Vette stops randomly
Thread Starter
3rd Gear
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 3
Likes: 2
Vette stops randomly
I’ve owned my 92 vette for about 2 months and everything was good. As of recently I would be driving and it would shut off at random. I lose all power and everything stiffens up cause the engine turned off. I believe it is the battery i checked with a multimeter and it was reading 8 volts. I wanted to see if anyone else has had this issue at random and see if there is any other causes to this.
update: I’ve changed the battery and it is still shutting off at random any suggestions?
update: I’ve changed the battery and it is still shutting off at random any suggestions?
Last edited by Ravager221; Apr 19, 2020 at 04:28 PM.
Have it load tested and make sure all connections are clean. If it tests ok use your multimeter to check the output of the alternator. 
Safety Car
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 4,757
Likes: 1,647
From: Fairfax Virginia
Welcome to the Corvette Forum! We are glad you are here and anxious to help you in any way we can!
Like the others I want to help you stop this from happening. Corvettes are supposed to be fun and they are. The problem here is AGE of the components. The Digital Dashboard like my 1988 C4 has was built with components that had a 15 year life expectancy and they are now going on 32 years old. With a little tender loving care these Corvettes can turn into awesome Corvettes. There is a lot of experience here at this Corvette Forum and some awesome Guys who just love Corvettes and sharing their knowledge.
If your Corvette started "normally" and ran until the battery was too low to power the Corvette and the Corvette just stopped. Then your alternator is likely the cause. Bad connections can sometimes keep power from getting back into the battery via dirty higher resistance battery clamps. Clean every thing really well and then try to re-charge your battery on a charger, again the battery connections have to be really clean.
After the battery has been charged completely first take it over and have a shop load test it. This will tell you if you have a bad battery. If it is weak just replace it. The battery might make a comeback after charging it and as long as it is able to stay above 12 Volts it might be okay.
Now that you have a "Fully Charged" battery in your Corvette start it up while monitoring the output of the alternator see if it is charging or not. If the voltage of the battery does not rise substantially I would probably test or replace the alternator.
These C4 Corvettes are very picky about good electrical connections and good fuel pressure.
Here are couple things you will need to own and maintain a Corvette like yours:
Factory Service Manuals, order the set for your specific year. They are published by Helm Publishing and are available in print or on a DVD on EBAY.
External Fuel Pressure Gauge, to allow you to connect to your fuel system and verify it is working properly.
Good Volt Ohm Meter, You will get used to using this a lot on older Corvettes. I myself am a Fluke person as I used them at work.
Things that would be real handy:
A OBD1 Code Reader or any Scanner software that works on the 12 pin OBD1 system
Power Probe, incredibly useful tool for electrical issues
Putting as much information about your Corvette on the "Profile" here so WE don't ask a lot of questions about the basics.
Like the others I want to help you stop this from happening. Corvettes are supposed to be fun and they are. The problem here is AGE of the components. The Digital Dashboard like my 1988 C4 has was built with components that had a 15 year life expectancy and they are now going on 32 years old. With a little tender loving care these Corvettes can turn into awesome Corvettes. There is a lot of experience here at this Corvette Forum and some awesome Guys who just love Corvettes and sharing their knowledge.
If your Corvette started "normally" and ran until the battery was too low to power the Corvette and the Corvette just stopped. Then your alternator is likely the cause. Bad connections can sometimes keep power from getting back into the battery via dirty higher resistance battery clamps. Clean every thing really well and then try to re-charge your battery on a charger, again the battery connections have to be really clean.
After the battery has been charged completely first take it over and have a shop load test it. This will tell you if you have a bad battery. If it is weak just replace it. The battery might make a comeback after charging it and as long as it is able to stay above 12 Volts it might be okay.
Now that you have a "Fully Charged" battery in your Corvette start it up while monitoring the output of the alternator see if it is charging or not. If the voltage of the battery does not rise substantially I would probably test or replace the alternator.
These C4 Corvettes are very picky about good electrical connections and good fuel pressure.
Here are couple things you will need to own and maintain a Corvette like yours:
Factory Service Manuals, order the set for your specific year. They are published by Helm Publishing and are available in print or on a DVD on EBAY.
External Fuel Pressure Gauge, to allow you to connect to your fuel system and verify it is working properly.
Good Volt Ohm Meter, You will get used to using this a lot on older Corvettes. I myself am a Fluke person as I used them at work.
Things that would be real handy:
A OBD1 Code Reader or any Scanner software that works on the 12 pin OBD1 system
Power Probe, incredibly useful tool for electrical issues
Putting as much information about your Corvette on the "Profile" here so WE don't ask a lot of questions about the basics.
8th Gear
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
Welcome to the Corvette Forum! We are glad you are here and anxious to help you in any way we can!
