I HAVE A 2003 C-5 WITH UNDER 3K ON THE ODOMETER - I DRIVE IT ABOUT ONCE A WEEK FOR AN HOUR. I GET A "LOW VOLTAGE" MESSAGE OVER THE STEERING WHEEL WERE THE "CORVETTE by CHEVROLET" WINDOW IS LOCATED. THE CAR CRANKS, BUT SOMETIMES SLOWLY. ONCE I HAD A DEAD OPTIMA RED TOP BATTERY THAT LASTED ONLY A YEAR.

AMPS ARE SHOWN AS "4.3," THEN AFTER 5 MINUTES OF DRIVING, STEADILY GO DOWN TO "13.7."

i'M CONCERNED ABOUT LOSING ANOTHER BATTERY - THIS REPLACEMENT - OPTIMA RED TOP - WAS INSTALLED A YEAR AGO.

ANY IDEAS WHAT'S CAUSING THIS?

THAT'S "14.3," NOT "4.3" AMPS - SORRY!

 

You should keep it on a battery tender.

 

All my toys live on tenders when I'm not driving them, makes batteries last a LONG time.

 

Battery tender! I use a CTEK3300 all the time. Had a Red TOP go bad after 1 yr & got a free replacement that was still going o.k. after 6 yrs but I replaced it to play safe. Which-ever battery you go with get a tender & use it IMO. Good luck!

 

Obviously you don't drive it enough, which causes battery issues. Like others have already said...get a battery tender for the next new battery you get.

 

During this 1-hour drive time when do you get that low voltage message?

I'm thinking you have an issue with the charging system, possibly a poor connection. 1-hour of driving per week should easily keep the battery charged.

 

He said he drives it "about once a week", meaning to me it may go 1 to 3 weeks without driving and that would cause enough drain to create the problems he is experiencing.

 

Why don't you let the OP tell me how much he drives his car instead of you telling me your baseless assumptions....

If this low voltage warning appears after he's been driving around in the car for a while then it's not a low battery due to sitting to long. Hence why I want the OP to tell me more details when the fault occurs instead of just jumping to the wrong conclusion.

 

Not baseless at all. "About once a week for an hour" is what he said he drives it. He did not say he drives it every week for an hour. The electrical problems, low voltage warnings and his batteries going bad are likely due to lack of use and not using a tender in my opinion. You seem to automatically assume there is more to it than that and only your opinion matters.

 

What is your problem? This is a message board where people post questions and they get responses. I asked the OP a question, not you. I didn't crap on your response or say you were wrong. But, I will guarantee that a low voltage error appearing after the car has been running more than 4 or 5 minutes is not going to be cured with a battery tender. Hence why I want to know more details on when the error occurs. Still not sure why I have to explain myself to you.

 

A battery that has been constantly run down over it's life will not charge correctly, last very long and occasionally show a low voltage message. Running a C5 only about once a week for an hour is extremely hard on any battery. C5s draw batteries down pretty quickly. Most people here agree that a tender will probably cure his problem.
You claimed that he had a bigger problem and I responded, then you replied to my post and I answered you. Seems like it is you that has the problem.

 

According the the service manual, the low system voltage test is performed after the engine has been running > 10 seconds, the rpm is >1000rpm and the vehicle is traveling >5mph. The test voltage is <8V. A battery at 8V wouldn't have enough power to even turn the starter motor over. Despite a tender being the easy answer and it is a good idea to use one, it doesn't sound to me like it will properly fix the problem. There are MANY instances of poor connections at the starter solenoid and dirty ignition switch contacts, both of which can also cause a number of very odd issues.

My car that was starting and charging just fine still showed a 0.7V increase at the battery while idling with the lights and AC on when I cleaned the starter solenoid wiring. It was showing about 13.9V before and now holds a solid 14.6V.

Oh well, you've decided the tender is the only possible solution and you've also apparently made it your mission to chase anyone else away who has more input. If the tender doesn't fix I can always help the OP fix the real issue in the future.

 

I had an optima red that lasted just a bit over a year and was replaced under warranty. The replacement lasted about 2.5 years.

The replacement optima at about 2 years old it would discharge after a few days and required a jump start to get going. After a few weeks of having to do this I took it to the place I bought it. They did the tests and they told me the battery was fine. They told me that I probably didn't drive it enough to get it fully charged. They suggested I fully charge it, which I did on a battery charger. Didn't help and I continued the jumpstart process for the next six months. I got to the point that I was afraid to turn off the car if I was out driving and wanted to stop someplace along the way so I replaced the battery.

I came to the conclusion that, after 2 optimas in 4 years, they are junk. I drove to wal-mart and swapped it out for their best battery. Paid under $100 and 3 years later it is still going strong. The vette has set for up to 2 weeks and will start right up.

I spend summers in Michigan so I put it on a battery tender when I'm gone for long periods.