Thanks for all the pics and stuff Bill. :thumbs:

I have been having the service active handling bs for about 2 years now (we will see if that stops happening) and since 2 weeks ago I was having a strange problem at WOT in 2nd gear......at 3k rpms the car would cut out completely for a second or three and then be ok with no codes at all. :(

Last night I turned a sharp right in second and punched it and the car did the same but totally died:eek: and every time I tried to restart it, it would fire then die ( about 30 times in a row).
I then disconnected the bat for 20 sec and after that it fired right up.:crazy:

This morning I pulled the ignition switch and cleaned and repaired it. After that I beat the car for 2 hours and it never happened again :D

Thanks for all the good info.

http://www.oehq.com/index.cfm?showpa...artsearch2.cfm

I bought the key cylinder here and you can also get the ignition switch.

Another beneficiary of Bill's explanations
 

Today I experienced my first ever no-start condition in my '04 -- everything normal in the On position, turn to Start position and everything goes totally dark. Theft relay clicks as the clutch pedal is pushed out/in. Starter solenoid connections checked and found tight. New battery in verified good condition.

Eventually the car started, before I had a chance to put a voltmeter on the Theft relay to see whether the issue is the ignition switch or the starter solenoid. If it no-starts again, that's the first check.

I'm not sure whether the engine started because I was moving the key around, or because I held it in the start position long enough to have solenoid finally kick in -- but either way, I would not have been nearly as far along as I am now without Bill's starting this thread :thumbs::cheers:

This sounds like the issues I keep having.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-s...ac-issues.html

Well atleast it gives me another option to investigate.

C5 Ignition Switch Repair
 

If anyone has any of these symptoms, follow Bill's advice and get the switch out and clean it up. My switch started to act up about a week ago more than ever (had some sporadic issues before) and it started to get worse in the last few days. (reduced engine power, traction control messages, etc etc) Even got the reduced engine feature after throwing on some new rubber in the garage yesterday....tire tech had to come get me to back her out.... (Cleared the codes, came back to life), took her home and followed Bill's sermon on this....Found dirty carbon on the contacts, cleaned everything all up (loved the sandpaper on the pencil trick Bill!! :cheers:) and put things back together. Thought for sure I nailed it thanks again to Bill and the forum.

BUT, after getting everything back together and trying to start her up, I got nothing! :willy: long story short after taking a good look at things again, and pulling B2723, I noticed that the two white VATS wires got twisted during the work and they didn't look right....looked like the wires may be broken inside the plastic housing, so I took everything out knowing that you're dead without this great feature, cut the bad section out (which happen to be right by the ignition switch, a small ordeal in itself) soldered the wires and shrinkwrapped the finish product. - put it all back together and the 1st start was music to my ears....and 2nd, 3rd, 4th. etc

Thanks again to Bill and all forum members that chime in on their experiences and advice which keep our babies at home and not paying the ransom at any stealership. :flag::smash::hurray:

:thumbs:

:eek: WOW :eek:
I know this is an old post but i'm a new guy and i'm still exploring !

What an amazing, well explained and detailed procedure !
I'll have to keep this one for future referrence !

Nice JOB Bill :thumbs:

I found this thread after doing a search for non-start issues, after disabling the VATS through the computer with HPTuners I was still having the non-start issue, therefore eliminating the VATS as my problem I turned to the ignition switch. I replaced my switch with a new one but took the time to open up the old one after finding this thread.

THANKS Bill.:thumbs::cheers:

Here's what my old one looked like:

Attachment 48151845
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y20...Switch/SW1.jpg
Attachment 48151846
Attachment 48151847
Attachment 48151848
Attachment 48151849
Attachment 48151850

Thanks Bill!!!

I took mine apart and cleaned it today, have been having the no start issues more lately. I'm sure this is the fix!!

Thanks Bill!!!:thumbs:

:cheers:
JB

Hey guys,
My car was not shutting after long runs. Cleaned the ignition switch and the same contacts as above were much darker. Car shuts off everytime. Its a great feeling when what seems to be a big issue is so minor and free!

Thanks
Mark

This thread should be added to the ultimate DIY sticky... I was surprised it wasn't already there.

When I explore and take things apart and repair them, I sometimes leave out steps or things that I take for granted cause it is second nature to me. So,, after several people have had to RE WORK there ignition several times, I took a step back and attempted to figure out what could have went wrong with their repair.

Here are some steps that I believe will help make the repair work better and the switch handle a little more current!:thumbs:

Some additional guidance on the ignition switch repair.

Remember to re-arch the movable switch contacts so that they have better contact with the fixed contact point. Once there re-arched, you will need to use a hook (I used a bent paper clip) to ASSIST the arms over the FIXED contacts when your sliding them back into place!

