Whats the common DENOMINATOR with the ZL1 problems? - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

thespymaster · 03-23-2014, 01:09 PM

Having seen the numerous responses to the "POWER STEERING GOES OUT" thread and possible fixes and ongoing problems, have went back through my own posts to trace the onset of where my ZL1 problems began to surface!

First : Yes my ZL1 is heavily modded , yet my problems didn't surface to around 11,000 miles on the ZL1 after a cross country road trip from Arizona to Michigan to Florida and back to Arizona during a 3 week excursion!

First Reported Issue which happens to be under the thread "Electronic Power Steering Failure at 560 miles"

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...=225187&page=7

My posts were # 165 , # 166 , # 172

All related to power steering problems

Second Reported Issue:

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325831

It was during this time frame that I was on the cross country road trip and had just left AAC/Oracle Lights in Texas.

This was also the end of driving the ZL1, as I acquired a brand new trailor and trailer-ed the ZL1 back to Arizona from Texas...

Upon arrival to destination, the ZL1 was dead on arrival, would not start had to replace the battery.

BATTERY REPLACED

After battery was replaced, took it for a spin, the "check engine Light and service stabiltrack " would come on and then go off ....

A week later, go to start the ZL1 and you guess it, battery dead again .....

THESE POSTS LOOK FAMILIAR

*** Are you starting to see a common denominator here ZL1 owners? Based upon the above?

THIRD REPORTED PROBLEM

POST: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=347654

Now a little under 2 weeks ago, my ZL1 while driving to a charity event, had the DIC flash "REDUCE ENGINE POWER " and then it flashed "REDUCE OIL" and I the car stopped running, and would not turn over and OnStar reported that day it had 8 other trouble codes !

ZL1 was at GM dealership and they said the problem after 2 weeks of diagnosing was the "PCM went bad"

GM replaced the PCM under warranty , because they could not detect the tune for all the engine mods.... which was a slight blessing, but GM could explain to my why the PCM went bad......

Now I picked up ZL1 on this past Friday from dealer . Drove 21 miles from GM Dealer directly to my house and along the way, DIC displayed "SERVICE STABILTRAK and CHECK ENGINE LIGHT came on" and then went away by the time I pulled into my driveway.

So yesterday night, I go to move the ZL1 so I could wash/detail it for a car show today and guess what? The ZL1 would not TURN OVER period... Yet the "Performance Menu" showed battery level at 12 volts, only 11.5 need to start car!

So I put the ZL1 into "Neutral" and push the it back into my garage, and figured WTF and try to start it one more time......... And the ZL1 started in NEUTRAL!!!

I turned it off, and put into park and it-restarted....

At this point the PERFORMANCE MENU from DIC showed 11.9 volts on the battery ..

So I let it idle for about 4-5 minutes

Then I took it on a drive 1.5 miles down Cotton Lane from my house from Bethany Home Street and then turned around to go back and then ALL at once these signals came on :

Check Engine Light
BRAKE LIGHT
Stabiltrack Message

And the Power Steering went out

So GM has to know something and not responding about these issues and I think it's time we ZL1 owners make a stand and really push a social media response.

URBAN LEGEND · 03-23-2014, 01:12 PM

Maybe they'll respond in 15 years.
So far all is good with mine.

Front Runner · 03-23-2014, 02:31 PM

Subscribed.......

All is well with mine though.

Blackdevil77 · 03-23-2014, 02:47 PM

I haven't had the problem, but perhaps if we get enough people with the problem to check in, contact the media etc, maybe something can be done. It's worth a shot.

Although, it took a total of 7 deaths for them to wake up with their previous recall.

Blueclyde · 03-23-2014, 05:02 PM

Intermittent electrical problems are very difficult. These issues sound like they are system ground related. That is a very broad system.

I have to believe that somebody in the wide world of GM has an idea on a few of these. Fixes for these problems usually come down to finding the right tech and the right dealer. Sadly, that is hard to do.

2doorrocket · 03-23-2014, 05:26 PM

Mine is a joke, it's been blowing it's dipstick out since 600 miles and I've had 5 oil changes so far because of it and no dealer has been able to help me fix it. Now Its surging between 1500-2000 rpm... New issue, might be bad plugs, and throttle body. It randomly changes gears and freaks out.

