Corvette C5 Hatch Mechanism Repair
I have a 99 Coupe with the two hatch mechanisms (things that pop the rear hatch) So I don't know if this will work with newer vette that just have the one. My driver side mechanism would make an awful squeal/screech when I used it and eventually stopped working all together (would make the noise but not release the hatch. So I bought two (left and right) used ones off the forum.
The whole thing took me less than 30 minutes (mostly because I was taking pictures as I went) and on a scale of 1 to 10 1 being changing the oil and 10 being porting your own heads with a Dremmel and a prayer this is a 1.
You will need
1. New working Mechanism
2. 10MM socket and socket driver.
3. Screwdriver (Phillips or flathead doesn't matter)
Step one: use the manual release cable to get your hatch open (I had attached a piece of rope to mine and ran it to behind the driver seat)
Step 2: Remove the little black piece that you connect the cargo net to. You may also need to remove the cover for the little Cargo bin on that side, I removed mine to get to the socket set I keep in my car I have never tried it with it on so not sure if it is a must. 
Now the entire panel was more or less held on by that plastic piece. Make sure to pop the little deal the holds the targa in place in the rear of the car forward. So working from the top pop the panel out making sure to get it clear of that little thing that hold the Targa in.
Note: It has a light on it so don't try to remove it completely just pop it out and let it lean forward.
Step 3: Disconnect the two Electrical connectors that power the unit. If you have ever worked on a Corvette before you will notice GM doesn't use the same type of connector in close proximity here is no exception so it is basically idiot proof to get them Re-Connected. On the bottom where the yellow and black wire lead to a connector It is head in place by a gray clip, Just slide the connector of the clip (in my case towards the outside of the car but it is on a swivel so yours might be different) 
Once you have the lower of the two connectors free frame the mechanism frame Disconnect the, The lower one you'll need to pull up on the Tab On the upper connector which is actually part of the drive motor you'll use the screw driver to push in the tab and pull out the male end of the connector. 
Step 4: Using the 10MM Socket and driver remove the three Bolts that hold the Mechanism to the frame. Make sure to keep a hand on the mechanisms once these three bolts are off there is nothing holding it in place.
Bolt the New working Mechanism on, replace the bolts, replace the connectors, then hit the hatch open button you should hear a slight noise coming from both sides. Put the Panel back on and eyeball the alignment, it should be pretty dead on the Three bolts once secured don't have much room to move around. If everything looks good Re secure the panel, close your hatch and see if it opens.
As with any DIY your mileage may vary. It took me ten minutes of head scratching and 20 minutes of labor to do mine it really is a simple job. I probably could have taken more pictures but I think it should be pretty clear what you need to do just from looking at it. I had a bit of a hangup disconnecting the wires but luckily the spare I bought off the forum had the wiring still connected so I figured that out on my own.
PFADT Corvette C6 Coilover Installation
As promised, here is a step by step for installing Pfadt coilovers. If you are doing the job yourself (without a helper) and you have a lift, plan on about 5 to 6 hours of work. On jack stands it will probably take a few more hours. I did the job over two afternoons and I'm lucky enough to have a 4-post lift.
I've only driven the car about 10 miles since the install, but I must say I really like the coilovers over the stock suspension. The first thing I noticed was how level the car stayed on hard acceleration. No more nose lifting, which is something I found very annoying. It might be a good feature for drag racing, but not for the track or autox. The steering feels much more precise now and the car has almost no lean in the corners. Enough of that, here is how to install them.
Lets start with the front (Read the Pfadt instructions first):
Jack the front of the car up and remove both wheels.
On the drivers side remove the two small nuts (10mm) that hold the coolant reservoir tank in place. Pull the tank off its mount and rotate it out of the way to expose the top mounting bolt of the shock absorber.
It is already exposed on the passenger's side. Remove the 14mm nut, rubber mount and cap from the top of both shocks. Remove the two bottom bolts (13mm) of each shock absorber, which attach to the lower control arm.
The shock absorber will be loose now, but you won't be able to remove it yet.
Remove the lower sway bar link from the control arm on both sides. You will need a #40 torx bit and 18mm wrench for this.