Like the others I want to help you stop this from happening. Corvettes are supposed to be fun and they are. The problem here is AGE of the components. The Digital Dashboard like my 1988 C4 has was built with components that had a 15 year life expectancy and they are now going on 32 years old. With a little tender loving care these Corvettes can turn into awesome Corvettes. There is a lot of experience here at this Corvette Forum and some awesome Guys who just love Corvettes and sharing their knowledge.
If your Corvette started "normally" and ran until the battery was too low to power the Corvette and the Corvette just stopped. Then your alternator is likely the cause. Bad connections can sometimes keep power from getting back into the battery via dirty higher resistance battery clamps. Clean every thing really well and then try to re-charge your battery on a charger, again the battery connections have to be really clean.
After the battery has been charged completely first take it over and have a shop load test it. This will tell you if you have a bad battery. If it is weak just replace it. The battery might make a comeback after charging it and as long as it is able to stay above 12 Volts it might be okay.
Now that you have a "Fully Charged" battery in your Corvette start it up while monitoring the output of the alternator see if it is charging or not. If the voltage of the battery does not rise substantially I would probably test or replace the alternator.
These C4 Corvettes are very picky about good electrical connections and good fuel pressure.
Here are couple things you will need to own and maintain a Corvette like yours:
Factory Service Manuals, order the set for your specific year. They are published by Helm Publishing and are available in print or on a DVD on EBAY.
External Fuel Pressure Gauge, to allow you to connect to your fuel system and verify it is working properly.
Good Volt Ohm Meter, You will get used to using this a lot on older Corvettes. I myself am a Fluke person as I used them at work.
Things that would be real handy:
A OBD1 Code Reader or any Scanner software that works on the 12 pin OBD1 system
Power Probe, incredibly useful tool for electrical issues
Putting as much information about your Corvette on the "Profile" here so WE don't ask a lot of questions about the basics.
Like the others I want to help you stop this from happening. Corvettes are supposed to be fun and they are. The problem here is AGE of the components. The Digital Dashboard like my 1988 C4 has was built with components that had a 15 year life expectancy and they are now going on 32 years old. With a little tender loving care these Corvettes can turn into awesome Corvettes. There is a lot of experience here at this Corvette Forum and some awesome Guys who just love Corvettes and sharing their knowledge.
If your Corvette started "normally" and ran until the battery was too low to power the Corvette and the Corvette just stopped. Then your alternator is likely the cause. Bad connections can sometimes keep power from getting back into the battery via dirty higher resistance battery clamps. Clean every thing really well and then try to re-charge your battery on a charger, again the battery connections have to be really clean.
After the battery has been charged completely first take it over and have a shop load test it. This will tell you if you have a bad battery. If it is weak just replace it. The battery might make a comeback after charging it and as long as it is able to stay above 12 Volts it might be okay.
Now that you have a "Fully Charged" battery in your Corvette start it up while monitoring the output of the alternator see if it is charging or not. If the voltage of the battery does not rise substantially I would probably test or replace the alternator.
These C4 Corvettes are very picky about good electrical connections and good fuel pressure.
Here are couple things you will need to own and maintain a Corvette like yours:
Factory Service Manuals, order the set for your specific year. They are published by Helm Publishing and are available in print or on a DVD on EBAY.
External Fuel Pressure Gauge, to allow you to connect to your fuel system and verify it is working properly.
Good Volt Ohm Meter, You will get used to using this a lot on older Corvettes. I myself am a Fluke person as I used them at work.
Things that would be real handy:
A OBD1 Code Reader or any Scanner software that works on the 12 pin OBD1 system
Power Probe, incredibly useful tool for electrical issues
Putting as much information about your Corvette on the "Profile" here so WE don't ask a lot of questions about the basics.
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 68
Likes: 14
From: MotorCity
We need a few more details in order to completely understand your problem.
From your original post you say loss of power and assume your battery so it appears as if your engine died and no electrical.
cymcloskey gave some excellent advice and in order to diagnose it usually requires systematically checking the different systems in a certain order to prevent misdiagnosis and unnecessary expensive from replacing good parts. One other tool to add to his list is a vacuum gauge to diagnose engine problems.
If above mentioned is accurate and your car had “no power” engine died and no electrical Is that a intermittent issue?
If so I would check wires that connect at the starter solenoid that might have corroded or got burned. The C3 had a connection under the brake booster where power for the fuse box/ignition used to get corrosion on the pins for that connector not sure about the C4.
From your original post you say loss of power and assume your battery so it appears as if your engine died and no electrical.
cymcloskey gave some excellent advice and in order to diagnose it usually requires systematically checking the different systems in a certain order to prevent misdiagnosis and unnecessary expensive from replacing good parts. One other tool to add to his list is a vacuum gauge to diagnose engine problems.
If above mentioned is accurate and your car had “no power” engine died and no electrical Is that a intermittent issue?
If so I would check wires that connect at the starter solenoid that might have corroded or got burned. The C3 had a connection under the brake booster where power for the fuse box/ignition used to get corrosion on the pins for that connector not sure about the C4.