Stephen12ZL1 · 03-23-2014, 05:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 2doorrocket

Mine is a joke, it's been blowing it's dipstick out since 600 miles and I've had 5 oil changes so far because of it and no dealer has been able to help me fix it. Now Its surging between 1500-2000 rpm... New issue, might be bad plugs, and throttle body. It randomly changes gears and freaks out.

obviously, the crankcase is pressurizing for some reason. Get them to double check the entire PCV system. If it doesn't get fixed, it could possibly blow out an oil seal like the rear main. A faulty tubing/o-ring has caused oil leaks here on this forum too.

HDRDTD · 03-23-2014, 05:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blueclyde

Intermittent electrical problems are very difficult. These issues sound like they are system ground related. That is a very broad system.

I have to believe that somebody in the wide world of GM has an idea on a few of these. Fixes for these problems usually come down to finding the right tech and the right dealer. Sadly, that is hard to do.

I agree. All of these symptoms could very well be an electrical issue and quite possibly related to an intermittent ground somewhere.

As Blueclyde mentioned, intermittent electrical problems can be VERY difficult to track down, and quite often won't/can't be located until it fails permanently

By the way, Murphy's Law states that the longer it takes to find the cause of a problem, the simpler the ultimate fix is..

Kevlar382 · 03-23-2014, 06:18 PM

Couldn't be happier with mine. Maybe it's because I never changed anything on it and broke it in the way they said, or maybe I have just been lucky. I don't use it much so maybe I will start having trouble later. I hope not.

ZEDL1 · 03-23-2014, 07:04 PM

I'd asked mlee about having had his car at rest for a time without any battery tender, as having read through the earlier related thread several times, I was starting to see a potential pattern forming respecting a lower-than-full battery charge level, even if one would think that it was not at all significantly low and we would not reasonably expect that a tender would be needed.
That slightly low battery charge issue has come up on several occasions. It may be a factor.
Also, as was pointed out by Blueclyde, battery grounding issues may play a role. This second one might also induce the first one.
The repeating dead battery issue may point to some type of short that leads to battery voltage being lost. The source of that we don't know.
Sorry, I've got no electrical background training. Just trying to put the pieces of this jigsaw puzzle together.

I've got no true answers, and I have the same questions and concerns as many of us. I haven't had any PS issues myself, but I have yet to drive my Z enough to put any real mileage on her.
If we keep thinking, together I hope that things can be narrowed down better.
Great thread thespymaster. It forces us, in a good way, to refocus upon this...
Thanks too to all who have included past details and data of their PS experiences in earlier threads.

thespymaster · 03-23-2014, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ZEDL1

I'd asked mlee about having had his car at rest for a time without any battery tender, as having read through the earlier related thread several times, I was starting to see a potential pattern forming respecting a lower-than-full battery charge level, even if one would think that it was not at all significantly low and we would not reasonably expect that a tender would be needed.
That slightly low battery charge issue has come up on several occasions. It may be a factor.
Also, as was pointed out by Blueclyde, battery grounding issues may play a role. This second one might also induce the first one.
The repeating dead battery issue may point to some type of short that leads to battery voltage being lost. The source of that we don't know.
Sorry, I've got no electrical background training. Just trying to put the pieces of this jigsaw puzzle together.

I've got no true answers, and I have the same questions and concerns as many of us. I haven't had any PS issues myself, but I have yet to drive my Z enough to put any real mileage on her.
If we keep thinking, together I hope that things can be narrowed down better.
Great thread thespymaster. It forces us, in a good way, to refocus upon this...
Thanks too to all who have included past details and data of their PS experiences in earlier threads.

1st MLEE said that the GM dealer said it had a LOW VOLTAGE code , but never wrote if the battery was weak or not..

Today , I took the battery out of ZL1 and took it back to Autozone and the battery tested fine by their tech, but I insisted on a new battery and they give me an upgrade to the Duralast Platinum and I got it home and installed and all lights (check engine, brake , stabiltrack ,et. Still lit up ) even after letting idle for awhile..

It's my belief the CULPRIT to this being reported is a MAJOR cost to GM and until enough of us complain and post our findings and diagnoses from GM dealers trying to fix the problem (s) , GM will just say an isolated case!

This is why I keep all my service tickets.