Now remove the four mounting bolts holding the sway bar in place and remove the sway bar (only if you are replacing the sway bar with Pfadt units).
Remove the driver side brake caliper and set it aside. If you have aftermarket brake lines that are longer than stock you may be able to skip this step.
Remove the four bolts (13mm) to the two brackets that hold the leaf spring in place.
Remove the four bolts (15mm) that hold the upper control arm to the frame on both sides of the car.
Be careful to note where shims exist and return them to the proper location.
Rotate the control arm on the drivers side out of the way as required, remove the shock absorber, and slide the leaf spring out.
Install the coilovers on both sides to the top shock absorber bracket with the 14mm nut that holds them in place from the hood side. Tighten the nut only enough to hang them in place.
Now reattach the upper control arm to the frame ant torque the bolts to spec (48 ft-lb).
Place a scissors jack under the control arm and jack it up so the bottom mounting bracket of the coilovers aligns with the bolt holes. Install the coilover bottom bolts and torque to spec (21 ft-lb).
Now tighten the upper nut on the coilover to achieve maximum compression of the poly bushing. Install the adjuster knob on top of the shocks and remount the coolant reservoir onto its brackets and secure with the 10mm nuts.
If you removed your brake caliper, re-install it.
Install the Pfadt sway bar per the instructions that came with them. Here are some pictures:
Reinstall the wheels, lower the car and you are done with the front.
Moving on to the rear:
Jack the rear of the car up and remove both wheels.
Disconnect the tie rod (toe link) from the rear of the spindle on both sides using an 18mm wrench and a 6mm Allen socket. You may need to use a ball joint separator tool to pop the tie rod from its socket. On my car, one side did and one side didn't.
Mark the drivers and passengers side camber/castor settings with a marker.
Remove the four bolts (13mm) and brackets that retain the leaf spring (same as front – see that picture).
Remove both lower control arm mounting bolts from the subframe and pivot the control arm out of the ray so you can slide the leafspring out.
Remove the shock absorber (2-13mm bolts on top and 24mm on bottom)
Install the rear coilovers: Attach the bottom coilover bolt (107 ft-lb) to the lower control arm and re-attach the control arm to the subframe, making sure you adjust the camber/castor to their original settings that were marked prior to removal. The torque settings are 107 ft-lb for the front and 70 ft-lb for the rear. Now place a jack under the control arm (see photo for front) and jack it up so you can attach the upper two 13mm bolts (18 ft-lb) to the coilover mounting perch. Reinstall the tie rod and you are done.
Hope this helps and I hope I didn't miss anything.
Corvette C6 NPP Retro-Fit for Multi Mode Exhaust
NPP in a box, a set of NPP mufflers and a M2W switch will give you an incredibly easy way to have just the sound you want, when you want, if you have a pre-2008 C6. In my case, throw in a set of LG headers, and you have rolling thunder at the flick of a switch. The combo of the headers and the NPP in Wild gives you AMAZING sound and "HEY, LOOK AT ME!!!" volume…the tonality and sound is that of a NASCAR stock car at WOT outside the car, yet quieter and less drone inside the car than the GHL exhaust I was so fond of. The install is very straight forward, easier with a lift, but as Ed has shown with his car, you can do it on jack stands. Here are some pics and descriptions of the step by step process; you will receive complete illustrated instructions with your purchase.
NPP Mufflers waiting for Install
Factory Exhaust Removed
Run the Vacuum tubes through existing frame locations
After dropping the rear sway bar, snake the NPP mufflers up and over
Attach the pipes to the mufflers
Connect the vacuum hoses to the NPP mufflers
Make sure your muffler pipes are straight and level
Muffler hardware done and vacuum tubing run
And of course, a quick run with Ed's Polishing kit
That's all there is to it.....All that's left is to go out there and have a blast with your new found customized sound.
Corvette C6 Z06 Battery Charger Installation
Corvette C6 Z06 CTEK Battery Charger Installation
This is a quick and easy way to install the Ctek Battery Charger in the two rear compartments of your car and have 1/2 inch of the AC power cable right above your license plate. Everything is in the car, all you need to do is plug it in when you want the car to be charged.
