C7 electrical problem???
#1
8th Gear
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Location: Monticello, IN
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C7 electrical problem???
First of all I want to say that I am new to the Forum. But what I've seen so far I believe I'm going to like it very much.
I do have a question for everyone. I own a 2017 C7 Stingray Coupe LT1 which I bought new. A couple of weeks ago I drove over to a friend's house about 20 miles from mine. I spent about 30 minutes there. When I got ready to go home I didn't think the car was going to start. It acted like the battery was almost dead, but it did finally fire up. On my way home the Infotainment screen went totally blank (dark). I had music playing, but when I touched the blank screen or turned any **** I had no control of the Infotainment Center at all. It would not even turn off. Absolutely nothing. A few minutes later the 5 touch buttons at the bottom of the screen came up, but they were just gray and had a number 1 thru 5 on them. Still no control at all. When I got home I backed into the garage and turned the car off. Of course I tried to start it to see what would happen. It fired right up! I turned it off and started it 3 times just to see what would happen. No problem what so ever. But the Infotainment Center still did not work. The next morning I went out to see if the car would start and it fired right up. And, low and behold the Infotainment Center was working just fine. Haven't had the slightest problem since! Does anybody have any ideas? Is there a couple of little gremlins in there running around screwing with my head or what?
I do have a question for everyone. I own a 2017 C7 Stingray Coupe LT1 which I bought new. A couple of weeks ago I drove over to a friend's house about 20 miles from mine. I spent about 30 minutes there. When I got ready to go home I didn't think the car was going to start. It acted like the battery was almost dead, but it did finally fire up. On my way home the Infotainment screen went totally blank (dark). I had music playing, but when I touched the blank screen or turned any **** I had no control of the Infotainment Center at all. It would not even turn off. Absolutely nothing. A few minutes later the 5 touch buttons at the bottom of the screen came up, but they were just gray and had a number 1 thru 5 on them. Still no control at all. When I got home I backed into the garage and turned the car off. Of course I tried to start it to see what would happen. It fired right up! I turned it off and started it 3 times just to see what would happen. No problem what so ever. But the Infotainment Center still did not work. The next morning I went out to see if the car would start and it fired right up. And, low and behold the Infotainment Center was working just fine. Haven't had the slightest problem since! Does anybody have any ideas? Is there a couple of little gremlins in there running around screwing with my head or what?
#2
Le Mans Master
I am sure it's just a dead or low battery , Corvettes have many modules that initialize on start and if the module is not deemed mission critical the car will start without it being fully initialized.
After putting up with my supposedly good OEM battery I gave up .....
The battery is terribly undersized which I am sure GM did for weight reasons but I finally got tired of the every once in a while gremlins or the slow crank . I went out to Auto Zone and bought the largest battery that would "fit in the hole" which is a 920 AMP - 760 CCA amp . The stock is only 550 .
My car now starts every time like a jet engine lol . It can be cold. Hot , sitting for weeks or starting it many times in a short period of time like I do at the track . Only occasionally will I use my trckle charger but it's not because it needs it ....
No more gremlins like the radio issue you describe or my memory sets not returning to the right position or no more worry that it's not going to start or really slow start like it did at the track ...
Best $189.00 I have ever spent ......
Dave
After putting up with my supposedly good OEM battery I gave up .....
The battery is terribly undersized which I am sure GM did for weight reasons but I finally got tired of the every once in a while gremlins or the slow crank . I went out to Auto Zone and bought the largest battery that would "fit in the hole" which is a 920 AMP - 760 CCA amp . The stock is only 550 .
My car now starts every time like a jet engine lol . It can be cold. Hot , sitting for weeks or starting it many times in a short period of time like I do at the track . Only occasionally will I use my trckle charger but it's not because it needs it ....
No more gremlins like the radio issue you describe or my memory sets not returning to the right position or no more worry that it's not going to start or really slow start like it did at the track ...
Best $189.00 I have ever spent ......
Dave
#3
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Member Since: Jun 2001
Location: Jacksonville Florida BWO Dayton, Cincinnati, Bloomsbury NJ, Cincinnati
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2015 C7 of the Year Finalist
Your battery just fired a "I'm gonna croak" shot across your hood.
Might I suggest:
Description Item # 02850748000P Model # 50748
Specs Compared to OEM:
CCA @ 0F: DieHard = 760; OEM = 565
20hr Ah: DieHard = 70; OEM = 70
RC DieHard =120; OEM
Weight DieHard = 44 lbs; OEM ~40 lbs
Specifications Voltage 12 Volts Cold Cranking Amps 760 CCA Cranking Amps 875 CA Reserve Capacity 120 RC Amp Hour Rate (20 Hrs) 70 Ah Approximate Weight 44 Lbs BCI Group Size 48 Dimensions Length 11" Width 6 7/8" Height 7 1/2"
or something of your choosing.
Elmer
Might I suggest:
Description Item # 02850748000P Model # 50748
Specs Compared to OEM:
CCA @ 0F: DieHard = 760; OEM = 565
20hr Ah: DieHard = 70; OEM = 70
RC DieHard =120; OEM
Weight DieHard = 44 lbs; OEM ~40 lbs
Specifications Voltage 12 Volts Cold Cranking Amps 760 CCA Cranking Amps 875 CA Reserve Capacity 120 RC Amp Hour Rate (20 Hrs) 70 Ah Approximate Weight 44 Lbs BCI Group Size 48 Dimensions Length 11" Width 6 7/8" Height 7 1/2"
or something of your choosing.
