I just purchased my first Corvette, 2006 3lt with Z51 package with 13000 miles. I purchased it from the original owner and the car look brand new. That only things is, when I stopped to refuel before getting on the highway and driving the 120 mile trip home the battery was dead and I had to get a jump start. Several days later I went to start the car and the battery was dead again, so I removed the battery and took it over to Sears automotive where they charged it, tested and concluded that it was fine which left me a bit confused. The car still has the original battery with relatively low miles and sat for a while. If the battery doesn't hold the charge should I just replace it a new one? Any suggestion would be appreciated also any recommendation on what type of battery should I buy? thanks

 

Is it an automatic or manual? 06 models with auto trans had a communication issue between the BCM and trans that caused the battery to go dead.

Since it has gone dead twice, I would replace it, but you need to find out why it went dead.

 

It a 6 speed manual. I drove home at night with the lights on, shouldn't the battery be fully charged after driving 120 miles? Is it possible that the battery is not just holding the charge for an extended period of time from sitting for a while?

 

I bought a new C6Z51 almost 4 years ago and welcome to the world of the C6 and batteries. there are a lot of solutions out there. i dont drive the vette every day, and it went against my grain at first but i have a trickle charger with leads that take literally 5 sec to plug in every time i drive into the garage.

 

If it's the original battery it's time to replace it.

 

Your alternator is made to maintain the the battery. If it is dead, it needs to be charged by external means.

Just by chance, I am on my way to LasVegas for meeting on batteries and rotating electrical (starters and alternators) for two days.

 

Tim, I hope you come back from VEGAS with a wealth of knowledge. Please share. DBS has been around for a long time and manifests in 05
and 06's.

 

As was said, the alternator won't fully charge the battery. Since the previous owner killed the battery, you have a puzzle. There may be nothing wrong; he just may have made a mistake by leaving something on. However, once he killed the battery, it was time to replace it, particularly at that age and after two dead battery events. It just won't hold the full charge anymore, no matter how hard you try. Replace the battery and see what happens, making sure that everything is off when you leave the car.
Larry

 

With only 13,000 miles, as you pointed out, the car was sitting a lot probably with a low state of charge, which takes a toll.

Make sure there are no aftermarket components connected to a full time live circuit that could be causing a constant drain.

The battery is now going on 5 years. Its an AC Delco which in my opinion are not that great to begin with, I would replace it for piece of mind alone.

Do your research on a replacement. There is a wide variety to chose from. There are traditional construction types and high tech glass impregnated. I replaced my 2005 with an Interstate brand 2 years ago and its been fine so far.

I checked Wikipedia, and here is some interesting information on the performance of lead acid car batteries.

LEAD ACID BATTERIES
If a battery has been completely discharged (e.g. the car lights were left on overnight) and next is given a fast charge for only a few minutes, then during the short charging time it develops only a charge near the interface. After a few hours this interface charge will spread to the volume of the electrode and electrolyte, leading to an interface charge so low that it may be insufficient to start the car.[6]

On the other hand, if the battery is given a slow charge, which takes longer, then the battery will become more fully charged, since then the interface charge has time to redistribute to the volume of the electrodes and electrolyte, and yet is replenished by the charger.

Similarly, if a battery is subject to a fast discharge (such as starting a car, which is a draw of some 200 amps) for a few minutes, it will appear to go dead. Most likely it has only lost its interface charge; after a wait of a few minutes it should appear to be operative. On the other hand, if a battery is subject to a slow discharge (such as leaving the car lights on, which is a draw of only 6 amps), then when the battery appears to be dead it likely has been completely discharged.

One of the problems with the plates is that the plates increase in size as the active material absorbs sulfate from the acid during discharge, and decrease as they give up the sulfate during charging. This causes the plates to gradually shed the paste during their life. It is important that there is plenty of room underneath the plates to catch this shed material. If this material reaches the plates a shorted cell will occur.


(source Wikipedia)

 

Noting the fact the car has sat for extended periods the battery will totally discharge which means it will never be the same again and every time it discharges the life is deteriorating.

 

I bought my 06 z51 auto and the car sat most of the time. I bought in august 09 and the car had 8300 miles. The battery was giving me issues, replaced the battery and everything worked great. It's old replace it...