Tools Needed
T15 Torx bit
1) Open your rear hatch and unscrew the 4 holding caps that hold the rear carpet in place.
2) There are two plastic push fasteners in the center of the carpet on the receiver for the latch. Just pull straight out and they will pull out.
3) Once the carpet is pulled back, on the right side (passenger side) of the rear portion of the tub (almost behind the first taillight to the right of your license plate), is a large rubber plug with a single wire running through it. Pop out the plug, leaving the wire in it in place.
4) Using the T15 Torx bit, remove the screw on the first taillight to the right of your license plate. Carefully pull the taillight out of the socket, being very careful not to dislodge the clip the torx screw threads into. Let the taillight gently hang on out of your rear bumper, or you can disconnect it at the plug and set it aside. Either one should be fine.
5) Next, lift open the left compartment (one without the battery), this is where your Ctek will rest. Take both the AC plug end and the Ctek plug (that will be plugging into the battery) and gently fish the full length of them under back side of the plastic bezel the surrounds the compartment. You are going to need every inch so do not leave much slack in the compartment.
6) Run both of the wires along the back of your car, behind the carpet, under the hatch receiver, the Ctek charging lead goes into the battery compartment in the same way the you routed it out of the other compartment (under the plastic surround bezel).
7) For the AC power cable, fish it through the hole where the rubber plug was. Using one hand, reach in through the taillight that you removed and grab the plug and run it down through the hole above your license plate. It is a tight fit, but will come through if you angle it correctly. Let it hang out about an inch. The rubber stopper that was in the hole will need to be cut halfway to the center, be careful not to cut the existing wire that is in the middle of it. This splice will allow you you insert the ac power cable and then put the plug back into the hole it was removed from. After you get the plug routed out of the rear of the car, go ahead and make the cut and reinsert the plug with both wires in it.
Go ahead and connect the negative and positive leads on the battery terminals. You can either remove the existing nuts (will lose power to your car) or run to your local hardware store and buy two nuts to screw right on top of the existing nut so that you will not have to disconnect battery power.
9) All done, neaten everything up…put the carpet back and you are done. You now a have a nice full self enclosed battery solution. All you need to do is plug in the car. Just do not forget to unplug it before you go on a drive
Corvette C5 Output Shaft Seal Leak Fix
Contributed by A.J Johnson/Digital Corvettes.com
Here's the scenario. You pull your baby out of the garage and notice that something has leaked out of the rear of the car. The odd thing is that the leak is not dead center of the rear, it's more to the left (or right if you're really having a bad day). What you are probably experiencing is the failure of the output shaft seal (normally the driver's side in the C5). I say probably because doing a little "wide open throttle" (or WOT as it is known here) can also cause you to wake up to a wet spot. In the case of WOT, this is a normal occurrence, as the differential has a exhaust outlet in which differential fluid will leak out of in order to relieve case pressure.
If you're more of a cruiser, then you probably just have a leaking output shaft seal. You have 2 ways of identifying the source of the leak.
The professional way if the leaking source is not obvious is to add some Black Light Oil Dye to the differential and then check the area with a black light after some normal driving. The fluid will glow either a bright yellow or bright green. This allows you to identify the leak without doing unnecessary and costly repairs. If you want the GM dye, one place you can order it from the GM Special Parts website (this site only works with Internet Explorer). The part number is J-28431, which can be used in engine, transmission, and rear axle oils, as well as power steering fluids. (Note: part number J-29545 is only for use in engine coolants)
The second way if the leak is obvious enough, is to do a visual inspection. Look at the picture below.
You can clearly see how the leak is confined to about a 180 degree area of the seal. The differential side covers have been known to leak due to a design flaw although in this situation, this is not the case (just be aware of that possibility). We know that this is not the case here as oil does not leak in a upward direction.
Now that we have identified the leaking source, let's get that baby fixed!
