did it on mine, and fucking love it.

The Turn One performance rebuild is a 5/7 mod IMO.

And 99% is getting the P/S pump in and out, and you've done that.
Be careful re-installing the ABS module, it can be tricky to re-align in the mounting slots.