Hi,

I recently purchased a 2004 coupe with under 10,000 miles. This is my first newer corvette so I am not used to all the electronic wizardry, and I need some input from those who would know more than I do.

Twice during the past week the car has simply "shut itself off," meaning there was absolutely no electrical power, not even to pop the hatch or open the doors. The first time was at a gas station and I thought I might have opened the gas door before removing the key all the way, and someone in our club mentioned it might have been a safety feature. I did what I understand you are supposed to do when a C4 thinks it is being stolen: locked the door, waited a few minutes, and then used the key. When the key entered the ignition, there was about a one second delay and then everything turned on.

The second time occured yesterday when it actually did the identical thing while it was being started. I went through the same motions, but to no avail. As I was sitting in the driver's seat, pondering my next move and reading the owner's manual, the car suddenly came back to life. I didn't do anything - I was just sitting there with the key in the "on" position.

Both times all memory was lost, meaning the clock, options, and memory all had to be reset.

Is this a problem with the car? Does it think it is being stolen? Am I doing something to make it think that? Can someone help me understand what is going on in its electronic innerds?!

The good news is that, if it does need service, it is still under warranty. But if that is the case I would like to at least be able to explain what it is I'm dealing with.

Thanks in adavnce!

Tom

 

Tom

It looks like your losing battery power. The battery post on a 2004 C5 are different than a 1997-2003. You have an OEM top post battery. All the earlier C5 had side post. The POS & Neg battery cables basically go the same places and do the same things. You need to inspect the battery, battery terminals, cables and cable connection points. Make sure there clean and tight They could be damaged, dirty or loose. The negative battery cable connects to two places; Chassis Ground G-104/108 (next to the battery on top of the frame and on the passengers side of the engine, above the starter.)

The POS battery cable splits into two cables It goes down to the starter and it also connects to the engine compartment fuse box and splits off from there and powers the passengers foot well fuse box.

Check the connection at the battery and on the starter. Check the negative cables also.

BC

 

First REMOVE and clean the battery cable connections. These cars are sensitive to electrical voltage. Many electrical anomalies are due to bad electrical connections and batteries that have internal problems that may or may not be readily apparent. Don’t forget about the many grounds that are susceptible to corrosion.

But first things first - Remove and clean the battery connections, and then substitute another good (new?) battery if the main cable connections are OK.

Always remember the “KISS” Principal – Keep It Simple Stupid. Check the basic stuff before continuing onto the more complex.