The first thing you should do is get some replacement differential fluid. Now would be a good time to replace that old, stinky stuff. The service manual calls for SAE 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Lubricant or equivalent. The manual also states to add 4 ounces of Limited-Slip Differential Lubricant Additive. Today, you can buy this gear oil already mixed. Mobile one and Red Line are two brands that I found with the limited-slip additive already built in.
NOTE! After replacing the differential gear oil, do not go WOT for a minimum of 300 miles. Doing so may result in scoring of the ring and pinion gears leading to differential noise!!!
Some of the tools that were not in my "shade tree" collection that you may have to get, or that will make the job easier are:
Torque Wrenches - the nuts and bolts in this repair have specific torque settings. Since your life is depending on the tightness of these nuts and bolts, it would be smart to spend a few dollars and make sure that you torque them to the GM specifications. You can view a PDF document of the fastener tightening specifications by clicking here. You can view those settings for the brake components here.
A 21mm wrench for the lower arm ball joint nut, a short set of Hex sockets (notice the sizes in the picture - that 10mm is for the differential drain and fill plugs), and a 33mm deep-socket for the axle bolt. If you don't screw up your parking brake assembly and do not have to separate the stabilizer from the upper and lower control arms, then you will not need the 21mm wrench. Ask me how I know...:rolleyes:
A drift punch or something equivalent.
Last of all, you'll need the replacement seal.
Notice the grease that is inside the interior lining of the seal. Do not wipe that off!
Here's something you should consider. The differential has 2 output shaft seals. The right seal is not known for leaking but you never know. I bought 2 seals for a couple of reasons. One, because the differential has two of these seals. Two, the seals were dirt cheap; they were something like $12 each. Lastly, knowing how much of a shade tree mechanic I am, I wanted to have an ace in the hole just in case I screwed up one of those seals. Well guess what happened. I screwed up one of the seals when installing it. This is something you may want to consider if your mechanic skills are anything like mine.
My method of doing this repair differs from Cajun Dude's in that I actually removed the drive shaft. The reason I did so was because of the limited amount of space that I had to work in while trying to seat the seal. Look at this picture:
Even after I removed the drive shaft, it was still somewhat awkward to get up in there and figure out how to swing my hammer to seat the seal. One thing that Cajun Dude said that was right on target was tap, tap, taparoo... :yesnod:
As some of you may know, I bought the J-46405 tool that the TSB concerning this repair calls for. I have mixed emotions about its effectiveness when doing the repair the way I did. If I had taken the entire differential out of the car, the tool would have been a must have for me. However, using it in this situation was helpful, but what probably would have worked best was if this tool had a 3-foot shaft. That way, I could have stood back from the wheel well and whacked away on that seal. I did use it to do the install so I guess it ended up paying for itself.
The Repair
Okay, let's get started! I'm going to keep this as close to the manual as possible. Note: One thing that I did when removing nuts and bolts was to put them back where they originally went so that they would not get lost, and so that I would know where they went when it was time to reassemble everything. Good rule to follow for a shade tree mechanic!
1. Shift the transmission into PARK (A/T) or NEUTRAL (M/T).
2. Work the parking brake a whole bunch of times and then apply it. This will loosen the shoes up from the rotors. If you don't do this, your rotors may be a PITA to get off. They may also rip the parking brake shoes!.
3. Raise and suitably support the vehicle.
4. Remove the tire and wheel assembly.
5. Insert a drift or punch into the brake rotor cooling fins and against the brake caliper to prevent the wheel hub and bearing from turning.
6. Loosen (do not remove) the spindle nut retaining the rear wheel drive shaft to the hub.
7. Remove the drift or punch.
8. Release the parking brake.
9. Using a 15mm socket, remove the caliper bolts. You'll need to hold the caliper pin still using a 5/8" wrench. Be careful not to stress the brake line going to the caliper.
10. At this point, use your jack to support the lower control arm.
11. Remove the 2 bolts at the top of the shock absorber.
12. Remove the 2 bolts that hold the upper control arm to the frame.
13. Separate the outer tie rod end from the knuckle and reposition the tie rod toward the rear of the vehicle.
Here's the way I removed mine before I got smart enough to go buy some Hex sockets:
14. Disconnect the wheel speed sensor electrical connector.
15. Disconnect the parking brake cable from the parking brake lever. Now here comes the fun part. First of all, if you skipped step 8, you'll never get this cable off so make sure that you performed step 8.
