Service Stabilitrak message
 

Ok, heres the interesting issue im having.

I recently had my car on floor stands for an overnight and afternoon period while installing new headers and a catback exhaust. Everything went in smoothly and everything was reconnected properly.

The only power thing disconnected was the battery.

Now as soon as i started the car up again (and every time since the install) i get the service stabilitrak message that generally stays on, though it does go off and on a few times. The traction control, stabilitrak, and competitive mode lights all stay on and the button on the center console doesnt work while these lights are on.

Could this be an error in sensors from the cars wheels having no compression on them for such a long period of time? Or maybe a battery issue?

also, the roll window down then up message came on once right after restart when the install was complete.

any suggestions would be appreciated. and i dont want to leave this at the dealership while they chase down a short if i dont have to

thanx

also, i used a floor jack to lift the rear of the vehicle by the diff pumpkin....it shouldnt have any effect on that as thats a strong point on the axle, but does anyone think that could be an issue?

and the date/time was a day and 2 hours behind but once corrected hasnt done it again

i havnt done anything to my camaro or ever even lifted it up but i had the same error pop up for half a day and then ALL day the next..and then poof it went away

Well I hope it does.....I hope gravity has an effect on the sensors like that

Check your plug wires...
A friend of mine put headers on and then a few weeks later got this message...

He found a loose plug wire.

Worth checking at least.

If the engine detects a miss fire you will get a "Service Stabilitrak" warning. One of the things the car does to help you regain control is cut back engine power. If the ECM detects a miss then the engine can't be relied on for the Stabilitrak system to work and that is why you get the warning. It is common to knick or crack or plug when installing headers if you didn't remove them first. If you did remove the plugs then chances are you just have loose plug wire.

Thanx fellas, I'm a dumbass. One of the plug wires was hangin off....I'm surprised I hadn't seen it earlier, I guess it wiggled off when I was sleepin lol.

Problem is fixed. I appreciate it.

On a side note, how bad for the engine do u think 150 miles on it misfiring like that is?? Anything to worry about?

No sweat. I have seen people drive for weeks, get the car fixed, and never had any ill effects. Things can go wrong with the engine running out of balance. The dead cylinder has fuel sprayed in it with no ignition so you can get some cylinder wall wash down. I doubt this would cause any damage in such a short time. The engine obviously detected the miss and may have shut the cylinder down too, who knows? I would worry about it.

Ok, but what if you've done nothing and that message comes up?
I've had come on then off. Today I get in the car to go to work and Service Stabilitrak is on for the 23 miles to work, And i get to work and it shuts off.

If it comes on and stays on, call Onstar for a diagnostic. It should log a code too. Looks like a trip to the dealer is in your future.

I'll add a little caveat to this question. I get this message when at WOT while shifting gears. (M6). My battery checks out and I've got no loose plug wires. This definitely looks like its the misfire code, but I'm curious if this tends to be a tuning issue or something like a bad coil pack.

I'm running NGK55 plugs on an otherwise stock ignition system. I can't tell if it throws the code in-between gears when I let off the gas or when it is slammed into the next gear. When I try to replicate slowly I never get the 'Service Stabilitrak" message.

OK. My turn. I was down at Ft Dix, NJ today with the car parked and in idle. Doors, hood and trunk open. Doesn't take much to amuse soldiers.

Anyway, today just HAPPENED to be the last day of my XM radio subscription and they shut it down while I was idling. Just then, the car stalled out. I figured maybe it was some random anti-theft thing I didn't know about. Car started right back up but then I got the trifecta of Stabilitrac lights come on the dash. Check Engine light also came on AND my tach died (though it does cycle at start up). I had to limp home about 100 miles. Car ran like crap and when it starts, it cranks forever before kicking over.

Not sure if the XM thing was coincidence, but the radio supposedly is part of the engine management system. Go figure.

A loose battery ground will have same affects .....

Hmm. I'll give that a try since the dealer will only see me NEXT Friday. Thanks!