Bugly87

Hello all,
1997 Corvette coupe 6 speed 42000 miles. I went to start my vehicle to run it a while and the battery was dead. I jumped it today and it started up and idled fine for 20+ minutes. When to drive it and as I let the clutch out it lost power and died. Started right up again but died on acceleration. Let the car idle longer but this issue persisted several more times. No idea but sounds like a security issue since it had to be jumped. No codes. Any suggestions? Thanks for any help.

Kevin

73Corvette

Check your battery voltage it MUST be fully charged!

dmaxx3500

batterys probably junk

an alternator wont fully charge a dead battery

all you guys out there
1.use a battery tender,to maintane full charge
2.if your battery is dead,recharge it overnight on a real battery charger
3.have your battery tested to hold a charge

mmartinez

Low battery voltage can and will cause all kind of problems, sounds like you are experiencing the 2 mph fuel cut off caused by a column lock problem. Did you have any messages on the DIC such as pull key wait 10 seconds or any codes?

GUSTO14

I agree with Martin, treat it as a column lock failure. Is your column locked up when this happens?

But start with a fully charged battery.

Good luck... GUSTO

Bugly87

Thanks for all of the replies. The battery is an Optima Red Top. Unsure at this time the age of the battery. Had a battery tender on my 1987 but this one didn't seem to have the draw the 87 did. The previous owner did the steering column lock by-pass. The column did not lock at all and there were no codes or anything on the DIC. Yes as soon as I got to 2-3 mph the engine cut out. I will pull the battery and have it tested. Just seems odd that the vehicle, after being jumped, started fast every time since and idled and revved fine. Only when I started to drive. Thanks again and any other information will be appreciated.

Kevin

C5 Diag

Get yourself one of these !!

Bugly87

The steering column bypass was installed by the previous owner. Thank you for responding.
Kevin

73Corvette

Even though the PO installed the LMC5 you may still need to do the Brown wire modification...

Bugly87

Thank you. Any other information on this mod?

Kevin

TrackAire

Battery cables that are broken internally can also do this. I have seen it happen to even newer cars (my wife's 2013 SUV had to have this fixed a couple of months ago). I don't know how, but the internals of the cables can break or corrode and make intermittent contact which can drive you crazy trying to diagnose. A new battery is always something I do first, but if that doesn't do the trick, look at possible replacing or checking the cables and the connections on both ends.

I also had a mid 1990's Chevy pickup up truck what would cut out when turning right from a stop....turned out to be the fusible link was barely touching and turning right would cause it to break contact momentarily causing the truck to stall for a split second.

GUSTO14

Kevin, if you still have contact with the previous owner, you might ask when he had the column lock bypass done and if he remembers which one he used. Some of the early ones did not always provide a permanent fix. The LMC5 CLB (link C5 Diag provided above) is the most recent fix and based on reports here from those that have used it, seems to provide a more permanent solution.

The fact that there is enough power (amperage) to start the car would seem to indicate the cables are adequate, at least this time. I would focus on the CLB at this point with the information you've provided.

Good luck... GUSTO

mmartinez

Me again, so I recommend you disconnect the ground cable at the battery and put a charger on it for a few hours, your problem is due to a low voltage condition, I can not tell you how many times I have cleared fault problems by putting a charger on and doing a complete power reset by disconnecting the battery, try this before you go messing with the CLB.

73Corvette

If the CLB isn't an LMC5 it's NOT fixed... of you need help call compliance... their customer service is second to none!

Bugly87

I went to the garage today to check the battery and maybe disconnect it to clear any codes. Vette started right up and read 14 volts at the gauge. Backed it out to get at the terminals and no engine cut out. Tested it in the lot a few times ran fine no engine cut out. Took it out for a 15 minute ride and it drove like I always dreamed it would. No issues. So the problem has been resolved yet I am not sure how. I assume any faults were cleared. Anyone else experience this?

Thanks again for all of the help. I learned more about my car this weekend.

Kevin

mmartinez

Many people have experienced the exact or similar problems, our cars are very prone to such things when the battery voltage drops because of a discharged battery. Good to hear that its up and running again, so to prevent any problems with your car I would advise you drive it frequently, and if it sits for extended periods of time invest in a battery tender.