You're also going to have to free the parking brake cable from the bracket that holds it in place. This is a real PITA. Do not get frustrated and break those tabs off. A new parking brake cable is not cheap! Look at the picture below:
Here's a trick that JDaniel over at CF used to get his cable off. I quote: "After I unhooked it from the hook and needed a way to get the prongs collapsed to get it out of the bracket, this is what I did. I grabbed a 1/2 combo wrench and used the boxed end. Its a tight fit but you slide the end of the cable theough the wrench and up to where the prongs are. Just push it up around the prongs and to the bracket and they all collapse and pops right out. Then you just slide the cable through the wrench and out of the bracket! Easy as 1-2-3!". That may be of some use when you get to this step.
If you get frustrated and decide to remove the bracket bolts, here they are:
At this point, you are ready to take a break and have the Junkman Special "Dagwood" Pizza!
For those of you on a budget, please substitute a bologna sandwich and get back to work.
Shaft Removal
16. At this point, the service manual calls for part number J-42129 to separate the axle from the stabilizer, and J-29794 to separate the axle from the differential. Here's what we're going to do.
First, jack the lower control arm up so that the axle is somewhat straight (not hanging down). Loosen the spindle nut up about a half-inch. Grab the top of the stabilizer. You're going to use it like a slide hammer to "bump" the drive shaft out of the differential. Just bump it firmly toward you and the drive shaft will eventually work its way out of the differential. At the same time (if you're lucky), the bumping will loosen up the axle at the stabilizer too. If not, you may have to give it a slight whack to disengage it from the stabilizer.
Note: Do not whack the end of the shaft while it is still seated inside the differential. There's no telling what damage that could cause. Also, if you get the shaft out of the differential and have to give it a whack to dislodge it from the stabilizer, pay particular attention to the end of the shaft by the differential as to not allow it to bang up against anything - especially the differential!
Be careful not to whack the wheel studs also.
Whatever you do, do not make the mistake of removing the stabilizer with the axle attached to it like this:
If you do, you've just created a lot more work which is now why I'm so good at removing the entire shaft and control arms. In 3 days, I must have put that thing in and pulled it out of the car at least 5 times. Like Michael (Mike94ZLT1) said in one of my other post, you get real good and quick at this after you've done it a few times. I couldn't believe how fast I put it back together the last time I did it.
Once you have the axle loose at both the differential and the stabilizer, you will need to bend the end of the shaft and simultaneously rotate the stabilizer out of the way in order to remove the axle. Check out the picture:
17. Now that you have the shaft out of the way, clean up the differential. You want to be able to see any new leaks if you don't install the seal correctly.
18. Now you're ready to remove the old seal and replace it with the new one. The old seal does not come out easily. It does however have a slight lip around the outside edge of it that you can feel and I used a seal removal tool to grab that lip and pull out the old seal. Be careful around this area. You don't want to gouge the differential and create a permanent leak.
19. Seating the new seal will be the fun you get to have. Whatever you do, you don't want to start tapping the edge of the seal and working your way around. You want to use something that will allow you to seat the seal evenly as you tap it in. Again, I used the tool that I bought that the TSB called for. I heard a block of wood works well and I've heard that they make universal seal installing tools. Whatever you decide to use, make sure you keep these tips in mind or make sure you buy a bunch of seals. :willy:
20. After you get the seal installed, you want to physically and visually inspect your work. Run your fingers around the edges of the seal. You should not feel any gap between the edge of the seal and the differential. If you do, you still need to tap, tap, tap-a-roo.
One thing that you want to inspect is the wiring harness back here. The factory electrical tape that was on mine had began to come unraveled. Thus, I re-wrapped it with one piece of tape and zipped tied the ends. I didn't have a black tie wrap but at least it doesn't show with the wheel on!
21. Now you are ready to put everything back together. Just reverse these steps and you should be fine. Remember to use the torque settings that I provided here for everything but the brakes bolts and here for the brake bolts. You need to take the car for a ride in order to check for leaks and heat up the differential fluid. The fluid needs to be changed while it is hot and care needs to be taken so that you don't burn yourself.
