Hello All, I live just north of Austin, TX and last night our temps got down to 28 degrees. My '99 is garage kept but the cold really freaked it out I guess. I started it this morning and all this dinging from the message center started flashing all kinds of messages. I backed it out of the garage. I hit reset and let it run for about 10 min. Nothing changed. I turned it off and let it sit in the sun this morning for about 35-40 min., tried to start it and now it will not even turn over and the DIC says reduced engine power! HELP!!!!! Have any of you ever experienced this and if so please advise! I would appreciate any help!!

 

I'd say bad battery.

 

I think its your battery. These cars do wierd things when the voltage is low.

I live in Tulsa and its been pretty cold lately. My battery is about 4 years old. The other day (it was cold!) got in and it just wouldn't crank.

Put it on a 6 amp/hour charger for about an hour and it cranked right up. No problems since but I haven't driven it since Sunday due to the weather so I don't know what will happen the next time I try to start it.
It been in the low teens.

 

I just had mine out with a 3 year old battery in -5 degree weather... I'm guessing you just need a good charge up, these cars do fine in the cold for the most part

 

I responded to your other post in GENERAL:

Did you have a battery maintainer on it ?

I would guess you have a low battery. Check the volts across battery with a volt ohm meter. A 12-volt battery will measure at about 12.9 volts when it’s fully charged and about 11.4 volts when it is fully discharged.

 

well after hitting the reset button after all the messages I was able to look at the battery info. and you are right, I currently have 11.5 volts. I have a battery charger somewhere in the garage, can't find it because my hubby used it last. I just sent him an email to tell me where it is! Thanks so much for the help! :-)

 

Just send it up to Connecticut for a week or so and let it sit out in the -minus 10 degree tundra! Then we will send it back to you and it will be as happy as a CLAM in the 28 deg temps! Could be a battery issue. Could also be a wet/ damp BCM or a serial buss issue.

Make SURE that the battery terminals are properly torqued to 11 ft/lbs. If you can move a battery cable at the terminal bu hand, its NOT properly tightened on the battery.

You can always have that battery tested at Autozone to make SURE its really good or really bad.

When you get the battery / cables thing sorted out, CLEAR ALL the codes and give it another try. Then read the DTCs and see if theres any underlying issues.

 

Just pick up an Optima Red Top battery from your local auto parts store. Easy fix.

 

If your battery is on the edge of going bad, cold weather knocks them right out. Just try charging, if reading are still low, have it tested.

 

I had that message "reduce engine speed" and the problem was the computer that communicates with the gas pedal (sorry I can't remember what it's called) but it's located inside the front passenger fender underneath the ECU it's a small/medum size black box. I purchased from one of the vendors here at the forum about $200 or so.
that problem is GONE FOR GOOD.

 

thanks to all for the quick advice!! I took the battery back to Sears where I purchased it only 1 year and 6 months ago. They had it tested and fully charged in 30 min. So it is definitely not the battery! I am suspecting the alternator. The last couple of times I started it, I did notice a very faint little chirping sound coming from that area. So tonight after work I am going to go by our local Adv. Auto and they said they can hook something up to the alternator and let me know if it is going out. If that is not the case any other suggestions for me to look at?? Thanks a million again for all of your input! :-)

 

you can test the alternator yourself..... simply start the car and while the car is running disconnect the battery cables, if your alternator is bad the car will stall, if the alternator is good the car will continue running.

Im telling you I had that message " reduce engine speed" and the problem was the computer that communicates with your gas pedal. I will look for pictures and the correct names of these itmes.

 

It sounds to me like this is a lady who's husband is out of town...(military maybe?)

I don't mean this in a negative way towards the original poster or any female owners here, but how many of our wives, girlfriends, significant others are technical enough to do complete some of the suggestions offered?

 

PLEASE do not do the 1st part of this... and disconnect the battery when the engine is running.....

this worked on old carburated cars. but NOT on a modern fuel injected car

 

tommie

would you care to elaborate on carburator vs. fuel injection.

thx.

 

The C5 alternator is PCM controlled and internally regulated. if you disconnect it from the battery while it is running it will fry the internal regulator circuit. The OLD GM alternators had external mechanical regulators RELAYS AND RESISTORS and could tollerate that test!

BC

 

Try CLEARING all the DTCs. If you dont know how, here you go:

READING YOUR Engine Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTC)

This procedure should be carried out any time you experience a problem with your C5. Most inexpensive store bought aftermarket code readers will ONLY read power train DTC’s. Reading the DTC’s with the C5 built in code reader will allow you to read ALL the modules in the vehicle.

The Diagnostic Display Mode is entered with the following procedure:
1) Turn on the ignition but don't start the engine.
2) Press the RESET button to turn off any warning messages. (i.e. door open, trunk open ect)
3) Press and hold the OPTIONS button
4) While holding OPTIONS, press FUEL button four times within a 10 -second period.

