Bad News From My Car(?)
04-01-2013, 10:47 PM
#1
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
Bad News From My Car(?)
Took my car out for a spin today. It's an '09 vert 6M with Z51 and NPP/M2W with about 17,000 miles and new battery last fall. No previous problems and has had all routine maintenance. First I got a dashboard light depicting a closed lock in front of a car. Then the car began to lose power and then I got a series of Service Active Handling, Service Fuel System, and Low Fuel warning lights and the car seemed to stall out and the engine turned off. Fortunately, I got it to the side of the road. Checked the gas gauge and had 3/4 tank. After turning car off, I was able to restart and drove maybe a mile or two when I got the same warning lights and again the car lost power and stalled out. I was able to limp home (5-6 miles) by repeating this procedure at least a half a dozen times. It seemed that the engine was surging slightly - small increase in RPM without giving it gas. Anyway, I made a service appt. with the local Chevy dealer for later this week and am hopeful I will be able to "limp" over there or may need a tow (I've been told by friends to only use a flat bed for towing.) Spoke with a friend who thought it might be a bad battery in the FOB. Another friend thought it was the car's computer.
So, anybody know what's wrong and how bad the news will be? Would be nice to be able to point dealer service in the right direction. Will post update after deater visit.
04-01-2013, 11:05 PM
#3
Took my car out for a spin today. It's an '09 vert 6M with Z51 and NPP/M2W with about 17,000 miles and new battery last fall. No previous problems and has had all routine maintenance. First I got a dashboard light depicting a closed lock in front of a car. Then the car began to lose power and then I got a series of Service Active Handling, Service Fuel System, and Low Fuel warning lights and the car seemed to stall out and the engine turned off. Fortunately, I got it to the side of the road. Checked the gas gauge and had 3/4 tank. After turning car off, I was able to restart and drove maybe a mile or two when I got the same warning lights and again the car lost power and stalled out. I was able to limp home (5-6 miles) by repeating this procedure at least a half a dozen times. It seemed that the engine was surging slightly - small increase in RPM without giving it gas. Anyway, I made a service appt. with the local Chevy dealer for later this week and am hopeful I will be able to "limp" over there or may need a tow (I've been told by friends to only use a flat bed for towing.) Spoke with a friend who thought it might be a bad battery in the FOB. Another friend thought it was the car's computer.
So, anybody know what's wrong and how bad the news will be? Would be nice to be able to point dealer service in the right direction. Will post update after deater visit.
So, anybody know what's wrong and how bad the news will be? Would be nice to be able to point dealer service in the right direction. Will post update after deater visit.
It might not be a bad idea to get a flat bed to take your car to the dealer. If it runs now you could at least drive it on the flatbed instead of it dying along the road and have them winch it on the flatbed.
04-01-2013, 11:22 PM
#5
Drifting
The only time i have seen the "closed lock" is when i lock and arm the car i.e. security system.
Try disconnecting the Negative battery cable for about 10 min. then connect it back. See if that helps.
Push and hold "ACC" for about 15 seconds. Everything will light up and The DIC should show the battery volts. You need at least 11.4v or more. If it is less than that, have the battery load tested.
Good luck
Try disconnecting the Negative battery cable for about 10 min. then connect it back. See if that helps.
Push and hold "ACC" for about 15 seconds. Everything will light up and The DIC should show the battery volts. You need at least 11.4v or more. If it is less than that, have the battery load tested.
Good luck
04-02-2013, 06:08 AM
#6
For sure check system voltage. The car gets possessed when the voltage slowly drops. Check to ensure that the ground tie between the engine and the motor is tightly bolted. It's on the passenger's side, under the fuse block.
04-02-2013, 06:31 AM
#7
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St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
The only time i have seen the "closed lock" is when i lock and arm the car i.e. security system.
Try disconnecting the Negative battery cable for about 10 min. then connect it back. See if that helps.
Push and hold "ACC" for about 15 seconds. Everything will light up and The DIC should show the battery volts. You need at least 11.4v or more. If it is less than that, have the battery load tested.
Good luck
Try disconnecting the Negative battery cable for about 10 min. then connect it back. See if that helps.
Push and hold "ACC" for about 15 seconds. Everything will light up and The DIC should show the battery volts. You need at least 11.4v or more. If it is less than that, have the battery load tested.
Good luck
I doubt if it's the fob batt, but one way to eliminate that is to put the fob in the glovebox slot.
And I can say that from my experience this does not sound like the gas pedal sensors going out which will allow you to limp along, not stall out.
BTW, why did you need a new batt. since it's an '09?
Good luck and tell us what it turns out to be.