BigBoyBlue · 03-23-2014, 09:58 PM

My HUD started acting up today. It started to fade out, then reappear, only to fade out again.

Seems like GM sucks for fixing problems. I may have to go back to BMW and Ford.

oldfriend · 03-23-2014, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by URBAN LEGEND

Maybe they'll respond in 15 years.
So far all is good with mine.

Not that will ever happen , even in that time frame , just look at what happen with the ignition switch issues that have killed 12 or 13 people
Has been a more than a few years for them to admit fall play , kind of .

*mlee* · 03-23-2014, 10:49 PM

What kills me is you can never get an answer at the dealer of what they really did. Can't even talk to the guy who diagnosed your car. Just a service writer who normally doesn't have a clue.

I couldn't even find out if the new Super Charger they installed on my car had a solid isolator or not. Found out later that it did in fact have a solid one.

My car sat for a couple weeks when this PS problem came up and they mentioned low voltage code. But the battery has always been good and I've never had a problem since. Did they actually do something? Who knows???

03-23-2014, 01:09 PM	#1
thespymaster Drives: C7 / ZL1 / SS / trucsk Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: G4 CLASSIFIED Posts: 4,533 View My Garage	Whats the common DENOMINATOR with the ZL1 problems? Having seen the numerous responses to the "POWER STEERING GOES OUT" thread and possible fixes and ongoing problems, have went back through my own posts to trace the onset of where my ZL1 problems began to surface! First : Yes my ZL1 is heavily modded , yet my problems didn't surface to around 11,000 miles on the ZL1 after a cross country road trip from Arizona to Michigan to Florida and back to Arizona during a 3 week excursion! First Reported Issue which happens to be under the thread "Electronic Power Steering Failure at 560 miles" http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...=225187&page=7 My posts were # 165 , # 166 , # 172 All related to power steering problems Second Reported Issue: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=325831 It was during this time frame that I was on the cross country road trip and had just left AAC/Oracle Lights in Texas. This was also the end of driving the ZL1, as I acquired a brand new trailor and trailer-ed the ZL1 back to Arizona from Texas... Upon arrival to destination, the ZL1 was dead on arrival, would not start had to replace the battery. BATTERY REPLACED After battery was replaced, took it for a spin, the "check engine Light and service stabiltrack " would come on and then go off .... A week later, go to start the ZL1 and you guess it, battery dead again ..... THESE POSTS LOOK FAMILIAR * Are you starting to see a common denominator here ZL1 owners? Based upon the above? THIRD REPORTED PROBLEM POST: http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=347654 Now a little under 2 weeks ago, my ZL1 while driving to a charity event, had the DIC flash "REDUCE ENGINE POWER " and then it flashed "REDUCE OIL" and I the car stopped running, and would not turn over and OnStar reported that day it had 8 other trouble codes ! ZL1 was at GM dealership and they said the problem after 2 weeks of diagnosing was the "PCM went bad" GM replaced the PCM under warranty , because they could not detect the tune for all the engine mods.... which was a slight blessing, but GM could explain to my why the PCM went bad...... Now I picked up ZL1 on this past Friday from dealer . Drove 21 miles from GM Dealer directly to my house and along the way, DIC displayed "SERVICE STABILTRAK and CHECK ENGINE LIGHT came on" and then went away by the time I pulled into my driveway. So yesterday night, I go to move the ZL1 so I could wash/detail it for a car show today and guess what? The ZL1 would not TURN OVER period... Yet the "Performance Menu" showed battery level at 12 volts, only 11.5 need to start car! So I put the ZL1 into "Neutral" and push the it back into my garage, and figured WTF and try to start it one more time......... And the ZL1 started in NEUTRAL!!! I turned it off, and put into park and it-restarted.... At this point the PERFORMANCE MENU from DIC showed 11.9 volts on the battery .. So I let it idle for about 4-5 minutes Then I took it on a drive 1.5 miles down Cotton Lane from my house from Bethany Home Street and then turned around to go back and then ALL at once these signals came on : Check Engine Light BRAKE LIGHT Stabiltrack Message And the Power Steering went out** So GM has to know something and not responding about these issues and I think it's time we ZL1 owners make a stand and really push a social media response. __________________ 2014 C7 Stingray 3LT/Z51 2013 Camaro SS 2012 Camaro ZL1 - 850 HP 2015 GMC Denali 3500HD 4x4 2012 GMC Sierra 3500HD 4x4

