Dead 2005 - need help
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From: Chester SC
Dead 2005 - need help
So I don’t drive my car much at all. I went out to crank it the other day and couldn’t open the door, completely dead. Had to use the key to go in the hatch and pull the door cable. Figured it was the battery. Well, the battery is a 2018 model, and the car cranked just fine two weeks ago. We charged the battery just in case. No change. We’re able to get some power, because the radio screen comes on as soon as you hook up the jump box, without even trying accessory mode. Accessory mode does not work, and the start button does not work. When the jump box is connected, the red security lights on the door sills flash. It’s an automatic; I replaced the shifter in it a few years ago because it had the well known solenoid problem but it was nothing like this. The windows aren’t indexing and we’ve done the fobs in the glove box - nothing. What the devil could this be? Car is sitting in the carport and we can’t do a squatting thing with it. I want to drive my car!
Last edited by RyaneC; Dec 2, 2020 at 08:11 PM.
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St. Jude Donor '21-'22-'23-'24
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From: Chester SC
Thread Starter
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From: Chester SC
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Nonetheless, I don't see anywhere in your posts where you have the vette hooked up to a battery maintainer, pretty much a must if you don't drive it much. A 2 week rest would have been enough to put a partially discharged battery on its *** given the parasitic drain these cars seem to have, and once that happens, they're usually toast even if you put them on a charger. What was the voltage reading across the battery terminals after it was on the charger overnight? It should have been 12.6 V, and even then that's not a guarantee the battery is OK. If the reading was 12.0, then the battery was discharged.
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From: Chester SC
Nonetheless, I don't see anywhere in your posts where you have the vette hooked up to a battery maintainer, pretty much a must if you don't drive it much. A 2 week rest would have been enough to put a partially discharged battery on its *** given the parasitic drain these cars seem to have, and once that happens, they're usually toast even if you put them on a charger. What was the voltage reading across the battery terminals after it was on the charger overnight? It should have been 12.6 V, and even then that's not a guarantee the battery is OK. If the reading was 12.0, then the battery was discharged.
it was loaded tested and was perfect, left on a battery maintainer, the kind that’s the size of a rolling suitcase with a pull handle, and is on its third day now on it. Voltage reading 12+ with all that. It isn’t the battery. This car has fired right up two weeks ago, not in the least bit any sluggish cranking. It isn’t clicking at all to try to crank, absolutely nothing happening.
my question is what could it be besides the battery itself? Loose battery ground? Connection to the fuse box? Would anything allow power to the radio when hooked up to the charger, but not allow the car to enter accessory mode?
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A battery maintainer is not the size of a suitcase. What you are describing is a 50 or 100 amp charger, a very different animal. A maintainer is about the size of a 1/2lb brick of butter and puts out at most around 2 amps. Quite a few of us use them especially if we don't daily our vettes. When you measured the voltage 12+ is not accurate enough. For example 12.3 would indicate 50÷ discharge. You want at least 12.5 and ideally 12.6.
Last edited by FatsWaller; Dec 3, 2020 at 10:37 AM. Reason: Typo
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From: Chester SC
Thread Starter
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From: Chester SC
A battery maintainer is not the size of a suitcase. What you are describing is a 50 or 100 amp charger, a very different animal. A maintainer is about the size of a 1/2lb brick of butter and puts out at most around 2 amps. Quite a few of us use them especially if we don't daily our vettes. When you measured the voltage 12+ is not accurate enough. For example 12.3 would indicate 50÷ discharge. You want at least 12.5 and ideally 12.6.
Melting Slicks
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Here is a suggestion. Connect a volt meter to the power terminal at the starter. Have someone try to start the car as you normally would. Do you read 12 volts at the starter when trying to start the car? If you read 12 volts, the problem is with the starter itself. If you read zero volts, the problem is somewhere upstream from the starter.
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From: Chester SC
Here is a suggestion. Connect a volt meter to the power terminal at the starter. Have someone try to start the car as you normally would. Do you read 12 volts at the starter when trying to start the car? If you read 12 volts, the problem is with the starter itself. If you read zero volts, the problem is somewhere upstream from the starter.
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If the jump box makes a difference & the battery is fully charged i'd be checking the battery cable ends at the battery. With a good battery & cables a booster shouldn't make a difference. Time to start measuring voltage after the battery.
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So, I've been having an electrical gremlin with my 08. Very intermittent. I also have a new battery and have checked my grounds.
Yesterday I shut it off and the car completely died as if I had disconnected the battery. I had to use the mechanical method to get out of the car.
I found that I could very slightly push all of the fuses and such down. These are in the black box near the battery.
Minutely, mind you.
But, the car fired right up again.
I don't feel that I have fixed my issue, just giving an observation on my issue that may help you.
My next thing is to remove all of them one by one and use contact cleaner.
Yesterday I shut it off and the car completely died as if I had disconnected the battery. I had to use the mechanical method to get out of the car.
I found that I could very slightly push all of the fuses and such down. These are in the black box near the battery.
Minutely, mind you.
But, the car fired right up again.
I don't feel that I have fixed my issue, just giving an observation on my issue that may help you.
My next thing is to remove all of them one by one and use contact cleaner.
Last edited by puterami; Dec 4, 2020 at 09:31 AM.