| Grab a cup of coffee! My C4 problem. |
Subject: Grab a cup of coffee! My C4 problem. by HorribleHerb on 2012/1/10 21:52:18 Let me start at the beginning . I was cruising along on I-10 when my Vette started missing and backfiring. I was able to get off at an exit close by. I called a tow truck and by the time it arrived the car was running fine. I took it to a shop the local corvette club Recommended. They couldn't find any thing wrong. It left me stranded again a few days later. Since I have a Delteq ignition I suspected that's what it was but it checked out fine according to the trouble shooting guide. It got to where it would turn over but would not start. After playing around and not getting anywhere I called a shop familiar with the ignition about 70 mi away. I called a tow truck and the driver asked if it would start. I told him it hadn't started in a month. I tried it and the damn thing started!! The shop had it a week and it kept running. Finally, it started acting up. They told me they believed it was a security issue. I told them I never thought of that. After waiting a couple of weeks for their Friend at the local Chevy dealer to confirm their suspicion with some electronic devise, he confirmed that suspicion. They said I needed to get the security deleted from the chip in the ECU. I informed them that it was an aftermarket chip from Ed Wright. I had the shop overnight the chip to Ed because he was getting ready to go racing for a week or so. The shop called and told me the chip was back in the car and they started it many times and drove it around. They said it was ready and I went to get the Vette. I was happy! 20 mi later I stopped to wash the car. It started and I let It idle when I saw the tach needle jump and then it quit. It would start, miss & spit, and quit. I had just spent over $400.00 and I was furious! I tried calling the shop and could not get anyone. I ran the battery down trying to get it to stay running. Hello tow truck. After waiting over an hour for the tow I tried a jump. The car started and ran fine?? I made it to Cruising the Coast, about 80 mi. away. I drove it around that night and parked it. The next night when I went to leave the Vette started right up. I made it about a mile down the road and it started doing the same thing as before. Missing,backfiring etc. I didn't want to leave it so I kept trying to get it going and it finally did and off we went. This happened about 5 or 6 times. Each time I was about to give up when it would run good and off we would go. It always would turn over. I'm lucky I didn't blow the heads off it was backfiring so bad! I did blow the insides of my CAT’s. The pieces were hitting my cousins car behind me. After I finally got it home I then thought maybe it’s my fuel pump and that’s why it backfired because it was running lean. I changed the pump and the car started and ran fine. I thought it was “MAYBE” the answer. It wasn’t! It quit on the way to fill the tank. I had 5 gallons on board. After checking everything including my injectors I went again to a different president of a Corvette Club. He told me about a place which was close by where the guy has been working on Vettes for over 40 years. I didn’t even know about the place! Oh by the way. I called Ed Wright and asked him what he thought. When I told him the problems I was still having he told me in his gruff voice “You didn’t tell me it happens while you were driving. The security issue is only when your car will turn over but won’t start!” That’s more money I threw out the window. Who knew? Anyway, back to the shop that’s been working on Vettes for 40 years. I had the car towed (again) to his shop. In a few hours he said it was my Opti Spark. At this point I had my suspicions that the Opti was a problem. In about four hours he called and said the rotor was in pieces. I informed him the DelTeq ignition doesn’t need the rotor. He said I know but these pieces would fly around in there and block the light sensor at times. It sounded logical to me. He called me and said it’s running fine, he drove it around. I said great! When I picked the car up I told him if it runs good for more than two days he’s the Man. He laughed and said that’s a GM Opti, you won’t have anymore problems. One mile down the road the car quit!! I could not believe it!! Another $400.00 down the tubes. When I called him he thought I was kidding him. I told him I wish I was. While waiting for the “tow truck” I tried numerous times to get it started but it would not even try. As usual it always turned over. A few days later he called and said it now appears it’s the ECU. I say ok,do it! He sent the ECU off to be checked. The company tells him they found some problems and some corrosion and will repair it. A couple weeks goes by and I call to find out what’s going on. He tells me he just put the ECU on the car and it would not start and the digital dash was jumping all over the place. NO!! He said he called the place back and they said to send the ECU back. He calls me back a couple of weeks later and says well, we got the ECU back. The dash isn’t jumping around. The car starts right up but only stays running for about 10 min. then quits. When will this end? He says he called the company and they are sending him a brand new ECU. A few weeks later he calls and said the Vette is running great. Eureka! It’s about time. Another $500.00 bucks and the car is running great! I drive it for about 6 miles, got on it about 3 or 4 times through the gears, no problems. I park it in the garage and didn’t get back to it for over a week. Just before Christmas I tell the wife let’s go for a ride in the Vette. She says you want me to follow you? I say Nah it’s fine now. I should have listened to her as usual. The car started acting up just like it did when it all started and then it quit. It will start missing badly. The tach needle will jump and it will spit and back fire if you try to keep it running by playing with the gas pedal. When it quit, I just pulled over and called the shop. I could tell by his voice that he didn’t want to see my car again. He said before he called me to tell me the car was ready he drove it for about 50 miles. I told him that doesn’t mean anything. Everytime I think we’ve found the problem it happens all over again. While waiting for the “tow truck” my wife says try it again, you know how it acts sometimes. The car started up, acted fine, and I drove it about 2 miles to his shop and he gave me and my wife a ride home. I am at a total loss as to what’s going on with this car. By the way, the digital dash started jumping around but went back to normal before the car started missing and then quit. Anybody out there have any ideas? I was told an Andy Bogus had a similar problem and he's on the forum. Thanks Herb |
