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Three Generations of Service ![]() |
Went to take a short blast to town, car was deader than a hammer. Opened the hood and found it was already unlatched (didn't get it closed all the way the other day apparently) and I assume the under-hood lights running for 3 days was enough to kill the battery. Jumped it, started right up, showed good voltage at the battery but the idle was wonky, wandering all over the place. "Well, it's cold, so..." Hopped in, pulled out of the garage, stopped at the end of the driveway to wait for traffic (both cars...) and the idle dropped to the point where the engine died. Car's dead again. Opened the hood and wiggled the battery cables in preparation for jumping it again, and the hood lights came on, car started. Ah...loose cable. Tightened it, started to drive to town, came to the first corner and noticed the idle dropping and the engine died again. Fortunately I was rolling fast enough to bump start it and drove about a mile up the road figuring the alternator would get the battery up to snuff. Double checked by shoving the clutch in and sure enough the idle drifted down until the engine quit. Bump started it, turned around and went the hell home. Checked, battery showing 8 volts. Pulled the cables off, buffed everything with a wire brush, reassembled with a dab of dielectric grease, put the smart charger on it and took a nap. Went back out, charger showed 100%, battery was showing 14.5x at idle so I drove it to town and back, no issues. My assumption is that low battery voltage was confusing the ECU which was screwing up the idle air/throttle position sensors. In any event, it's fine now. I was envisioning the $$$ flying out the window... Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent. | ||
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A Grateful American![]() |
Fuel Injection also not happy with too low voltage. Being on the edge of "just enough" can give you fits like "run" "don't run", "run" "don't run", "run" "don't run"... But your on the right track. "the meaning of life, is to give life meaning" ✡ Ani Yehudi אני יהודי Le'olam lo shuv לעולם לא שוב! | |||
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His diet consists of black coffee, and sarcasm. ![]() |
No electronic fuel injection likes low voltage or especially loose battery connections. The stupid side terminal batteries put on GM vehicles for ~40 years are bad for this. | |||
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Green grass and high tides ![]() |
Bright side is the new Ford truck is up to the task of towing home the old chevy ![]() "Practice like you want to play in the game" | |||
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Member![]() |
My '04 isn't happy below 12v, and starts going nuts if the voltage drops below 11v. | |||
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אַרְיֵה![]() |
Was wondering whether you were going to tell us that all that power got out of control, or slippery road, or something. הרחפת שלי מלאה בצלופחים | |||
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Coin Sniper![]() |
If your vette doesn't scare you a little, you have the wrong car. Pronoun: His Royal Highness and benevolent Majesty of all he surveys 343 - Never Forget Its better to be Pavlov's dog than Schrodinger's cat There are three types of mistakes; Those you learn from, those you suffer from, and those you don't survive. | |||
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Member |
Or maybe like the 1964 Stingray I drove, the car went airborne at a little over 85mph. (Zora Arkus Duntov didn't understand aerodynamics very well). -------------------------- Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. -- H L Mencken I always prefer reality when I can figure out what it is. -- JALLEN 10/18/18 | |||
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Three Generations of Service ![]() |
Hasn't yet, but I suspect there are two reasons for that: 1. At 74, going stupid fast just because I can has pretty much lost it's attraction, and B. The car is 35 years old and beating on it seems counterproductive. Not to say it couldn't happen of course... ![]() Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent. | |||
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Three Generations of Service ![]() |
![]() Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent. | |||
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Member![]() |
Had a 2017 Grand Sport that I had to keep on a trickle charger. Even with a new AGM the security system will deplete the battery and that car will do all sought of weird things, also make sure fobs have fresh batteries | |||
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Savor the limelight |
My 86yo father got his a bit sideways pulling out of the Church parking lot this last Sunday. Stupid fast not required for things to get exciting. | |||
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Wait, what?![]() |
Low voltage in Chevy’s (and I suspect a host of other manufacturers with the “evolution” of under hood electronics) will create all manner of gremlins. I have an 05 Colorado that due to a compromised rear differential was not being driven until my brother and I can rebuild it. The battery went completely flat and refused to jump until it had charged via jumper cables to a sufficient level. After I got it running again, it took a couple of days before the auto locks would work with the fob, the auto windows to respond to switches (passenger side came back first, then a few days later the drivers side), instrument lights in and out, and blower motor in and out. Now I keep it charged with a weekly start up and light drive near the house and all seems well. “Remember to get vaccinated or a vaccinated person might get sick from a virus they got vaccinated against because you’re not vaccinated.” - author unknown | |||
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Member |
Not sure what year your car is but some of the 90's and mid 2000 GM vehicles need to be driven after a battery replacement or dead battery recharge to relearn the idle speed, quite common and a 15 drive will usually take care of it. | |||
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Lawyers, Guns and Money ![]() |
So I was waxing the Vette and maybe I put it on a little thick, and had to buff out that little crack around the hood and I must have left it open and unlatched for a couple of days... ![]() ![]() "Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." -- Justice Janice Rogers Brown "The United States government is the largest criminal enterprise on earth." -rduckwor | |||
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His diet consists of black coffee, and sarcasm. ![]() |
That generation - known as C4 - was bad for squeaks and rattles over any bump in the road even when new. How is yours after 35 years? | |||
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Three Generations of Service ![]() |
Remarkably free of squeaks (unless they're in my dead range and I just don't hear them) and doesn't rattle significantly more than my new truck. Roads are rougher than thunder right now. Only somewhat annoying thing I notice is wind noise and that's most likely just a feature of being a ragtop. Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent. | |||
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Three Generations of Service ![]() |
Good to know. Mine's a '90 so falls right in that range. Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent. | |||
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Three Generations of Service ![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent. | |||
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Lawyers, Guns and Money ![]() |
I'm just jealous because I don't have one... yet! ![]() "Some things are apparent. Where government moves in, community retreats, civil society disintegrates and our ability to control our own destiny atrophies. The result is: families under siege; war in the streets; unapologetic expropriation of property; the precipitous decline of the rule of law; the rapid rise of corruption; the loss of civility and the triumph of deceit. The result is a debased, debauched culture which finds moral depravity entertaining and virtue contemptible." -- Justice Janice Rogers Brown "The United States government is the largest criminal enterprise on earth." -rduckwor | |||
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