Dead Battery

Bowling

Bowling

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Hi Everyone
As you know I am a new owner of a 2010 Convertible. After the purchase I had the car delivered to my garage and have not driven it . Mark from Carismatow did an excellent job . The car has been sitting and I started it last week with no problem but today I found the battery was so weak , after one click click . Nothing. So I boosted it and it started immediately.
The Check engine light is now illuminated. Is this because of the "No start"?
Also , when purchasing a Battery tender, what are your opinions of Ctek , Battery Tender, Genius and or Mastercraft unit?
Thank you
Victor
 
Hi Bowling... Not sure why your check engine light is on.... My 09 battery died on me and I charged it instead of boosting and didn't get a light... after that I bought a maintainer and have since purchased two more. I use the maintainer that came with my C7 so now I have them on my hunting and fishing truck and my ATV as well. I have a Mastercraft and a Battery Tender and they both work fine but so do all the rest...not sure what brands they are. lol...If you pull a battery cable off, it may reset your check engine light. It did mine on my import daily driver... If it comes back on, maybe get someone with a code reader to check it and reset. I'm sure some more knowledgeable guys will jump in here somewhere...
 
Thank you Rruuff Day
I have to clean the positive post so I guess I'll see if that clears the light. I also will test the battery , I believe its original and even with low kms on the car , my experience has been that most automotive batteries last about 5 years. So then my next question is , Which battery to buy ? Delco or ?
Any advice greatly appreciated.
Victor
 
Hi Bowling. Check engine light often lights up because of low voltage. I suggest you take the driver window down, disconnect the battery and short the 2 battery cables (while at least one is diconnected from battery ) to erase the pcm memory, make sure you short the cables, not the battery post unless you want fire cracker under the hood. Do not try to restart the car now. Recharge or replace the battery than you can restart the car, also make sure the alternator is charging properly. You will have to reset the clock and the power windows and power seat memory after. If it is the original battery I would definitly change it (7 years is a good average). A weak battery will shorten your alternator life, also these cars tend to have funny electric problems when the battery is failing.

If you buy a battery charger or maintainer, pick a automatic model so you can just plug it and leave it on. Maintainer dont have to be very powerfull, .75 or 1 amp is good, it wont make the battery overheat and no acid fumes.

I have 2 Canadian tire automatic battery maintainers + a genius charger and another Canadian tire 30 Amps automatic charger and they all work great. If you replace your battery buy a AGM (like optima) you will need a smart charger that have the right technology to take care of these.

I hope it help

Stephane
 
theboss said:
Hi Bowling. Check engine light often lights up because of low voltage. I suggest you take the driver window down, disconnect the battery and short the 2 battery cables (while at least one is diconnected from battery ) to erase the pcm memory, make sure you short the cables, not the battery post unless you want fire cracker under the hood. Do not try to restart the car now. Recharge or replace the battery than you can restart the car, also make sure the alternator is charging properly. You will have to reset the clock and the power windows and power seat memory after. If it is the original battery I would definitly change it (7 years is a good average). A weak battery will shorten your alternator life, also these cars tend to have funny electric problems when the battery is failing.

If you buy a battery charger or maintainer, pick a automatic model so you can just plug it and leave it on. Maintainer dont have to be very powerfull, .75 or 1 amp is good, it wont make the battery overheat and no acid fumes.

I have 2 Canadian tire automatic battery maintainers + a genius charger and another Canadian tire 30 Amps automatic charger and they all work great. If you replace your battery buy a AGM (like optima) you will need a smart charger that have the right technology to take care of these.

I hope it help

Stephane
Click to expand...
Thank you very much Stephane
 
Bowling, Eric and Stephane gave you some good advice. Automotive batteries usually have a defined life but Corvettes have a nasty trait of putting additional strain on them. An automotive battery is designed to "float" on charge/discharge around a particular voltage. Parasitic draw on the electrical system takes voltage from the battery even when the car is tucked away in the garage. As you may have just found out and that stops you from even enjoying the sound of the Corvette!! There can be another issue with discharged batteries in a car that stored in an unheated garage. Discharged batteries can freeze, potentially splitting the case causing all sorts of mayhem. Low voltage can cause some really odd things to happen with these cars. The good news is that some very smart owners have already figured out how to fix those odd things. May take a bit of searching but the answers are out there.

I could be wrong but I think Battery Tender is the company that makes a magnetic connection for the charger that fits the C6 cars installed by the rear license plate. Slick idea and you cannot damage it by forgetting it and driving away.

Low battery voltage as Stephane said is really hard on electrical and electronic components. If my C5 starts doing weird things the first thing I do is check the voltage in the battery and the connections. Electrical grounds can cause issues as well.

Say aren't you glad you bought a Corvette? Well I can tell you the first nice spring day you will be.:D

Good luck getting it sorted out.:thumbs:
 
Black 03 Z06 said:
Bowling, Eric and Stephane gave you some good advice. Automotive batteries usually have a defined life but Corvettes have a nasty trait of putting additional strain on them. An automotive battery is designed to "float" on charge/discharge around a particular voltage. Parasitic draw on the electrical system takes voltage from the battery even when the car is tucked away in the garage. As you may have just found out and that stops you from even enjoying the sound of the Corvette!! There can be another issue with discharged batteries in a car that stored in an unheated garage. Discharged batteries can freeze, potentially splitting the case causing all sorts of mayhem. Low voltage can cause some really odd things to happen with these cars. The good news is that some very smart owners have already figured out how to fix those odd things. May take a bit of searching but the answers are out there.

