help jump starting?
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 31,626
Likes: 12
From: Sacramento California
help jump starting?
i left the mid level lights on all night in my 1993 vette, wasnt paying attention i guess,
when i went out to check it was completely dead and there was no sound of the starter even trying to turn.
a few hours later some of the warning lights would come on and the PKE light would come on and make a noise as soon as the key came out so there is like almost no power left
i want to jump start it to get the car going again but wanted to know if there is anything special i need to do for a vette battery, i was just going to use my gf's car and do a normal jump and wanted to make sure that would cause any problems,
any tips on how to get the battery charged again would be helpful
when i went out to check it was completely dead and there was no sound of the starter even trying to turn.
a few hours later some of the warning lights would come on and the PKE light would come on and make a noise as soon as the key came out so there is like almost no power left
i want to jump start it to get the car going again but wanted to know if there is anything special i need to do for a vette battery, i was just going to use my gf's car and do a normal jump and wanted to make sure that would cause any problems,
any tips on how to get the battery charged again would be helpful
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 1,796
Likes: 14
From: Nampa Idaho
No, it's a normal jump start, but you may have trouble finding a good ground spot on your vette. I'm sure someone else will chime in!
I've only tried it once, and it was the starter and not the battery!
I would get a good battery tender to keep your battery charged at all times. I got this one at Auto Zone for under $40!
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...er=756181_0_0_
I've only tried it once, and it was the starter and not the battery!
I would get a good battery tender to keep your battery charged at all times. I got this one at Auto Zone for under $40!
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...er=756181_0_0_
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
From: Junction City Oregon
Make sure your ignition is off before hooking up a charger or jumper cables. Doing so with the ignition on can cause problems with your CCM. The previous owner of my 90 vert could have used this advice. On the other hand, I wouldn't have this car now if he had.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 31,626
Likes: 12
From: Sacramento California
i believe i have a ecm..should be same thing though
so i should hook everything up and then put the key and the ignition and try to start up the engine?
i just really dont want to kill the electronics on the car doing this!
Advanced
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 81
Likes: 0
From: Junction City Oregon
the ECM is under the hood and the CCM is in the dash behind your stereo. Yes, just make sure the ignition is not on, hook up your jumper cables and then try to start it. 99% of the time that is the way people do it without thinking about it. The guy that owned mine went out to start it and the battery was dead. He neglected to turn off the ignition, hooked up the battery charger, and the rest is history, it destroyed the CCM. Of course he didn't know that and started shotgunning parts at it, disassembled the dash clear to the firewall and before he knew it, he was way over his head.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 8,172
Likes: 17
From: Eugene Oregon
I believe in the Beer Fairy
St. Jude Donor '15,'19
If it were me i wouldn't jump it at all. I would do what Airforceone said in his post and buy a good battery tender to bring it back to life. You'll need it anyway. 
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 21,543
Likes: 3,216
From: Park City Utah
Let's not be alarmists here, about alternators, etc. The alternator is perfectly able to deal w/the load placed on it by charging the battery. I've jumped my 'Vette many times (and hundreds of other cars/trucks) and never seen any negative consequences as a result. Pretty standard thing to do.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
5 Best & 5 Worst Corvette Daily Drivers
Joe Kucinski
The Headlights of Every Corvette Generation Explained
Joe Kucinski
5 Best & 5 Most Overrated Corvette Track Packages of All Time!
Joe Kucinski
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 8,172
Likes: 17
From: Eugene Oregon
I believe in the Beer Fairy
St. Jude Donor '15,'19
Here is Some info on corvette central website, Not trying to scare you just take precaution.