03-23-2014, 01:12 PM	#2
URBAN LEGEND Drives: 20 X3M CP & 19 ZL1 1LE A10 Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Brenham, TX Posts: 3,517	Maybe they'll respond in 15 years. So far all is good with mine. __________________ 🔺22 RS E TRON GT 🔺21 Model S Plaid

03-23-2014, 02:31 PM	#3
Front Runner Drives: 2016 Nightfall Gray Metallic SS Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: NC Posts: 1,011	Subscribed....... All is well with mine though. __________________ 2016 Nightfall Gray Camaro SS

03-23-2014, 09:58 PM	#12
BigBoyBlue Go NY Giants & NY Rangers Drives: 2013 ZL1 M6 Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: Maryland Posts: 782	My HUD started acting up today. It started to fade out, then reappear, only to fade out again. Seems like GM sucks for fixing problems. I may have to go back to BMW and Ford. __________________ Molon Labe!

03-23-2014, 10:49 PM	#14
mlee CamaroFans.com Drives: ZLE & ZR2 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Conroe, TX Posts: 37,505 View My Garage	What kills me is you can never get an answer at the dealer of what they really did. Can't even talk to the guy who diagnosed your car. Just a service writer who normally doesn't have a clue. I couldn't even find out if the new Super Charger they installed on my car had a solid isolator or not. Found out later that it did in fact have a solid one. My car sat for a couple weeks when this PS problem came up and they mentioned low voltage code. But the battery has always been good and I've never had a problem since. Did they actually do something? Who knows??? __________________

03-23-2014, 02:47 PM	#4
Blackdevil77 Drives: 2008 Pontiac G8 GT, Shelby GT500 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Long Island, New York Posts: 1,376	I haven't had the problem, but perhaps if we get enough people with the problem to check in, contact the media etc, maybe something can be done. It's worth a shot. Although, it took a total of 7 deaths for them to wake up with their previous recall.

03-23-2014, 05:02 PM	#5
Blueclyde Drives: 2023 ZLE Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Detroit Posts: 1,717	Intermittent electrical problems are very difficult. These issues sound like they are system ground related. That is a very broad system. I have to believe that somebody in the wide world of GM has an idea on a few of these. Fixes for these problems usually come down to finding the right tech and the right dealer. Sadly, that is hard to do.

03-23-2014, 05:26 PM	#6
2doorrocket Drives: Gas Guzzlers Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 168	Mine is a joke, it's been blowing it's dipstick out since 600 miles and I've had 5 oil changes so far because of it and no dealer has been able to help me fix it. Now Its surging between 1500-2000 rpm... New issue, might be bad plugs, and throttle body. It randomly changes gears and freaks out.

03-23-2014, 06:18 PM	#9
Kevlar382 Drives: '12 ZL1; '71 RS/Z28; '99 Vette Conv Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Holland MI Posts: 599 View My Garage	Couldn't be happier with mine. Maybe it's because I never changed anything on it and broke it in the way they said, or maybe I have just been lucky. I don't use it much so maybe I will start having trouble later. I hope not.

03-23-2014, 07:04 PM	#10
ZEDL1 Drives: 2013 ZL1 Triple Black, 2015 2LT/RS Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Plymouth, Indiana Posts: 488	I'd asked mlee about having had his car at rest for a time without any battery tender, as having read through the earlier related thread several times, I was starting to see a potential pattern forming respecting a lower-than-full battery charge level, even if one would think that it was not at all significantly low and we would not reasonably expect that a tender would be needed. That slightly low battery charge issue has come up on several occasions. It may be a factor. Also, as was pointed out by Blueclyde, battery grounding issues may play a role. This second one might also induce the first one. The repeating dead battery issue may point to some type of short that leads to battery voltage being lost. The source of that we don't know. Sorry, I've got no electrical background training. Just trying to put the pieces of this jigsaw puzzle together. I've got no true answers, and I have the same questions and concerns as many of us. I haven't had any PS issues myself, but I have yet to drive my Z enough to put any real mileage on her. If we keep thinking, together I hope that things can be narrowed down better. Great thread thespymaster. It forces us, in a good way, to refocus upon this... Thanks too to all who have included past details and data of their PS experiences in earlier threads.