sometimes when i try to start my 2000 the message screen flashes low volts then goes dark and i can not start the car. after several attempts i finally get the corvette by chevrolet message and my car will start and run fine. can anyone tell me what needs to be done.

 

First thing I would do is have someone do a check on the battery to see if it is good. If the check shows a bad battery, you'll need to replace it.

 

To check your battery voltage, do not read the DIC when the car is off. The voltmeter is designed to measure alternator output when the car is running. It will always measure an inaccurately low voltage on the battery when the car is off. Anything from 11.0-11.9 is not abnormal in this mode. With the engine on, the voltmeter should show between 13V and 14.5V. A better reading can be measured at the battery terminals. Use a digital multi meter if you can. A fully charged battery measures 12.66 V and a fully discharged battery measures 11.86 V.

If you show a figure between those two values give it an overnight recharge.

As a further check make sure your battery terminals are torqued tight.
The positive cable is tightened to 15 N-m (11 lb ft) and the negative cable to 16 N-m (12 lb ft)

 

I took m car to the local chevy dealer last week and told the service advisor that when i turned my key i was not getting the message on the DIC "corvette by Chevrolet" and that the instrument cluster would not light up and that when this happens I can not start the car. It would take me several attempts at turning the key off and turning it on before I finally got the cluster to light and the message to appear before the car would then start. As you can imagine when he tried it, it always started, so they kept it for 3 days and he told me that never once did it not start. I get the car home and guess what, the next morning the same thing happens. Very frustrating as you can imagine. I drive my car to work every day and I really have to figure out what is wrong. I am wondering if it is the ignition switch. I also read in the manual that low voltage will cause the instrument cluster to not light up. The battery is new and was checked by the chevy dealer when I took it in. They also checked other possible causes but according to them everything checked out and the car always started. I don't know if I can believe them because they were very busy. kept my car for 3 days and said they could find nothing wrong. I get it back and the next day the same problem happens. Any advice on how to proceed from here will be greatly appreciated.

 

The battery terminals were clean and tight when you checked them,right?

 

Also, check the connections at the starter solenoid as this is where the fuse boxes, battery, alternator and of course the starter, all come together.

 

8vette7,

i have read the link and will start my quest from there
thank you

 

How much did they charge you for this wealth of knowledge?

 

Just had the same problem except I had moved the battery to the trunk so I wasted allot of time thinking I needed larger wires or bad connections. It was the key switch and I did the repairs to the contacts and works great. The guys at corvette mech forum said there is a new switch available and my fix wont last but if it lasts as long as the org I got 6 & 1/2 years and 21K before I needed to worry about it again.

 

I was going to order a new switch today from ecklers and do the repair myself. Do you have a link where I can get step by step so I don't mess it up. Can the switch be accessed through the center console and if so is it difficult to replace the switch. I am pretty mechanically minded, just need some detailed instruction.

Thanks,
Fittube

 

When I had that same issue it was my battery, It had enough volts to start the car, But would display what you are seeing, Bought a new RT battery and the issue went away.
Mr.Bill