shocks

[raymond greene]

I have a 1994 ZR1 and it really rides like a buckboard. No service light on the dash however. I cleaned off some of the grease on the front shock and they are Bilsteins. There is only 9800 miles on the car. (2 owner until I bought it) So I would guess they are originals. My question is; would not the system recognize the shocks are not working and activate the service light on the DIC? Is it possible the actuators are still good? Thanks, Ray:cheers:

[Z06scentair]

I have a 1994 ZR1 and it really rides like a buckboard. No service light on the dash however. I cleaned off some of the grease on the front shock and they are Bilsteins. There is only 9800 miles on the car. (2 owner until I bought it) So I would guess they are originals. My question is; would not the system recognize the shocks are not working and activate the service light on the DIC? Is it possible the actuators are still good? Thanks, Ray:cheers:

What setting? Sport, Tour, or Perfomance?

[1990 quasar blue]

Buckboard?
I wonder if your tires are flat spotted.
Where in Ma?

[raymond greene]

In any setting. No light on the dash and it is set on Tour.

Where in Mass? I live in Essex.

[raymond greene]

Just put new tires on it this week.

[We Gone]

Try and pull the codes just to see if the bulb has not been pulled. If the shocks are just bad (oil has leaked out I don't think the system will tell you) although I don't think they could all be bad. It will tell you if the actuator times out as in a broken gear on top the shock or in the actuator.

[raymond greene]

Thanks. My wrench is on vacation. I will add that to the list of things that need fixing. Hard to get the feel of a car you just bought living here in a Northeast winter. Lucky to find a dry day to drive and get the new tires put on. Nitto's N555. That's about all that was out there. Good price, $910 installed. Bob Fahey tire in Wakefield MA. Did a great job and very professional. I will change out all the fluids, oil and filter, everything I see on Marc Haibeck's maintenance page.:handshak:

[Z06scentair]

In any setting. No light on the dash and it is set on Tour.

Where in Mass? I live in Essex.

Did you change to other settings while driving? If you did could you tell the difference in stiffness when selecting another mode?

If you can feel a difference then there is most likely nothing wrong with the shocks.

Have you ever experienced the ride of C4 Corvette before, or could you possibly be comparing this to a newer C5 or C6?

Asking alot of questions gets me to the Root Cause.:)

[batchman]

Buckboard? Does that mean too stiff or is it bouncy? One end, the other, or both (you may need to home in on that)?

At that mileage (lack of use) if too stiff the shocks may be frozen up. Jack car up to see if wheels droop correctly. Any sign of rust on the shock shafts?

If bouncy they may have lost their pressure. Any sign of oil leaks on the bodies or shafts?

Either case adjuster may work fine meaning you get no code but shocks themselves are toast.

I don't get to Cape Ann much but if you find yourself near to/west of Lowell drop me a PM.

[We Gone]

Got thinking about it. There are two other ways to check the system.
1. The Service Ride Control should light briefly when you start the car.
2 . If you turn the ignition from off or lock to run 3 times without moving the car it will come on, but go out after you move.

[raymond greene]

I have had a few C4's in the past and nothing rode as hard as this. (85,88,89 and 96GS) There is some dried up oil and grime on the shocks. As original, I am sure they are toast as you say.

[raymond greene]

I will try that in the morning. Have you changed out your shocks? Anybody just go with regular shocks and remove the bulb in the DIC? If you are not driving the car that hard, is that a consideration?:confused:

[Z06scentair]

I have had a few C4's in the past and nothing rode as hard as this. (85,88,89 and 96GS) There is some dried up oil and grime on the shocks. As original, I am sure they are toast as you say.

Its possible, you can send them back to bilstein for a rebuild for ~200 each.

[GOLDCYLON]

Suggest here if considering new. http://www.eshocks.com/bil_veh.asp?Model_Index=7Q33&Manf=All&SubChar=Q

$192.00 each cheapest price on the net

When you turn the key to run not start do you see a service ride light ? The fx3 system only illuminates when there is a time error on one of the four corners or a problem with the controller. The time out is normally a gear or an actuator problem. However make sure the light is functional and then go from there

[1990 quasar blue]

In any setting. No light on the dash and it is set on Tour.

Where in Mass? I live in Essex.

Do you notice any difference between
settings? Also if you start the car either
3 or 4 times without moving it the service
ride control light should illuminate.
"Just to check it."
I'm on the south coast towards the cape.

[vilant]

Its possible, you can send them back to bilstein for a rebuild for ~200 each.

My shocks are currently at Bilstein. They called the other day and told my they no longer have the rear shock rods and they are no longer available and won't be produced again. So you can only have the front shocks rebuilt now (but that won't last for too much longer).:cheers:

[mike100]

My shocks are currently at Bilstein. They called the other day and told my they no longer have the rear shock rods and they are no longer available and won't be produced again. So you can only have the front shocks rebuilt now (but that won't last for too much longer).:cheers:

Good to know, I have a pair of fronts i want to have made with a more aggressive valving. If your rods are ok, couldn't they still do them?

I guess i can see them just saying no so as to avoid people from sending them in and then finding out they were no good. I'm local, could just drop them on the back door like i did last time.

[raymond greene]

I have turned the setting knob to all the settings several times to no avail. When starting up the light will come on for a second, then go out. I am sure the shocks are cooked, but I would be surprised if the control on top of the shocks are still good?:cheers:

[We Gone]

From what you are saying the FX3 system is ok must be just your shocks. This is from a post on CF hope it helps ya.

(I originally wrote them and they are taken from the FX3 section in the FSM)


FX3 Diagnostics
To clear FX3 codes, turn the ignition to Run but don't start the engine. With a small paperclip, jump pins A and C on the ALDL (in the upper left corner of the driver' side knee bolster). These pins are on the upper row and are lettered in this fashion as you look at them: E D C B A
To clear the codes, you must jump the pins for two seconds doing it for a total of three times.
To display the codes (which is simply a series of flashes of the SRC message) jump the pins and turn the ignition to Run and watch the SRC message lamp.
Codes are two digit values and the sequence always begins and ends with a code "12". The SRC light flashes based on each integer of the code and the code repeats three times with a couple of seconds between each code value. For example a Code 12 flashes like this:
12= blink, blink - blink / blink, blink - blink / blink, blink - blink
(there is a about a half second "/" pause between each of the three code intergers)
A code 32 is:
32= blink, blink, blink - blink, blink (and repeats twice more)
After all of the codes have been displayed there is a final code 12 and the sequence repeats until you either pull the jumper or turn the ignition off
Here’s the code meanings:
Code 12 = Start of sequence
Code 13 = Left Rear Time Out (possible broken gear on shock rod)
Code 14 = Right Front Time Out (same)
Code 21 = Left Front Time Out (same)
Code 22 = Right Rear Time Out (same)
Code 23 = Loss of vehicle speed signal (this code will appear if the ignition switch is cycled On/OFF three times without the vehicle moving. Once the vehicle moves and there are no other codes the SRC light will go OFF but this code remains in history)
Code 31 = Left Front Out of Position (possible bad actuator)
Code 32 = Right Front Out of Position (same)
Code 33 = Left Rear Out of Position (same)
Code 34 = Right Rear Out of position (same)
Code 41 = SRC Switch short to Voltage
Code 42 = SRC Switch open contacts (console switch not positioned at one of the three detents
Code 43 = SRC switch circuit open.
Give this a try and report what codes you get. Remember, a Code 12 starts the sequence and also ends it. Any other codes are repeated three times before the next code is displayed.