04-02-2013, 08:07 AM
#8
Le Mans Master
Hey Bill my 09 z06 that sit from Aug 08 to March of 09 need a batt in less than a year after purchase. I've never had a batt problem with any of my cars some that were a year old with 4000 miles on the clock when I traded for new.
z51vett
z51vett
04-02-2013, 08:09 AM
#9
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St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
Yeah, but that's because the battery knew it was you, Doug, and just wanted to give you a hard time!
04-02-2013, 08:15 AM
#10
Le Mans Master
I had a different, but similiar experience in the last couple of weeks. My car is indeed Christine - possessed! I will not take it to the stealership until I can drive it there with the codes showing. for the last week, all symptoms have totally disappeared.
And no codes of any kinds since I removed and replaced the hush panel above!
Long story, so I will try to make it brief. Have an 09 and a few weeks ago I started getting the "Service Active Handling" and "Service Traction Control" on cold start only. I have done a through search so I have the background. I think I have bigger problems than described in those threads.
1. Car started out started getting the "Service Active Handling" and "Service Traction Control" on cold start only. It would go away on restart. No other symptoms. Car drove normally.
2. As time progressed, new symptoms started to occur. Car refused to shift higher than third gear when SAH/STC lite. All symptoms would might go away on restart, or might not. Also, the Service Engine Soon light would come on so I assume new codes are being triggered.
3. More time progressed. Dash gauges started to go crazy. Speedo and HUD would oscillate, or read zero. Fuel gauge might read empty and low fuel would come on. Other gauges would go to zero and then come back to life.
So, I tried the easy stuff first. I ordered the "comb" that the thread mentioned that was part of the TSB from GM. I took the hush panel off and found out that the car is probably not part of that TSB since the connector looks completely different than the ones shown in that thread and the comb would not fit at all.
Second, I know these cars are sensitive to a weak battery and since the battery was the original I thought it was worth getting tested. Battery tested ok, but said "recharge needed" which indicated to me it was probably on the way out. Install new battery, but the symptoms remain.
I think I could get the OBD2 reader from the local parts store to read the Service engine soon codes, but from reading the active handling threads those codes need a TECH2 computer to be dug out.
So I am at the point of taking this to a Stealership which is the last thing I would want to do. Because if I wanted someone to throw parts at it, I could do that. Plus the SAH/STC messages do not come up all the time so I need the Stealership to read the codes when it is lite up from what I read in those threads.
1. Car started out started getting the "Service Active Handling" and "Service Traction Control" on cold start only. It would go away on restart. No other symptoms. Car drove normally.
2. As time progressed, new symptoms started to occur. Car refused to shift higher than third gear when SAH/STC lite. All symptoms would might go away on restart, or might not. Also, the Service Engine Soon light would come on so I assume new codes are being triggered.
3. More time progressed. Dash gauges started to go crazy. Speedo and HUD would oscillate, or read zero. Fuel gauge might read empty and low fuel would come on. Other gauges would go to zero and then come back to life.
So, I tried the easy stuff first. I ordered the "comb" that the thread mentioned that was part of the TSB from GM. I took the hush panel off and found out that the car is probably not part of that TSB since the connector looks completely different than the ones shown in that thread and the comb would not fit at all.
Second, I know these cars are sensitive to a weak battery and since the battery was the original I thought it was worth getting tested. Battery tested ok, but said "recharge needed" which indicated to me it was probably on the way out. Install new battery, but the symptoms remain.
I think I could get the OBD2 reader from the local parts store to read the Service engine soon codes, but from reading the active handling threads those codes need a TECH2 computer to be dug out.
So I am at the point of taking this to a Stealership which is the last thing I would want to do. Because if I wanted someone to throw parts at it, I could do that. Plus the SAH/STC messages do not come up all the time so I need the Stealership to read the codes when it is lite up from what I read in those threads.
This car must be possessed.
I cannot get it to throw these codes now. I disconnected the new battery and removed to hush panel to examine that connector that goes into the steering column to see if the TSB "comb" will fit - totally different connector so the TSB does not apply. Put the connector and battery cable back and problem won't reoccur. I am not taking to a stealership unless the code is present.
She is really play with my head here...
I cannot get it to throw these codes now. I disconnected the new battery and removed to hush panel to examine that connector that goes into the steering column to see if the TSB "comb" will fit - totally different connector so the TSB does not apply. Put the connector and battery cable back and problem won't reoccur. I am not taking to a stealership unless the code is present.
She is really play with my head here...
04-02-2013, 09:01 AM
#12
Race Director
Do you have a battery charger? If so hook it up and charge the battery for several hours and see if problem goes away. That will tell you if its battery related or not.