Initially, the on-board diagnostics go into an Automatic Mode which will cycle through each module and shows diagnostic codes in a pre-set sequence: PCM - TCS - RTD - BCM - IPC - RADIO - HVAC - LDCM - RDCM - SCM - RFA. All codes will be displayed for each module. ( i.e. PCM = 4 codes) If none are present in a given module, you will see No More Codes on the display.

There are two types of diagnostic codes, Current and History designated with a letter suffix, “C” or “H”. A current code indicates a malfunction is present in the module displaying data. A history code indicates a problem existed sometime in the last 40 or 50 ignition cycles. When not accompanied by a current code of the same number, it's potential evidence of a previous problem, now resolved, that was not removed by clearing the codes. More likely it's an indication of an intermittent malfunction.

Intermittent codes are the most challenging of the diagnostics. An intermittent code may have happened once, may have happened more than once but is inconsistent or may be happening on a regular basis but not at the time the codes are displayed. History codes can also be caused by a current malfunction in a system that is not operating at the time codes are displayed. An example is the rear window defogger which doesn't operate until the Body Control Module detects engine rpm. For history codes set by a module that does not operate with the key on and engine off, a special diagnostic tool called a Scan Tester is necessary to properly diagnose the malfunction.

Once the system has displayed all modules, it goes into the manual mode which allows selection of each module using combinations of Driver Information Center buttons. Manual mode can also be entered during the automatic sequence by pressing any button except E/M. Once the display shows Manual Diagnostics, select a module by pressing the OPTIONS button to go forward or the TRIP button to go back. Once a module is selected, a code is displayed, and if more than one are present; press GAGES to go forward or FUEL to go back.
To exit the diagnostic mode at any time, press E/M. If you want to erase codes in a given module, press RESET To reset the codes once in manual mode, press and hold RESET until it displays NO CODES Press OPTIONS to go to the next module. Repeat the steps until you have reset the codes in all the computer modules.
NOTE!! Only reset the codes IF you want to - it is NOT necessary to do this. Clearing a code does not repair a problem. You are simply erasing the evidence of it in the module's memory. If you clear the code/s, and extinguish the Check Engine Light, your emissions status ready will NOT allow you to pass an emissions test until you have completed the required driving cycles. There are a few body module DTC’s that if set will prevent the module from operating properly. Once the DTC is cleared, the module will return to full function. This is not true for power train DTCs.

If you have never read and cleared your codes, there will probably be a lot of old history DTCs. It is recommended that you clear your codes and see if any come back during a driving cycle. Those are the ones that you need to concentrate on diagnosing.

Once you have the codes, the next question is: What to do with the information?
First, consult the factory service manual. Any serious C5 Do-It-Yourself owner should invest in the Corvette Service Manual of the appropriate model year. The Service Manual is really a requirement if you want to understand and work on your C5.

These are some very good C5 Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) explanation web sites!!! They also explain how to read the DTCs

Here are some very good sites that explain what DTC mean:

http://www.gearchatter.com/viewtopic11755.php

http://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_cod...d-ii-codes.php

Make sure to include the H or C suffix when you post your DTCs!!

Once you clear the DTCs, try to start the car again. If it doesnt start, read and post the DTCs here so that we can see the results and make sure you include the H or C if its there.

When you reconnected your battery, how tight do you have the connections? There supposed to be tightened to 11 ft/lbs of Torque.

Do you have a manual or automatic?


Please let us know the results of the above stuff.

 

Thanks again for all the feedback especially from Bill Curlee and 8VETTE7. I am new to being a C5 owner (Feb. 2007 purchased my '99). To say that I love my Vette is definitely an understatement! This is the first vehicle that I have owned that makes me want to study and learn more about it. I feel that I am truly blessed to call myself an owner of a C5. I am glad this forum is here too to help me better understand what an awesome machine I have as well as grow my own technical skills. Although no "gear head" I do know a few things and believe I can fairly understand any suggestion given and like 8VETTE7 said if I don't I am sure I can ask someone to explain things to me. I wasn't surprised with hotwheels57's comment about forum members explaining things that may be over my or any other female's head. I guess he is used to those female types that aren't a little auto savy or just don't care. I look at those types of comments like he says in his profile just coming from a faceless user name with their own opinions and egos. Like him, I agree Karma is a great equalizer. As for me, like I said I am no tech, but I change my own oil & oil filter, air my own tires, change hoses, put in a new serpentine belt and installed a new light switch lever when the old wore out (that was a lot of fun). I will let you all know how this weekend goes. Have a good one! Enjoy the Super Bowl or whatever you desire!

 

As I said, it wasn't meant to be a slam against you or any other female owner. It's obvious from some threads that some male owners lack technical skills as well.

You didn't mention your skill level and I thought that some of the more technical replies might be over your head. I actually thought some might have missed the fact you were not a male owner.

I didn't intend to offend you...

 

No hard feelings hotwheels,

It is sometimes difficult even in an email to detect the tone of someone's reply. I really did not think that was the case with you. I am just a novice who wants to learn about her great machine, share thoughts with this great group of people and hopefully learn a lot more than the little knowledge I posess now! Nice Vette by the way.