TedG

Today I was out to get some air and in 95 degree heat driving in stop and go traffic in town, suddenly the car starts to run rough and the "Service Traction Control"comes on, the mirrors freak out, then dies. I get the car pulled over and restart, It starts effortlessly then dies a few seconds later. I then disconnect the battery and let it sit a minute and reconnect. It again starts and dies. So I try this a few times and it is time to call a tow truck. I start it again after sitting for 45 minutes and it seems to run okay(I was stopped in a bad part of town, got it out of there), then it got hot and dies again. Tow it home and it seems to run.
I replaced the battery about 6 months ago and I'm thinking it maybe shorting a couple of cells when it gets hot.
The charging system brings it up to 14ish volts.
Anyone here have the same or similar problem?? Any thoughts?
UPDATE:
Okay, went out and got it very hot yesterday, it throws up a Service Traction control, and the mirrors screw up and runs poorly and dies,. Let it cool for a half hour got about 2 miles, let it cool again for 45 minutes went about 4 miles, cool again a few yards. Let it cool an hour and it went a few more miles. Finally after 4 hours of this crap I got it to a gas station put some gas in it thinking it might cool the fuel pump if that might be the problem. Then it got to the point where it would crank but not fire. There is fuel pressure.
I have been pulling fuses and checking them.
It seems that the fuse box is heating and it gets almost too hot to touch. When the fuse box cools it runs fine.

debo

The 05 has been known to drain batteries even when parked in reverse with the best batteries installed. I would definitely invest in a some type of portable battery charger to keep your battery fully charged while not in use and make sure your battery terminals are tight.

AORoads

I'd do a couple things, too, besides the above good advice. Since a batt. load test and check is free, I'd find one of those Auto Zone/Advance Auto/O'Reilly, etc. stores and ask them to ck the batt. Then, you may have a case. With any years, but yours being 10+, I'd start also looking at all the grounds. Apparently, some loosen up over a period of time. That, plus a slightly popped off spark plug wire. Good luck. Tell us what you find.

Ant-Man

My battery dies a lot. Had the alt checked at 4 different stores all good, brand new battery too. I dont have my onstar fuse in either so I have no clue where it's draining. I also have no clue why I'm getting server eletrical/abs/column lock/traction.

TedG

This is not a dead battery issue. It is a brand new battery, I replaced it thinking it could be it and putting that part aside. The car cranks effortlessly. It starts and dies, then driveable for miles or a short distance. Voltage is up around 14 volts. Then if you keep driving and it gets hotter and hotter the distance it will go is shorter and shorter. Then it gets to the point where it will crank but it won't start, it has fuel pressure but it just won't fire. Then when you let the fuse box cool it starts and runs just fine.
Took apart the fuse box and checked all the copper wire traces with a very powerful magnifying glass and can see no breaks.
It throws a Service Traction control message which kinda points to the Powertrain ign circuit or relay. Snapping off the relay cover, the relay looks perfect and the spot welded connections are firm. I swapped around the relays when I took apart the fuse box, so I'm not sure which one was where. The bad part is testing it, it has to be driven in a very hot environment to have it fail, driving around my home neighborhood, I can't get it to fail, I go downtown (where it is hottest) and it fails in the worst places. You have to sit in the shade with the hood and fuse box open for at least an hour.

TedG

TTT update. The thing wasn't showing a check engine light, so I figured there were no codes. But checking, it is throwing a p0203 injector open code. Not every time but most of the time.
Everything I have read seems to point to the crankshaft position sensor going bad. Which I guess would make sense. Thinking of just replacing it and buying a clone Tech II and that way I can give it the relearn and have the tool.
Also reproducing it is just a matter of letting it idle for almost an hour and it will die, which saves getting stranded to test it.

TedG

TTT Update.
Replaced the crank position sensor....No Joy. The only code showing was a P0203 Fuel Injector circuit open.
Noticed that the MAF sensor is extremely hot. I pulled it (cooled it with compressed air) and sprayed the little coils with contact cleaner just to make sure. Again the car ran fine for 10 minutes then started to run rough and I tried to cool the MAF with compressed air, it seemed to cool but continued to run rough and then died. Crap.... I had cleared all codes before pulling the MAF, when it died again there were no codes and the Traction control message wasn't showing. It has done that before though.
I keep sending this to the top in case someone has experienced something like this before.

TedG

TTT update.
Been setting things up for more testing and today in 85 degree with a nice breeze. It doesn't die. it ran for a couple of hours, the fans were going on and off but it ran just fine.
So something is heating (not time based) and causing the car to act weird and die.

IansInGarage

Did you get a chance to read over this thread?