22. Once you get back in the garage, draining the differential is no major undertaking. The drain bolt is located directly on the bottom. Remember, you want to drain the fluid while it is hot. Make sure that the car is level when you drain and fill the differential. Here's where a 4 post lift would come in handy.
23. After you have drained the fluid and replaced the drain plug, you'll need to fill the differential with new fluid. As you can see by the location of the fill plug, this is a tad bit difficult.
Fill the differential up to the bottom of the fill hole. It holds about 2 quarts of fluid.
You can drop by you local auto store and buy a siphon to fill the differential. This is what I bought, although its crappy design is why I have to clean up the garage floor now:
If you get one of these (I think it was $10), make sure that when you are using it to siphon any type of thick fluid that you hold on tightly to the output side hose! Not doing so will cause it to blow away from the siphon pump and shoot a healthy wad of whatever you are pumping all over the place. As you can see by my garage floor, it was not a pretty sight!
Once you get the differential fluid in, make sure that you do not go WOT for a minimum of 300 miles. Doing so may result in scoring of the ring and pinion gears leading to differential noise!!!
I will probably be updating this over the next few days if I see any mistakes so give me a few days before printing it.
Here she is, all assembled and cleaned up:
Alrighty then! You now have the knowledge necessary to tackle this job. I will have Rosie O'Donnell inspecting your butts for leaks at the next gathering and I hear she hates wearing gloves! 
Lowering your C5 Corvette
This is a picture by picture crash course in lowering the front of your C5 yourself. These steps are necessary to cut the front bushings or to remove the lowering bolt all together.
-Note- before hand you will need to make some ramps that are at least 3" tall so that you can remove your jack from under your car once it is lowered.
The first two pics show what the suspension looks like before anything is done.
At this point I jacked up the suspension so that I could unbolt and disconnect the upper a-arm
This pic shows after the a-arm has been disconnected and the suspension has been lowered down again.
Then unbolt the lower part of the shocks (2 bolts) and you will need a deep socket wrench to reach the bottom of each of the bolts.
Then disconnect the sway bar (next 2 pics)
Loosen the top part of the sway bar bolts to swing the bolt out of the bottom part (next 2 pics)
Finally now you can remove the lowering bolt or raise it to its highest point to cut the bushings. It has a reverse style thread pattern, so to lower the car rotate it counterclockwise. (Note to remove the bolt you may have to jack up the leaf spring to gain clearance)
(Be careful not to damage the leaf spring by using a small piece of wood to protect it)
When putting everything back together, reverse the pattern that was used to take it apart. To reconnect the top A-arm use an allen wrench when tightening the bolt to keep it from just spinning.
Optional for removing the shock absorber totally
If you can do the front, the rear is so easy I won't even have to explain it. (I also forgot to take pics 
) I did mine with some longer bolts than stock to get a 2.5-3" drop in the rear.
lowered pics
Bigger Here
***New*** Lowered With bolts in front completely removed.....
***Newer*** New I-Forged wheels. I didn't have to make one adjustment to the suspension. In Fact I found out that even though the new wheels are 18/19's where the stock were 17/18's, that the new wheels are the same height as the stock wheels. This is due to lower profile tires in both the front and rear of the car.
Corvette C6 Z06 Oil Change
This is the correct procedure to change the oil in the Corvette C6 ZO6.
Remove the two drain plugs from the engine oil pan. One is located on the left side of the oil pan near the oil filter. This plug drains the small amount of residual oil from engine oil pan, approximately 1 quart.
The other drain plug is located on the front of the oil pan. This plug drains the external reservoir and hose assembly. No go ahead and remove the oil filter.
Once the oil has been drained from the engine and the reservoir, replace the engine oil filter with a new PF48 oil filter and tighten to 25Nm (18lb. ft.)
Replace both oil drain plugs and tighten to 25Nm (18lb. ft.)
Fill the oil through the oil fill cap in the top of the dry sump reservoir. The total service fill, with a dry filter is 8 quarts of 5W30 Mobil 1 synthetic oil.
