rapid battery drain *HELP*
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 41
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rapid battery drain *HELP*
I just bought this 05 C6 Vette about 2 weeks ago at a really good price, about a week after that I started seeing "service charging system" but would go away after a blink of an eye and wouldn't come back for a while. last night after work it wouldn't start up, it was a dead battery got a jump, then noticed the battery meter was hopping from 10 to 13 rapidly (changing sides every sec). It finally stopped after I had been driving a few stop lights but did the same thing in the morning. Few people are telling me it’s the voltage regulator, alternator or the battery. I haven’t had any of them tested yet but I have no idea if I'm on the right track. Any ideas? 
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 27,420
Likes: 64
From: San Clemente CA
The C6 is very hard on batteries. The check charging system message usually means the battery is low and either needs to be charged or replaced. The first thing to do is have a load test done on the battery. Auto Zone and other auto part stores will do it for free. Another possibly is some 2005 C6's have dead battery syndrome (DBS). If your battery is good the dealer has a flash that will take care of the problem if that's what you have. Good luck and keep us posted. 
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 20,352
Likes: 568
From: Ventura County, Calif
The '05's are kinda unique. First, if it's a manual trans, you know you have to park it and shut it down with the trans in Rev, yes? If it's an auto trans then no issue.
Second, many of the '05's had an issue with battery drain that came to be known as DBS, dead battery syndrome. GM addressed that with a software reflash. If you don't know if your car had the update then you should get it checked.
Then in general if you don't know anything about the age or condition of the battery, get a load test done. Personally, if it were me, I'd just replace the battery now just so I knew what I had in case you end up chasing problems. In all C6's the battery is the first thing folks will tell you check or replace. These cars are very sensitive to low voltage's and a battery in top condition is a must. A low battery will cause all kinds of weird electrical gremlins like you've never seen before.
Second, many of the '05's had an issue with battery drain that came to be known as DBS, dead battery syndrome. GM addressed that with a software reflash. If you don't know if your car had the update then you should get it checked.
Then in general if you don't know anything about the age or condition of the battery, get a load test done. Personally, if it were me, I'd just replace the battery now just so I knew what I had in case you end up chasing problems. In all C6's the battery is the first thing folks will tell you check or replace. These cars are very sensitive to low voltage's and a battery in top condition is a must. A low battery will cause all kinds of weird electrical gremlins like you've never seen before.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2011
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it is a manual and i knew about the shifter having to be in reverse to fully shut off but someone also said something about me having to lock the steering column cause thats also a drain on the battery. so ill do that from now on.
i ended up getting the test done at an autozone they said that the battery wasn't holding a charge anymore so i bought the optima battery (red top) that they had there (good experiences with them) and started driving around worked great but soon i started to see that the "service charging system" would reappear as it did before. i think i will go to the dealer and find out if it has been flashed. but i do know that it has been dyno tuned the previous owner said when he tried to make changes that there was a lock out on it. im not sure if that has anything to do with it getting the flash. also the radiator fan runs all the time. PO (previous owner) said thats something that the dyno changed said its not a big problem. ill check with the dealers and see if they can do the re-flash. ill keep you guys posted.
also just a quick note the "service charging system" only displays when it dips down to 11.9 volts.
i ended up getting the test done at an autozone they said that the battery wasn't holding a charge anymore so i bought the optima battery (red top) that they had there (good experiences with them) and started driving around worked great but soon i started to see that the "service charging system" would reappear as it did before. i think i will go to the dealer and find out if it has been flashed. but i do know that it has been dyno tuned the previous owner said when he tried to make changes that there was a lock out on it. im not sure if that has anything to do with it getting the flash. also the radiator fan runs all the time. PO (previous owner) said thats something that the dyno changed said its not a big problem. ill check with the dealers and see if they can do the re-flash. ill keep you guys posted.
also just a quick note the "service charging system" only displays when it dips down to 11.9 volts.
Last edited by Decayedyouth06; Aug 9, 2011 at 11:34 PM.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 255
Likes: 41
From: Lake Charles LA
Another possibility, tho remote, is the receiver for the key fobs is acting up and causing slow battery drain. There is a TSB for this w/ cars w/ VINs under a certain #. This happened to my '06. The dealer has to reprogram the car. It's the receiver that controls the electronic door locking/unlocking mechanisms.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,281
Likes: 552
From: Pittsburgh PA
St. Jude Donor '10-'11-'12-'13-'14
