My battery would die after about 36 hours of not using the car. I took it to Vandergriff Chevrolet and they replaced the fuse for the interior lights (charged about $120). After this the car would hesitate to start every time. So I took it back to Vandergriff and after doing diagnostics they said the battery needed to be replaced. (charged $54) From invoice, “Mid traoncs stated battery has bad cell”

I bought the battery in May of 2002 from Sears (had it for 4 months), but I guess the strain from the shorted fuse made it weak. So I went to Sears, they replaced it free of charge, as the warranty stated. The mechanic from Sears said that he tested the car and a bad alternator came up. I said okay, I’ll take it to Vandergriff to get it tested again.

I left it at Vandergriff for an hour and was called and told that there was nothing wrong with the alternator. My gauge said that the battery had 13.0 volts, but the battery’s actual voltage was 13.9: “voltage at BCM is .8V less than battery. Car has interior voltage drop.” – from the Invoice.

So I went to pick up the car and learned that the whole electrical system had gone to HELL. With the door closed, NONE of the gauges work, at all, when the car is started. And there are a bunch of tiny As in the DIC. Pressing reset doesn’t do anything. My speedometer stays at 0, along with my RPMs…gas needle stays at E. BUT when you open the door to a certain degree, all the gauges come to life, just like when you start the car. I don’t understand.

The Vandergriff consultant said that they didn’t touch the electrical system…their electrical guy wasn’t there today. He also said that Sears had messed up putting the battery in, that they had crossed some wires in the battery, which I didn’t understand, since I drove it from Sears to Vandergriff without any problems. WTH!!!

It seems Vandergriff doesn’t want to take any responsibility for what happened to it while they had it. It doesn’t seem to me that the car would just stop working; it’s too much of a coincidence. I am visiting from college for the weekend and it seems I’m gonna have to leave my car until the next weekend. The Vandergriff consultant said that it might be from the battery leaking into the computer, but I was never even told that the battery ever leaked. It was a new battery!

What do you guys think they did or what happened?

Very depressed,

Haroon
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1997 Torch Red Corvette Coupe - Vortex Ram Air, Z06 Chrome Wheels, Throttle Body Bypass, Advanced Timing Kit, Air Coupler, Exhaust Billet Plate, A&A Exhaust Mod, Exhaust Tips, Red Calipers, Baer EradiSpeed Rotors

 

There was a problem with the OEM batteries installed in 1997 - 2000 Corvettes. Specifically, some (quite a large number) leaked acid from around the positive terminal of the battery. As the PCM (Powertrain Control Module) computer, various electrical wires, vacuum lines and connections are all located directly beneath the battery tray, acid leaking down into this area could, and did, wreak havoc. Sometimes this damage takes quite a long time to show up, much as termite damage to a home remains concealed until something catastrophic brings it to light. I suspect that this could well be the case with your car.

Try removing the battery and the battery tray and checking for evidence of battery acid having leaked down into this area. You may need to remove the inner fender liner, but I was able to see the damage done to mine before I did that. Hopefully, your PCM isn't fried and all you'll need to replace is some wiring. I was lucky and caught mine before it did any real damage. I replaced my bettery with the new Delco AGM glass mat battery. These batteries have no acid to leak.

If you don't find any evidence of an acid leak, check for a wet or damp carpet on the passenger side in the footwell area. Sometimes the A/C drain will clog and back water up into the BCM (Body Control Module) computer located in the electrical center under the floor there. This has also caused some owner's electrical systems to "throw a fit" and in several cases stop working altogether.

Good luck.


[Modified by redriverjohn, 8:32 PM 8/31/2002]

 

Sounds like you have a short in the wiring to the left door control module. With the constant door movement it is easy to crimp or damage the wiring. A short in this system can cause havoc in the electrical system. Post a new thread asking for C5-Tech and he will tell you all about it. :crazy:

 

I've left the car at the dealership to be looked at. Its interesting, it seemed that the consultant wanted me to drive off with the car...but I had no gauge readings at all! He said, "When you have time, you should get it looked at...I guess you can just look at the speed of other cars."

I don't understand what the crossed wires could be, how could I have driven the car if the wires were crossed?

When a dealership does a battery and generator diagnostics test are the battery terminals unhooked? I'm now thinking that the dealership might have crossed the leads and then realizing it, fixed it, but with the damage already done. Could that cause the onboard electronics to go beserk?

Haroon
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1997 Torch Red Corvette Coupe - Vortex Ram Air, Z06 Chrome Wheels, Throttle Body Bypass, Advanced Timing Kit, Air Coupler, Exhaust Billet Plate, A&A Exhaust Mod, Exhaust Tips, Red Calipers, Baer EradiSpeed Rotors


[Modified by stocksure, 11:18 PM 8/31/2002]

 

"So I went to pick up the car and learned that the whole electrical system had gone to HELL. With the door closed, NONE of the gauges work, at all, when the car is started. And there are a bunch of tiny As in the DIC. Pressing reset doesn’t do anything. My speedometer stays at 0, along with my RPMs…gas needle stays at E. BUT when you open the door to a certain degree, all the gauges come to life, just like when you start the car. I don’t understand."

The connectors for the doors are located in the rubber grommet that is visable when you open the door.Because all the modules in the C5 communicate with each other,a poor connection at this connector will cause other systems to go bezerk.Continuous opening and closing of the doors can cause poor contact of these connector pins...

 

Just talked with Vandergriff Chevrolet about what happened. The service manager said that Sears had “cross threaded the cables, and that the positive cable was loose to the touch”, which caused the electrical system to go haywire. Vandergriff had to “resynch the cluster and calibrate the voltage gauge”, because it took an hour to do, they are charging $85.96. Sears better be ready to pay for this.
Haroon
---------------
1997 Torch Red Corvette Coupe - Vortex Ram Air, Z06 Chrome Wheels, Throttle Body Bypass, Advanced Timing Kit, Air Coupler, Exhaust Billet Plate, A&A Exhaust Mod, Exhaust Tips, Red Calipers, Baer EradiSpeed Rotors

 

goofy, good luck getting Sears to pay for this.

 

stocksure,

Hopefully the problem is fixed.

Now, let the "Finger Pointing Wars Begin".

Good luck.
Mark