I took my 2001 vette to get the inspection and emission done today. When I went out to start the car, (after being stored for the winter), the battery was dead, charged the battery. And ran down to the inspection station. The tech guy told me that because of the dead battery, he was getting faults, and need me to run the car for the faults to clear. When I went out to start the car, to leave the station, it was hard to start, (this car was never hard to start, always on the first crank). I finally got it started and went to take it for a run down the freeway. Ran fine, came back to the station, shut the car off, would not start again. I changed the battery, still having problems with starting, My question is, where do they hook the emission tester to the car? My thought is that maybe he did something to the plug that is making the car hard to start. But I was not sure where to check for the emission connection, Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

I really doubt that he caused anything with the OBD port. Its under the steering column. My guess is your battery is done. Once they are discharged fully, they usually don't come back to life. Put a meter across it with the ignition off. You need a minimum of 12.5vdc there. Anything less, probably time to buy a new one.

 

Agreed, battery is TOAST.

 

since you indicated that you changed the battery, i assume you are talking about with a new one. if not with a new one you may still have battery issues or your connecting cables are loose or dirty. did you pass the emissions test? what is your battery voltage with the engine not running on the gauge or car off and across the battery posts? with good voltage you may have to drive sufficient drive cycles to reset the data points on the computer and have the computer relearn the engine.

 

I missed that statement that he changed the battery. As asked, was this new battery, actually new? Pull your codes please and post them.

 

Pull and post the DTCs.. Once you write them down,,, CLEAR ALL the DTCs and monitor every so often until your happy that none are being regenerated.

BC

 

When ever pulling a car out of storage, drive it for a hundred miles or so on a Fresh tank of fuel. Clear the codes as Bill mentions above.

before storage a battery tender is a must

 

Thanks for the reply, Yes the battery is brand new, I am not familar with how to pull the DTC codes, checked the internet, no help. I did try to start the car again today. And noticed when I turned the key, I would get, a clicking noise, and no lites on the dash, tried on, off , on ,off,, and sometime the dash lites would come on with all indications that the car would start. It looks like a bad ignition, but could it be a bad ground? ( the later is what I would hope for, the ignition looks like a a bear to change) :o(

 

Check the battery connections fo a clean tight connection They have to be TORQUED to 11 ft/lbs.

Heres how to pull your own DTCs:

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.

NOTE and a WARNING. You can read the DTCs while the engine is running. I pull mine up all the time while driving.
WARNING. Don’t become distracted while reading DTCs while your driving and cause an accident!!!!! Use common sense and drive safe.

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!!




Heres a post on how to fix your own ignition switch:

- C5 ignition Switch repair - http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-t...ch-repair.html

Bill

 

Also remember, that anytime your battery is unplugged, your car will read 'not ready' or similar for some of the emissions tests until you drive a few miles and the PCM has a chance to test all your systems.
AutoTap has an emissions readiness test which I use. I think EfiLive has the same.