Hi Guys,

I have a 2016 stingray and having some issues recently. The other day I went to start her up and the battery was pretty weak but she started. When she started it would not go into gear (manual trans) and my radio station buttons were not working. Keep in mind it has been cold and below freezing but if it was a clutch issue it wouldn't go into gear whether its running or not.

I shut her off and could go through the gears but when i started her up i had the same issues. Finally i decided to try starting her in gear and the car jumped. I did this twice and after the second time i was able to go through the gears. I then put the trickle charger on and after some time the radio stations also came back.

The car has been on a trickle since but the battery is still weak when i start it and today again the radio stations are not working but no issues going into gear. Without a doubt it seems I need a new battery but is this the root cause of my issues along with the cold?

I have no check engine lights and if i bring her to the dealer my guess is they will say they can't find anything and send me on my way with a bill.

Can a weak batter cause these issues?

Thanks,
Anthony

 

just based off the part that car was on the trickle charger and the battery still weak seems to me its going down hill since the cold cranking amps arent there.

if u have another vehicle, pull the battery and get it tested at least. but when it gets cold out and a battery going down hill will show signs of weakness for sure.

in the past i have had 2 batteries go bad on me one just starting doing roughly weaker and weaker starts, the second simply had a cell or a few go bad and stopped all together one day.

id deal with the weak cranking first.

 

Wonky batteries can do all sorts of craziness. It's nearly always the first and easiest thing to try as a corrective measure unless you know differently. And, clean the battery connectors. Also, an under-voltage FOB can generate goofiness in the car, such as some of the real warning lights coming on and stay on. All the best.

(btw, C7 FOBs are NOT forgiving of much battery drain at all)

 

Thanks for the input guys!! Getting a new battery today. One more question. Not that i think there are any codes since i don't have a check engine light but does disconnecting the battery clear codes or history?

 

No if there are any codes they will still be in history and any active codes where the condition still exists will set a cell

Dave

 

Just an FYI , low battery would have nothing to do with a clutch that sounds like it's not releasing ....

Dave

 

Thanks Dave. The clutch thing was really weird to say the least and i wasn't sure if it was cold related but I found it very weird i could shift with the engine off. If i take it into the dealer I'm not sure what they would be able to find, especially if the problem is not current. I suppose its worth the piece of mind.

 

NP , you could shift the transmission because the mainshaft was not spinning, when you said you put it in gear and started it and the car jumped means the clutch was not releasing fully . Check the fluid level , maybe flushing it using the"Ranger" method will help
Dave

 

replaced the battery and what a complete PITA!!! We'll see how things go from here. The car is practically brand new with only just over 8000 miles on it.

 

You obviously did not buy the battery lifter lol lol and my new battery came with a handle to drop in. Took all of 10 minutes tops

8 000 miles has nothing to do with it, the average battery lasts 4 years tops and anything more is just luck
Dave

 

Ha! I said the same thing when I recently did mine. Thank goodness the new battery came with a handle on it!

 

lol yeah i just got it from the dealer as price was comparable.i have a boat and those batteries have handles an i'm like wth!!! SUCKED!!!!

 

I know this thread is a little over one year old, but I started another thread based on a similar issue.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...of-garage.html

I have a 2019 M7 Z06 that I ordered and took delivery in July of 2018. The car was driving fine and after backing the car out of the garage to work on my C5 DeWitts radiator install, I tried to drive the C7Z back into the garage. After start-up, I had a strange idle and then I couldn't get 1st gear to engage. I definitely know it wasn't the clutch engagement or clutch fluid as I just swapped out via the Ranger method a few months ago with my annual oil/filter change. I was eventually able to get into first gear by dropping into second gear first and then pushing up, similar to what I have to do sometimes on a hill when the synchros don't align. After that, I received the reduced power and check engine alerts.

The reason I think this is battery related is that something similar happened to me last year when I received the Service Rear Axle message. Both of these issues came after the car had been sitting for a few days. Even though I (now) use a trickle charger, these batteries wear down fast due to all the electronic checks and balances that occur at start up and when the car is off and parked. I was able to clear the axle code after disconnecting the battery (both positive and negative) for one hour. As a result, I just pulled the original factory battery which is almost 4 years old and plan to replace it with the AC Delco 48 GHR which provides a higher reserve power which helps with all the electronics. After pulling the factory battery, I noticed it was a standard 48 PS and I'm pretty sure after a couple near full drains over the past 3.5 years (pre-tender) it's pretty much done.

Hopefully the new battery will clear the reduced power and check engine alerts.

 

As an update to my post above (^^^) I installed a new AC Delco 48 GHR (Higher Reserve) battery this morning and the code and check engine light cleared. The car started up fine, no reduced power and the car is functioning properly.

Again, reserve power is everything to these cars due to the amount of electronic system pings that are generated at start up. A weak battery will cause faults, errors, and codes. I made the mistake of draining my original factory battery down after the car sat for over 3 weeks in 2019 due to an extended business trip. Even though I added a C-Tek trickle charger and was able to bring the original factory battery back up, I know a full drain reduces the life of any car battery. Lesson learned as I keep the C-Tek plugged in when I'm not driving the car as I split fun time with my C5 convertible and business time with my SUV.