carol9581

Hi Everyone.
My 2005 corvette has a dead battery constantly..no surprise
The last 2 times (now) when the car is jump started the ach system error comes up as does traction control service error and lock stays lit on dash No problems with the car till battery went dead. Running on reduced power?? any way to reset this?
Thanks for the help!!!

LSCHLEM

Have you checked the voltage after jump starting it. should be around 14.5 VDC . If not perhaps alternator problems.

Mez

You must have the last original 2005 battery!

Change it out and you will wonder why you did not do it sooner. It should fix your problems.

carol9581

I did change out the battery about 6 months ago.
It has been real cold etc. My big question is why does the service traction message come up with the lights on the dash and the lock/theft alarm light on dash. I think the alarm needs to be reset because the car is not functioning withut the traction. I hope these are related as I had no problem before the battery went dead AGAIN!! lol.

fenderowner

If you have the manual tranny, I have to ask (sorry if you already know about this): are you sure you are shifting it into reverse when you park it and shut it down? If you don't, the battery WILL drain (and cold weather makes it even more of an issue, given the battery's low temp state). This problem was more pronounced on earlier 05 production models than later, but it is still an issue for 05 models (Don't know about later models).

carol9581

I Have the automatic...

CO Lightfoot

1. All kinds of elec weirdness has been reported when the battery is weak/dying/dead.

2. 2005 Dead Battery Syndrome (DBS)... well-known issue, easily solved by re-flash at a dealer.

3. Does your car sit for days/weeks? Do you take just short trips? This will kill the battery.

4. Might be an elec issue that is draining the battery. A battery tender (like the CTEK 3300) will keep your battery safely charged. But it will mask elec issues that might be causing the problem. You'll need to measure the parasitic draw.

5. More info & lots of threads on battery issues:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...ocked-out.html

6. For most folks, a new battery and a good battery tender solve the problem.

carol9581

Thanks for asll the info, I appreciate it.
I did buy the battery at the dealer.
Have you heard of issues with the traction system errors after dead battery disconnected everything have battery on stinger and hope everything wil reset when I put it back in! Thanks again for the help

Mez

When there is a low voltage situation, all kinds of weird things happen. Sensors (or all electrical components for that matter) are designed to operate in a certain range (for example, 10-15 volts) and will give false information to the PCM or BCM when the voltage go outside that range.

RFP

Nope... I've still got my original and no problems yet. Of course, tomorrow's another day!

ZED28

I too am totally frustrated by dead battery issues. At a loss why my 2005 (Oct. 2004 production date) does fine for several months, then with no warning - dead battery. I'm on the 4th battery and use a battery tender. It's a manual and always put it in reverse when parked.

I drove it last Saturday, charging at 14.6 volts. Noticed a message about handling or traction. I forgot to connect the battery tender until Wednesday, and by that time the battery was totally drained. Does this sound like something the dealer "re-flash" will fix? Any help appreciated.

Mez

4 batteries may mean you are doing something wrong. Do you always put it on the tender?

I worked in the battery business and learned that you have to use a quality charger. A good quality charger will shut off when the battery if fully charged. If it does not, it will damage the battery and shorten its life.

The electrical system should draw less than .5 amp when shut down. If you do some research, you will find the exact spec for the draw, but in any case, the battery should be able to handle .5 amps without going dead quickly.To check what the actual draw is, disconnect the negative terminal and put a digital multi meter between the negative post of the battery and the negative cable you disconnected. The reading should be less than .5 amps. If its more, something is still 'on'. The logical things to check are any light bulbs such as the vanity lights on the visors, glove box, console, rear view mirror, etc.

If that does not work, pull various fuses and when you see a drop in amp draw, you found the circuit.

CO Lightfoot

Definitely get the re-flash.

Then, as Mez says, check the parasitic draw when the car is shutdown. It should be far-below .5 amps (500mA). But don't be surprised if the readings fluctuate.

For instance, 30 minutes after shutdown, one member measured fluctuatations from .011 to .017 amps (11-17mA). And the fluctuations are all over the place if you measure immediately after shutdown. See posts 1 & 8 at: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...-problems.html

Before getting a dealer involved, I'd get a friend to watch the multimeter while I pulled fuses one at a time. Start with the seat-related fuses; I seem to recall the wiring under the seat (heaters?) can become a problem over time, especially if you make frequent seat adjustments.

Good luck.

And BTW, do you have NAV? I'm beginning to suspect that battery issues are more likely in NAV-equipped cars.

HuskerBullet

Hmmm, IMO buying a replacement battery (an AC Delco) was not a wise solution. It will cost you more (you get what you pay for), but my suggestion is to get the Optima Yellow D35! Your confidence will return.....

eeeny

I have an early 2005 c6 manual with nav, I'm on my 4th battery.
I uses a ctek tender when I remember.

I have just been diagnosing the battery draw.
It's around 200mA which doesn't sound too bad, but every 3 minutes exactly (I timed it over 10 times), something wakes up for 30 seconds and draws 3.8amp!

Turns out it is the Nav system turning on, I can head the dvd and the fan come on, but the screen is off. I can also hear a relay clicking on in the BCM.


I supposedly had the BCM flashed by the dealer last year, but they screwed up 2/3 of the jobs they were supposed to be doing, so I can't say for sure it was done. They said they bricked the BCM during reprogramming and wanted to charge me $600 for a new one, but after a few phone calls, they agreed to replace it free of charge. I really don't trust the dealer to have done anything at this point. They also replace my roof panel under a recall, that was loose when I picked it up. They fixed it, then it creaked, then a screw either backed out
or wass never fully screwed in inside the window track and it chipped the top edge of my passenger window. They replaced that but god knows what the screwed up while they had the door apart.


Ideas?

RicK T

That's a lot! I can't remember what's normal, you might want to start a new thread and ask what the normal shut down draw is.......seems to me it's less than 1mA but not sure.

Just for comparison, when I was last at the dealer talking to the service writer he was also working with a woman who brought her Tahoe in for a version of DBS. He told her they measured the shut down draw at 100mA so they had to keep the truck another day to diagnose it. Hope you can figure it out and that Nav turning on seems weird too.

eeeny

the nav turning on at 3.8 amps for 30 secs every 3 minutes represents an average draw of 3.8*30/(3*60) = 633mA
so I would think if I could fix that, my problem would be much less