Elmer
#6
Le Mans Master
Elmer that was so funny , so many folks ignore that , I am going to die soon warning , they keep it on a trickle charger , etc and the end result is they just bought a little more time lol
Dave
Dave
#7
Moderator/Tech Contributor
Member Since: Jun 2001
Location: Jacksonville Florida BWO Dayton, Cincinnati, Bloomsbury NJ, Cincinnati
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2015 C7 of the Year Finalist
One other point:
If you do not run the engine for 30 minutes after you start it, you do not fully recharge your battery from the amp draw of the "start". So, what is/was your driving pattern? If you do a lot of short 10-15 minute runs, your battery will not opereate properly. I have a C-Tek battery maintainer on my car as I do a ton of short trips in the car. My 2014 OEM, gave me your warning after 4+ years down here in the heat of Florida. If you are guilty of the short run syndrome, a battery maintainer may give you additional time on your battery.
Elmer
If you do not run the engine for 30 minutes after you start it, you do not fully recharge your battery from the amp draw of the "start". So, what is/was your driving pattern? If you do a lot of short 10-15 minute runs, your battery will not opereate properly. I have a C-Tek battery maintainer on my car as I do a ton of short trips in the car. My 2014 OEM, gave me your warning after 4+ years down here in the heat of Florida. If you are guilty of the short run syndrome, a battery maintainer may give you additional time on your battery.
Elmer
#8
Instructor
Have you checked for a loose connection at the battery?
I'm leaning towards a battery going away too, but those symptoms are also present when there's a bad connection.
I'm leaning towards a battery going away too, but those symptoms are also present when there's a bad connection.
#9
Tech Contributor
Member Since: Oct 1999
Location: Charlotte, NC (formerly Endicott, NY)
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I would keep driving the car on a regular basis to make sure the battery gets fully charged. You want to do that before making any decisions to spend money on a new battery. It also helps to check the battery cable connections to make sure they are clean and tight. Starting takes a huge current draw and it takes about 8 or 9 miles of drive time at normal speeds to recharge the battery to its previous charge level. If it is already low due to not a lot of usage you still have a low battery. If the battery was low enough the voltage dropped below 12 V when you were starting the car that would make the engine hard to start because it was cranking too slow and would also draw even more current due to the low voltage.
Under normal operating conditions a stock battery should last at least 4 years from the time it was installed in the car. They can go through multiple discharges as long as they aren't totally discharged a lot of times. A total discharge will damage the battery to some degree so if it happens several times at some point one or more cells will give up the ghost. I consider a battery totally discharged when it can't light a bulb. If the battery is discharged to the point it can't start the car that doesn't mean the battery is necessarily damaged since most modern cars won't attempt to start if the voltage is below 11 volts. They may run when the voltage is down to 9 volts but won't start.
Once the car is started the battery will be sucking current to rebuild its charge and if the alternator doesn't have the capacity to supply as much as demanded that could draw down the supply voltage to other devices in the car. When the voltage to the device is too low it might not operate as expected.
When things like your display are acting up make sure you check the voltage gauge while that is happening as that might give you an idea if the device is receiving sufficient voltage.
Bill
Under normal operating conditions a stock battery should last at least 4 years from the time it was installed in the car. They can go through multiple discharges as long as they aren't totally discharged a lot of times. A total discharge will damage the battery to some degree so if it happens several times at some point one or more cells will give up the ghost. I consider a battery totally discharged when it can't light a bulb. If the battery is discharged to the point it can't start the car that doesn't mean the battery is necessarily damaged since most modern cars won't attempt to start if the voltage is below 11 volts. They may run when the voltage is down to 9 volts but won't start.
Once the car is started the battery will be sucking current to rebuild its charge and if the alternator doesn't have the capacity to supply as much as demanded that could draw down the supply voltage to other devices in the car. When the voltage to the device is too low it might not operate as expected.
When things like your display are acting up make sure you check the voltage gauge while that is happening as that might give you an idea if the device is receiving sufficient voltage.
Bill
#13
Intermediate
My 2019 Grand Sport with 860 miles on it is having a similar issue. My screen will show the logo when I get in(sometimes) but when running/driving the display shows nothing. Screen button works fine and it moves up and down dependably. The one exception to the black screen is the backup camera works fine when I go into reverse...but I can't select the front view from the backup screen. The other day I was waiting for my wife and had the car in accessory mode and it magically came on and started playing. I had been in ACC mode for about 4 min and I had not pressed anything. I was all excited but when I started the car...back to black.
I am taking it to the dealer tomorrow to get it sorted. I will post the findings. Lots of functionality on the device in the middle...not an option to not have it working 100%. My diagnosis is it's a computer problem...or it's female in which case I am screwed!
I am taking it to the dealer tomorrow to get it sorted. I will post the findings. Lots of functionality on the device in the middle...not an option to not have it working 100%. My diagnosis is it's a computer problem...or it's female in which case I am screwed!
#15
Intermediate
So I took it in today. 20 min drive radio didn't work. Tech gets in to take it to the shop...the damn thing works. He scans it for codes and of course finds nothing. He and the service advisor come and tell me they can't find anything. I get the paperwork and wait for the car. After 5 min the tech said when he started the car it was not working again. Never been so happy to have something not work ever. So they spent 2 hours with it doing diagnostics. They have decided the Radio needs replaced. They had to order one so I can't say that is or is not the fix.
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Coach32 (03-11-2019)
#16
Intermediate
I should have been more clear. They are going to replace the Infotainment HMI module to see if that fixes it. Apparently it's a very easy thing to replace from an effort perspective.
#17
Any update on your screen issue after they replaced the module? Mine is doing the same thing. Im going to throw a 2 amp charge on it now to see if it fixes it.
#18
Instructor
I struggled with this issue for 6 months...threw in the towel last week and moved on. The dealer agree to put me in another identical car at a slight cost. most every one here have seen it....but FYI....old car is back on the lot. I hope it was fixed. just not my problem any more.
#19
Intermediate