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...cuit-open.html

I recommend you ignoring the heat, and concentrating on resolving that code. Every single component in the engine bay should get to too hot to touch temperatures. I'm in 105' Texas heat right now and can contest to this. So while the heat may be causing the electronic to be faulty, it's not a factor in the diagnosing.

TedG

Thanks,
I did look at that thread. The problem is the codes are not consistent.
Sometimes I get a P0203, once I got a U2100, another time I got p0300, sometimes I get nothing.
And we are not talking about it just running rough, when I say running rough it is like 2-3 cyls then dies in a couple of seconds. When it runs it is smooth and powerful.

I just now ordered a clone Tech2 because I am getting sick of this and it isn't a bad idea to have one.
I can make it die by letting it run for about an hour and it will sometimes restart for a few seconds, other times it will not.
I have replaced the Crank position sensor. (nice common denominator)

Also I checked to see if the relay that supplies power to the POWERTRAIN IGN is working when it dies, it is. I used a bulb so I could see a flicker when things go bad and not the slightest flicker. so at least the relay is energized and power from the battery is flowing through the contacts 30/ 87.

Any other thoughts??

IansInGarage

Your not gonna be happy, but my gut is telling me your having a issue with your ECU. It can cause a freaking nightmare of a diagnosis. I haven't looked into it for our car, but I've sent a ECU in for a standalone one before and had it repaired. I wonder if theirs anyone that rebuilds/checks them. May get down to just replacing it to see.

TedG

Well, DHL says they are delivering the clone on Monday. So I will learn how to use it and see what it says.
It may well be the ECU.
But what bothers me is the 50 minute run time before it goes. Sounds suspiciously like current through a connector/fuse finally expanding.
Found quite a few threads that said the IGN switch has had many failures where the car just shut down without throwing a code.
Although 9 times out of 10 I do get a P0203 which it an injector not reading correctly. It only gets thrown after the car has run rough for a few seconds and is ready to die.
Hopefully with the Tech2 I will be able to see what sensors aren't being reported properly and if they are en-mass well that would point to the ECU and or a bad GND/PWR to the ECU.

TedG

TTT update.
Sorry for all the different threads pertaining to the problem, but I need to get this fixed and the different titles may spur the memory of someone.
The Tech 2 came in and for those thinking about buying a scan tool. Look at getting a Tech 2 clone. It is a really well done clone and because it uses the GM/Bosch software it works flawlessly.
Anyway the car is still doing the same thing but it is drilling down a bit. The Cam Position Sensor (CMP) is not reporting it's RPM correctly, and the Tech 2 took a 40 minute snapshot of the failure and showed a couple of things that may be clues, but it also showed that there were very few faults in the system, I had a few stored from when the battery died and the systems weren't communicating.
There is a weird EVAP purge solenoid that goes to 0 right before it starts to run rough.

saplumr

Does this car have a blower by any chance?

TedG

No, the car is bone stock.

saplumr

I know the malfunctions would be strange to a fuel issue but you said you have fuel pressure. Are you remote mounting a fuel gauge?

TedG

I put a fuel pressure gauge on the schrader valve and watched the pressure when it dies. It did not waver. Stuck right at 58.

TravisD

Have you pulled the connections off of the ECM and inspected closely? That thing is down low in a wheel well, so getting some moisture where it shouldn't be is a real possibility. Check all of the pins for signs of corrosion. Also check grounds -- those could cause multi-system symptoms as you're seeing since they're shared.

Do you have a factory service manual? That'll walk you thru a well structured diagnosis for any trouble code, and having the Tech2 should make it a breeze.

TedG

Travis,
I did pull the connections and they seem to be clean. I may do it again just for grins.
I have looked at most of the grounds and so far everything is tight and clean. But I haven't found all of them yet. there is one on the drivers side that must be underneath.
I don't have the factory service manual for the C6, I have one for the C5(big help, I know).
I did another snapshot this morning and I am getting multiple codes.
1. P0203
2. P0300
3. P0205
Also right before it threw that first code about - 5 frames, the
HO2S Bank 1 sensor 1 was running 5-600 mv and then it dropped to 0.
Bank 2 Sensor 1 was about the same.
Bank 1 Sensor 2 was lower but changing.
Bank 2 Sensor 2 was lower but changing.
Then it stumbled along for about 100 frames and died.

Any help would be much appreciated.

TravisD

As someone else mentioned, if everything else checks out, I'd start thinking it could be ECM. My C4 went thru a spell of that - codes would come and go at random, with no real obvious root cause. To make it worse, it took 3 tries to get a "good" ECM (this was in ~2002 timeframe, for a '96 C4, and they were all re-man at that point already...)