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Reduced engine power dies immediately

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Old Mar 15, 2015 | 11:06 PM
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Default Reduced engine power dies immediately

My 04 Z has sat for a few weeks and when I tried to start it the battery was dead. After putting in another battery the car starts and then dies instantly and shows reduced engine power low fuel and service vehicle soon. Power windows and locks aren't working and the radio doesn't work. When I try to pull the codes it shows no comm on everything. What could be the problem. I took the bcm out and the plastic behind it was damp like it had sweated but the bcm itself was dry. I have the bcm inside in front of a heater now. What could be the problem?
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 02:48 AM
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sorry, misunderstood you, and thought it died while trying to move it.

Last edited by Tuco; Mar 16, 2015 at 07:17 PM.
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 09:32 AM
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I assume everything was OK before the battery went dead. First thing to do is fully charge the battery. Even new batteries may not be fully charged. A weak battery can cause a lot of problems with these cars.
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 09:46 AM
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Originally Posted by JR-01
I assume everything was OK before the battery went dead. First thing to do is fully charge the battery. Even new batteries may not be fully charged. A weak battery can cause a lot of problems with these cars.
You may also want to consider a tender for your battery when you are not using.
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 09:49 AM
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Originally Posted by Daddyrama31
You may also want to consider a tender for your battery when you are not using.
Definitely, if it's going to sit for weeks at a time
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 11:45 AM
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The car hasn't been driven because of snow here but the 3 weeks it's been sitting somewhere in the middle of that my dad started it and let it idle for a while and it was fine. And now it was so dead the key fob wouldn't unlock the doors. We took a battery out of another daily driven vehicle ( battery is less than 2 years old) and the same problem is there. I also unplugged the STAR connector with 4 wires and nothing changed. I'm getting no comm even with the other battery that is definately good.
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 12:23 PM
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Originally Posted by VandykeT/A
The car hasn't been driven because of snow here but the 3 weeks it's been sitting somewhere in the middle of that my dad started it and let it idle for a while and it was fine. And now it was so dead the key fob wouldn't unlock the doors. We took a battery out of another daily driven vehicle ( battery is less than 2 years old) and the same problem is there. I also unplugged the STAR connector with 4 wires and nothing changed. I'm getting no comm even with the other battery that is definately good.
Check the voltage on the battery. There was a guy on here with the same problems not long ago and it was low voltage. If everything was fine before the dead battery then that's where you have to look first.

Last edited by JR-01; Mar 16, 2015 at 12:55 PM.
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 12:54 PM
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Is it safe to assume that you tried to unhook the battery for a few minutes to let everything reset, then hook it back up ?
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 01:44 PM
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Does it die when you try to move it?
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 02:50 PM
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No originally the car would start and die instantly. I replaced the battery with one from another car and same thing happened. I took the bcm out and dried it over night and left the battery unhooked. Reinstalled the bcm after drying it and the car runs now but still no radio no power windows or doors and it says rep tcs light is on abs is on and the passenger floor behind the bcm is damp. I've cleaned the grounds under the hood and dried the floor removed the PCM and checked all the wiring and everything is fine with no corrosion. Is it possible the bcm is bad? Also the hvac drain was clean why would there be moisture. Idk what to do for it
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 02:52 PM
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I also have no communication to anything at all when trying to pull codes. And the radio doesn't work. I've removed the STAR connector for the door and seat modules. Nothing changed. No oil and temp gauge is working either
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 02:58 PM
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Originally Posted by VandykeT/A
No originally the car would start and die instantly. I replaced the battery with one from another car and same thing happened. I took the bcm out and dried it over night and left the battery unhooked. Reinstalled the bcm after drying it and the car runs now but still no radio no power windows or doors and it says rep tcs light is on abs is on and the passenger floor behind the bcm is damp. I've cleaned the grounds under the hood and dried the floor removed the PCM and checked all the wiring and everything is fine with no corrosion. Is it possible the bcm is bad? Also the hvac drain was clean why would there be moisture. Idk what to do for it
So the problem was there before the battery died and was replaced. That changes everything. The damp floor is a clue.
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 03:53 PM
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It sounds like you may have a battery that leaked down unto the BCM area.
This is not a good thing.
Battery acid in the electronics are a bad thing.
You may need a new BCM.
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 04:10 PM
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No the problem wasn't there until the battery died. After it died it started all this. And the PCM is under the battery. All the PCM wires and PCM are fine. No corrosion no cuts no anything. The car was just parked and when I got to it the battery was dead and all this started.
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 04:19 PM
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Originally Posted by VandykeT/A
No the problem wasn't there until the battery died. After it died it started all this. And the PCM is under the battery. All the PCM wires and PCM are fine. No corrosion no cuts no anything. The car was just parked and when I got to it the battery was dead and all this started.
The battery may have died due to a short in the BCM. How did you pull codes? DIC or OBD reader?
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 04:21 PM
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Originally Posted by VandykeT/A
No the problem wasn't there until the battery died. After it died it started all this. And the PCM is under the battery. All the PCM wires and PCM are fine. No corrosion no cuts no anything. The car was just parked and when I got to it the battery was dead and all this started.
Then the first thing to do is check voltage of the battery. Should be over 12.6. If less than 12.6 it might be the problem.
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 04:53 PM
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I'm using the dic shows no comm on everything. And I'll check the batteries. I just wouldn't think 2 batteries would be weak and one that was being used everyday. I'm starting to think it's the bcm.
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Old Mar 16, 2015 | 05:04 PM
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Originally Posted by VandykeT/A
I'm using the dic shows no comm on everything. And I'll check the batteries. I just wouldn't think 2 batteries would be weak and one that was being used everyday. I'm starting to think it's the bcm.
C5 electronics are very sensitive to low voltage. Since everything was fine before the dead battery issue, battery and battery connections are the first places to start, then work from there.
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Old Mar 17, 2015 | 12:04 AM
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I just feel like whatever the issue is caused the dead battery. The car could sit weeks and never have one ounce of an issue and even though it had been started in between it's normal sit time the battery was stone dead and nothing was left on. I literally let the car run today for probably 2 hours and the problem never went away. I'll check battery voltage tomorrow.
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Old Mar 17, 2015 | 10:15 AM
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Originally Posted by VandykeT/A
I just feel like whatever the issue is caused the dead battery. The car could sit weeks and never have one ounce of an issue and even though it had been started in between it's normal sit time the battery was stone dead and nothing was left on. I literally let the car run today for probably 2 hours and the problem never went away. I'll check battery voltage tomorrow.
What is its "normal sit time"?
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