http://tech.corvettecentral.com/2007...cal-diagnosis/
"Jump starting or using a battery charger can be dangerous if care isn’t taken when the cables are installed. Always connect the positive cable of the vehicle to be jumped at the battery. Then connect the ground cable of the vehicle to be jumped up to the alternator or any bracket that will give a good ground to the system. This prevents sparks at the battery from ruining your day even more! Whether you’re using a set of jumper cables or a battery charger, wait and let the dead battery charge up for 10-15 minutes before attempting to start the car. Completely dead batteries can take much more time before they will be charged enough to start the car, especially when using inexpensive jumper battery cables. You also run the risk of damaging computer components when the voltage spikes from jump starting, so wait for a while and let the battery charge before making the start attempt. The best battery maintenance tool on the market for your battery is the Battery Tender. The Battery Tender keeps the battery at optimum charge level without overheating the battery while monitoring ambient temperature. "
http://tech.corvettecentral.com/2007...cal-diagnosis/
"Jump starting or using a battery charger can be dangerous if care isn’t taken when the cables are installed. Always connect the positive cable of the vehicle to be jumped at the battery. Then connect the ground cable of the vehicle to be jumped up to the alternator or any bracket that will give a good ground to the system. This prevents sparks at the battery from ruining your day even more! Whether you’re using a set of jumper cables or a battery charger, wait and let the dead battery charge up for 10-15 minutes before attempting to start the car. Completely dead batteries can take much more time before they will be charged enough to start the car, especially when using inexpensive jumper battery cables. You also run the risk of damaging computer components when the voltage spikes from jump starting, so wait for a while and let the battery charge before making the start attempt. The best battery maintenance tool on the market for your battery is the Battery Tender. The Battery Tender keeps the battery at optimum charge level without overheating the battery while monitoring ambient temperature. "
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,229
Likes: 698
From: Clifton Park, NY ............Clearwater, FL ... 85 Original Owner
No, it's a normal jump start, but you may have trouble finding a good ground spot on your vette. I'm sure someone else will chime in!
I've only tried it once, and it was the starter and not the battery!
I would get a good battery tender to keep your battery charged at all times. I got this one at Auto Zone for under $40!
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...er=756181_0_0_
I've only tried it once, and it was the starter and not the battery!
I would get a good battery tender to keep your battery charged at all times. I got this one at Auto Zone for under $40!
http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...er=756181_0_0_
Battery tenders are not meant to charge dead batteries
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 8,172
Likes: 17
From: Eugene Oregon
I believe in the Beer Fairy
St. Jude Donor '15,'19
http://www.ctek.com/gb/en/chargers
Last edited by higgyburners; Aug 27, 2013 at 12:08 PM.
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 31,626
Likes: 12
From: Sacramento California
and ya i ended up using a battery tender charger and it seemed like it worked fine, started right up and the only thing was the lcd display showed a "sys" message for a while that kept coming on as i switched between readings.
my battery wasnt fully dead, the pke light a few others were dimly lit and it was making a clicking sound like the car alarm trying to go off.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 2,082
Likes: 3
From: Conowingo Maryland
lol that is where most people fail. these are cars there is really nothing special put into them then in other car. the cooling system has really not changed sense the start of liquid cooling. the engins can be found in everything from trucks to taxi cabs, brakes no difference and so on. Treat them just like any other car 
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 2,082
Likes: 3
From: Conowingo Maryland
Yes.
Let's not be alarmists here, about alternators, etc. The alternator is perfectly able to deal w/the load placed on it by charging the battery. I've jumped my 'Vette many times (and hundreds of other cars/trucks) and never seen any negative consequences as a result. Pretty standard thing to do.
Let's not be alarmists here, about alternators, etc. The alternator is perfectly able to deal w/the load placed on it by charging the battery. I've jumped my 'Vette many times (and hundreds of other cars/trucks) and never seen any negative consequences as a result. Pretty standard thing to do.
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 2,082
Likes: 3
From: Conowingo Maryland
not trying to start a braw here but why would he need a battery tender anyway? and tenders are generly not made to bring a dead battery up to charge they are designed to maitain the charge. to charge a batter you need a charger. To me there is no reason to have a tender on the car unless it sits for a month at a time. These things are not special I dont see or here of people puting a tender on any of the other cars they drive