Once the switch movable contact arms are in place, insert a piece of 600 grit wet and dry paper between the closed contacts and with a small pair of needle nose pliers or a pair of tweezers (I use a small pair of curved hemostats),, Move the sand paper between the contacts while applying some pressure on top of the movable arm. Switch to 1000 grit and polish the contacts. Clean the contacts with alcohol.

What your doing is making the CONTACT AREA of that single switch larger than it was. That will give the contact more current carrying ability and better contact. Do that to each of the FIVE switches....

REMEMBER!! Measure the resistance of EACH of the newly cleaned, re-arched, sanded and polished and cleaned contacts to make sure you have very very close to ZERO ohms resistance when the contacts are shut! If you have resistance, go back and CLEAN the contacts with alcohol again



Bill

Bill, FANTASTIC thread! I have a ~120k mile '02Z and will probably clean up my ignition switch just for peace of mind. Fluctuating voltage concerns lead me to this thread, but a few months ago I also had a one-time sporatic "Charge System Fault" message that has yet to return. It always starts fine, no other issues that I'm aware of (yet!).

A question for you; When the contacts are cleaned up would you reccomend using a dab of dielectric grease on the contacts?

I've made a point of lubing all connectors with dielectric grease to help eliminate corrosion, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea on a switching contact or not. Advice?

NO. Dielectric grease is an insulator, not a conductor. Dielectric grease is acceptable as a topical treatment only i.e. over battery terminals, grounds, etc. It should not be used in electrical connectors, or contact interfaces.

EDIT: LOL... Lucky beat me again while I was looking for that link...

I'm not Bill... But NO. Do not use dielectric grease on electrical connectors. Dielectric grease does not conduct electricity. Clean it off of whatever electrical connectors you have applied it to.

Here's some reading for you: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-dielectric-grease.htm

Here's a quote from that wisegeek page:

"While the indicated use of dielectric grease calls for it to be used only on the non-metal parts of a connection, it has been shown to be effective at preventing corrosion when applied directly to the metal connectors as well. Care should be taken when using it in this way, because this application can, in some instances, cause the connection to stop working. A common reason for such a failure is that the grease has not been pushed entirely out of the way between the two points of contact."

This is why I've been using it inside connectors. Specifically, I put a little inside the female terminals so the male ends have to push through it when the connector is pushed together.

I've been doing this ever since I discovered that corroded fuel injector connector pins were causing weird problems at the drag strip... the car would run great out of the hole, then in 3rd gear it would lay down. Best time one night was 12.1 @ 112 MPH. 112 MPH in good air is pretty slow for a Z.

Researched, lubed all eight fuel injector connector's pins, pushed the connectors on and off a few times and have never had a problem since (traps instantly went up to 116 MPH and the car would pull cleanly through third and fourth). That was in 2004, the year I bought the car.

A sliding connection would not allow any significant amount of dielectric grease to keep a male/female pin/socket type of connection from happening... at least it seems to be working well for me.

BUT, knowing this (dielectric grease is an insulator) now I will definitely not apply dielectric grease to the contacts in the ignition switch. This type of contact seems as though it could definitely be affected by grease holding the contacts apart.

Thanks for the link! :cheers:

Sounds like you have it all figured out. :thumbs:

Do what works for you, but I would not put that on electrical contacts of any kind. An occasional use of emery cloth is, IMHO, a much better method of dealing with corrosion on electrical connectors that are exposed to the elements than a compound that is specifically designed NOT to conduct electricity...

Read the sentence immediately after the one you bolded. I'm not trying to be insulting or argumentative, but one of the main reasons why dielectric grease is such a great choice for things like spark plug boots is because it will not conduct electricity. That's not a the most ideal characteristic of a compound for use on electrical connectors. You want them to be made of the most conductive stuff plausible for the application.

^Got it. I guess if I ever start having issues with poor connections I will first clean any grease that may be present.

Once again, thanks for the info!

:iagree:I NEVER put Dielectric Grease in any electrical contact joint. Its a fantastic rubber lubricant and keeps moisture out of sealing gaskets, and you can apply it to electrical joints that have already been made like ( :iagree: ) battery terminal connectors and chassis ground terminals.

A great anti corrosion agent are some of the marine products. Here is one that I have used with outstanding results and zero issues:

Attachment 48150315

The ignition switch is not failing from contact corrosion. Their failing from poor contact and that causes contact heat and contact arcing. The arcing causes the contacts to carbon up and produce a high resistance contact point.

When you rebuild the switch, you can re-arch the contact arm to make better contact with the fixed contact point. You can also resurface the contacts using wet and dry paper to get more contact between the two contacts. That will enable the contacts to flow more current and produce less heat. I updated the post to include the procedure for sanding the contacts to provide more surface contact between the switches.

Bill