04-02-2013, 12:04 PM
#13
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
UPDATE - I was able to start and drive the car to the Chevy dealer this morning. Car felt "funny" e.g. I shifted to nuetral when approaching a stop and then stopped with my foot off the gas and the car reved up and then slowly dropped down again (from about 1100 rpm to about 6/700 rpm. No warning lights or stalling out power losses like yesterday, however I'm only about 2 miles from the dealer and the car wasn't warmed up to operating temps. A good corvette buddy who is a computer professional has suggested that the main computer may be failing and that full failure mode occurs after a certain higher temperature is reached. Common type problem with computers. If this is the issue, I certainly hope that the 5yr./100,000 mile powertrain warranty will apply.
MORE TO FOLLOW (after I hear from the local Chevy store - later today or tomorrow.)
MORE TO FOLLOW (after I hear from the local Chevy store - later today or tomorrow.)
04-02-2013, 12:27 PM
#14
Le Mans Master
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St. Jude Donor '13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20-'21-'22-'23
UPDATE - I was able to start and drive the car to the Chevy dealer this morning. Car felt "funny" e.g. I shifted to nuetral when approaching a stop and then stopped with my foot off the gas and the car reved up and then slowly dropped down again (from about 1100 rpm to about 6/700 rpm. No warning lights or stalling out power losses like yesterday, however I'm only about 2 miles from the dealer and the car wasn't warmed up to operating temps. A good corvette buddy who is a computer professional has suggested that the main computer may be failing and that full failure mode occurs after a certain higher temperature is reached. Common type problem with computers. If this is the issue, I certainly hope that the 5yr./100,000 mile powertrain warranty will apply.
MORE TO FOLLOW (after I hear from the local Chevy store - later today or tomorrow.)
MORE TO FOLLOW (after I hear from the local Chevy store - later today or tomorrow.)
04-02-2013, 11:28 PM
#16
Drifting
Before I disconnected the battery cable (which will temp reset everything thus destroying the codes that have been set, I believe), I would do as someone above suggested and check both batt. cable connections. As mentioned by others, each cable has to have that conical nut in it to properly tighten it down; make sure it's there. If they're tight, then I'd loosen them and check for corrosion (which will also reset the computer at that time).
I doubt if it's the fob batt, but one way to eliminate that is to put the fob in the glovebox slot.
And I can say that from my experience this does not sound like the gas pedal sensors going out which will allow you to limp along, not stall out.
BTW, why did you need a new batt. since it's an '09?
Good luck and tell us what it turns out to be.
I doubt if it's the fob batt, but one way to eliminate that is to put the fob in the glovebox slot.
And I can say that from my experience this does not sound like the gas pedal sensors going out which will allow you to limp along, not stall out.
BTW, why did you need a new batt. since it's an '09?
Good luck and tell us what it turns out to be.
I have noticed several people have needed a new battery after only a couple years, i am one of them with a '09.
04-03-2013, 12:45 AM
#18
Melting Slicks
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It's a short in the wiring to one of the sub computer modules leading up to the ECM which is causing all the DIC messaging and the car to stall out.
Good thing it's throwing codes so it will narrow down where you have to look across all the electronic systems.
IMHO.
Good thing it's throwing codes so it will narrow down where you have to look across all the electronic systems.
IMHO.
04-03-2013, 12:48 AM
#19
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04-03-2013, 04:29 PM
#20
Burning Brakes
Thread Starter
UPDATE - Here's the latest. I spoke with the Tech. Advisor at the Chevy dealer today and according to him, the Body Control Module (BCM) is bad and must be replaced (cost $680 with installation plus sales tax.) Following such replacement, additional diagnostics must be performed to assure that no other parts or systems are bad. Any other repair costs will be added. I checked the 5 year/100,000 mile poweretrain extended warranty and the computer(s) and software appear to be specifically excluded from coverage. So, at a minimum this is going to cost me at least $728. If other issues are discovered it will be more. OUCH!!!
It seems to me that if a part or in this case a module fails and the engine can't run or make any power, that must be considered as part of the powertrain and should be covered. Apparently, Chevy sees it differently. Anyway, despite the cost, I authorized him to proceed with the repair and hopefully there will be no more surprises.
MORE TO FOLLOW
It seems to me that if a part or in this case a module fails and the engine can't run or make any power, that must be considered as part of the powertrain and should be covered. Apparently, Chevy sees it differently. Anyway, despite the cost, I authorized him to proceed with the repair and hopefully there will be no more surprises.
MORE TO FOLLOW