Replace the oil fill cap and start the engine. Let it run at idle for at least 15 seconds to circulate the fresh engine oil through the lubrication system.
Check the oil as follows:
The engine must be warmed up. Cold oil will not give a correct oil level reading. After the engine is warmed up to at least 175 F, shut off the engine.
Wait 5 minutes to allow the oil to drain and settle. Pull the dipstick from the reservoir and clean it with a lint free cloth. Then push it back all the way until it stops. Remove again keeping the tip down and note the oil level on the crosshatched area. An oil level within the crosshatched area is normal.
NOTE: Do not overfill the reservoir. Oil levels above the crosshatched area may degrade lubrication system performance, and result in excessive oil consumption.
TIP: The owner's manual may contain a slightly different procedure which calls for filling 7 quarts, turning the engine then shutting off, and finally filling 1 additional quart. This procedure may be used, although NOT necessary.
TIP 2: There is a cap on the right valve cover under the decorative cover. Attempting to remove this cap can break the retaining tabs, requiring removal of the valve cover to retrieve broken pieces. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANES SHOULD YOU ATTEMPT TO FILL THE OIL SYSTEM THROUGH THIS CAR
Corvette C5 Headlight Gear Rebuild
Parts needed:
brass gear kit
10mm socket
13mm socket
1/4 drive ratchet
magnetic pick-up tool
phillips screwdriver
You also need a brass gear kit (you can get this from Rodney Dickman) at www.rodneydickman.com (yes I know he sells Fiero parts...trust me he sells the gears for the C5 headlights also) you can order online or call him. he is a super nice guy and ships the stuff Priority Mail..
Ok, lets get started. Turn the headlights on or manually crank up the bad light. If you turned the lights on you can unplug the bad light and turn the other light off so as not to kill the battery.
Remove the black plastic headlight surround, 3 Phillips head screws. Now look inside the opening and you will see there are basically 5 nuts/bolts that hold the assembly in place. the following pics show the locations.
After these bolts /nuts are removed lift the assembly out and you have this.
Turn the whole piece on its side and you will see the round cover which is secured with 3 little screws:
Remove these screws and take off the cover. You will probably see something that looks like this.
Make note of how you remove things and clean all that stuff out of there so it will look like this.
Now install the new gears and replace the cover. 
Install is the reverse of removal. Plug everything back in and you should have this.
C5 Corvette LED Tailight Halo Mod
Parts needed:
- about 2' of Small gauge wire (I used 24ga stranded thin)
- (4) 5-packs of 470 ohm .5 watt resistors ($4 at RadioShack)
Tools needed:
- Voltmeter
- Wire stripper
- Solder/solder gun
- Scissors
- Phillips head screwdriver
- black marker
Here's the procedure for 1 light:
1. remove the light from the bumper
2. remove the rear panel from the light itself: remove the 4 phillips head screws and use scrape away the silicone seal from the panel on the back. NOTE: be gentle when removing the screws or you will damaged the plastic. Then slowly pry it loose with your hands (no extra leverage is necessary) It should look like this:
3. Cut the 2 white wires in the center as close to the circuit board as possible. One is positive and one is ground. To find out which is which, strip about 1/4" off each, go back to the car and plug it back into the socket. Turn on the parking lights and use the voltmeter to identify the positive and ground. use the sharpie to label the ground wire.
4. You'll see 4 wires going to the sides of the light: red, black, yellow and orange. each of the 4 LEDs gets its own pair of wires (there are 2 per side) Cut the wires on both sides as close to the circuit board as possible and strip 1/4" insulation from them. The polarity is as follows:
red and orange are power wires
yellow and black are ground wires
twist the black and yellow ends together and solder. Install resistors on the ends of the orange and red wires. Use your 24ga wire to join the power wires on both sides and the ground wires for both sides. Then connect them to the main power/ground white wires you labeled earlier.
5. Make sure your connections are soldered and insulated with electrical tape then test. Make sure your socket is installed in the correct direction.
Created by Radio Flyer from the Corvette Forum