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'09 C6 base spark plug wire fell off

4820 Views 7 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  sksongwriter
2009 C6 base model

25,000 miles

Started her up, and immediately got traction control needs service, and active handling needs service messages.

Tried driving because I had to get home, engine sounded very different, like it was hitting the rev limiter all the time, and it was louder than normal, like the dual mode exhaust was stuck in "loud".

Got home (only about 2 miles). Looked under the hood, tugged on wires to see if something was loose. Sure enough, third spark plug wire from front on drivers side was hanging off its coil. It was still on the plug okay however.

I bought this car new off the truck from GM and it has never been in for service or ever been serviced in any way.

I took off the drivers side engine "appearance cover" and plugged the wire back into its coil. It did NOT click satisfactorily. I looked in the end of it and it seemed like the other plugs, but the other plugs clicked into place when I pushed them back on after inspecting them.

ON TO PART 2

Now I have frequent "traction control" "active handling" and "brake fluid" messages/lights while driving. Sometimes the brake fluid light/message comes on and goes off a few seconds later. If I restart the car the messages all clear for a while, which can be hours of driving and 100+ miles.

The car drives normal and has normal power. The brakes act normal. The brake fluid is right at the middle of the resevoir (I cant find the "min" mark.

Anyone experience this?

I DO NOT want to take my car to the dealer and have them:

-scratch the interior/exterior
-not fix the problem
-break something else
-waste my time

like EVERY other dealer has with every other car I've owned.

I'm thinking maybe two are going on:

A)The plug wire is still loose/damaged, and the sparks going hither nither are causing the error messages.

B)The first time the plug wire came loose and the engine was missing, the willy nilly sparks DAMAGED the electronics.

I think its A)
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Start by pulling codes and seeing if you are still getting a miss. If that plug is seeking an alternate means to ground through a cracked insulator or poor connection, all sorts of things can go wrong. If you are not getting a positive lock with that wire, by all means replace it now. You will need to anyway. Let us know what codes you get and we can advise further.
:agree:

Also the metal clip inside the spark plug wire boot may be not be making good contact with the spark plug ....get some pliers and crimp the metal clip so that it is tighter..Then you should here the click when you install it back on the spark plug.
okay will do.

what do we mark this up to? poor quality spark plug wires?

i wonder if anything could slowly bend that spring wide...maybe excessive engine movement because of a broken engine mount? (wild a$$ guess)


:agree:

Also the metal clip inside the spark plug wire boot may be not be making good contact with the spark plug ....get some pliers and crimp the metal clip so that it is tighter..Then you should here the click when you install it back on the spark plug.
Start by pulling codes and seeing if you are still getting a miss. If that plug is seeking an alternate means to ground through a cracked insulator or poor connection, all sorts of things can go wrong. If you are not getting a positive lock with that wire, by all means replace it now. You will need to anyway. Let us know what codes you get and we can advise further.
im trying to decide on a code reader ASAP...not sure if i should spend $60 for a read/erase...or spend $200 for a read live data/datalog, etc..
A million thanks acannell !

My car broke down yesterday with the EXACT same symptoms. Found your post, went out to my car and sure enough, the EXACT same spark plug wire hanging down. I cannot thank you enough for your post..... saved me big time. I was able to fix the car without my husband or a mechanics help. :buhbye:
My car broke down yesterday with the EXACT same symptoms. Found your post, went out to my car and sure enough, the EXACT same spark plug wire hanging down. I cannot thank you enough for your post..... saved me big time. I was able to fix the car without my husband or a mechanics help. :buhbye:
yay! im glad to hear that!
2013 Corvette LS3 - Plug Wire Fell Off Here Too!

Like other posters in this thread, I got in my 2013 Corvette and started it up. I noticed the car was running rough and then I started getting a number of lights on my dash including a "service traction control," "service active handling" and the service engine light (SEL).

Naturally I was upset and concerned - my Corvette is only 4 years old and only has 15k miles on it, so this was perplexing to me that the car was already showing these types of service concerns.

I came online and started digging for answers and found this thread, and a couple others like it. Many of you indicated checking the plug wires and, sure enough, when I checked the drivers side bank, the rear plug wire was hanging loose from the coil.

I have to say that this is concerning to me. These cars were/are expensive - and while the LS3 engine is definitely strong, these cars overall feel kind of cheaply made. I can look past most of the poorly appointed details of the interior, but plug wires falling off? I mean, COME ON GM!

I am grateful to all of the people who have posted this issue online. I am a little (a lot) perplexed about this car. Since buying it, I've had to replace a front fascia clip (the part that pops up by the front headlight), the passenger power window switch, the fuse for the in-dash lighter (I use it as a power source for my radar detector) and now I've had to re-connect a plug wire. Fortunately, none of these items has been a huge expense, but tihs car is beginning to make me nervous! What else can I expect to see as an issue on this low mileage, four year old car?

I am beginning to understand why some Corvette owners don't remain Corvette owners for long - I love the car, but I am not sure I trust the car.

For other C6 owners out there - what has your experience been?
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