I could be wrong but I think Battery Tender is the company that makes a magnetic connection for the charger that fits the C6 cars installed by the rear license plate. Slick idea and you cannot damage it by forgetting it and driving away.

Low battery voltage as Stephane said is really hard on electrical and electronic components. If my C5 starts doing weird things the first thing I do is check the voltage in the battery and the connections. Electrical grounds can cause issues as well.

Say aren't you glad you bought a Corvette? Well I can tell you the first nice spring day you will be.:D

Good luck getting it sorted out.:thumbs:
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for that Black 03 Z06
I am anxiously awaiting the right time to drive my car. The car was purchased from a dealer who had the car in storage. The original owner traded it in last Oct. Not many running hrs since then. I do believe the electronics have been slowly discharging the battery. I'm going to put a Battery tender on it for now and look for a new Battery.
Victor
 
I can't add much to what's already been said -- our members are very well up on these things and have mucho experience to share with us.

I have found this website useful tho recently I went with Die Hard (Gold) which is also rated highly and not listed. Apparently not all Die Hards are the same.. I've read that the Gold is the best and of course the most expensive. I also like Optima Red and Yellow tops that take a little more care as Stephane suggested.

5 Best Car Batteries To Get In 2017 - MyCarNeedsThis

From my experience , in recent years batteries last maybe 5 years .. 6 or 7 if you're very lucky.....but why take a chance since weak or older batteries can upset the car's electronics.
My 2011 Taurus battery quit a couple weeks back leaving me stranded, luckily in town and a quick call to CAA got me going in about 10 minutes at which point I went and bought the D/Hard Gold from my friendly neighbourhood Active Green and Ross whom we've dealt with for years. That OEM battery gave me almost 6 years service so I cannot complain. I would have replaced it earlier but was unaware of its true condition (other than the fact that it started my car every time until quitting) -- Once the new battery was in place I noticed that the car started much easier, quicker, and the starter motor cranked the engine over noticeably faster.
BTW I get good use out of my batteries due to keeping them charged fully all the time. I use CTEK chargers which you will find on sale occasionally for a very good price but as others have said there are other good ones out there too. I do like the idea of using a 'smart charger' tho. It seems to treat the battery very well resulting in longer battery life and is especially important for car storage.

That website will give you some highly rated car batteries -- 2 it doesn't mention are Optima which I like and DieHard (Gold) which I've just bought.

Our corvettes have many computers and live circuits (I'm told) which puts much more of a strain on batteries than in days of yore.

Lots of info if you Google car batteries (once you sift thru all the ads .

G/L with your search and purchase.

Colin.
 
CCO said:
I can't add much to what's already been said -- our members are very well up on these things and have mucho experience to share with us.

I have found this website useful tho recently I went with Die Hard (Gold) which is also rated highly and not listed. Apparently not all Die Hards are the same.. I've read that the Gold is the best and of course the most expensive. I also like Optima Red and Yellow tops that take a little more care as Stephane suggested.

5 Best Car Batteries To Get In 2017 - MyCarNeedsThis

From my experience , in recent years batteries last maybe 5 years .. 6 or 7 if you're very lucky.....but why take a chance since weak or older batteries can upset the car's electronics.
My 2011 Taurus battery quit a couple weeks back leaving me stranded, luckily in town and a quick call to CAA got me going in about 10 minutes at which point I went and bought the D/Hard Gold from my friendly neighbourhood Active Green and Ross whom we've dealt with for years. That OEM battery gave me almost 6 years service so I cannot complain. I would have replaced it earlier but was unaware of its true condition (other than the fact that it started my car every time until quitting) -- Once the new battery was in place I noticed that the car started much easier, quicker, and the starter motor cranked the engine over noticeably faster.
BTW I get good use out of my batteries due to keeping them charged fully all the time. I use CTEK chargers which you will find on sale occasionally for a very good price but as others have said there are other good ones out there too. I do like the idea of using a 'smart charger' tho. It seems to treat the battery very well resulting in longer battery life and is especially important for car storage.

That website will give you some highly rated car batteries -- 2 it doesn't mention are Optima which I like and DieHard (Gold) which I've just bought.

Our corvettes have many computers and live circuits (I'm told) which puts much more of a strain on batteries than in days of yore.

Lots of info if you Google car batteries (once you sift thru all the ads .

G/L with your search and purchase.

Colin.
Click to expand...


Thank you very much Colin.I appreciate all of the info, this being my first Corvette , I'm a little overwhelmed by the complexity of these machines.
 
Victor, have you actually driven the car yet? One way or another it must be killing you not to have had it out yet.

When I bought my 03 I loaded on a open trailer and hauled it to our cottage in Haliburton from Toronto for storage. Went through a raging snowstorm and my heart was broken with the car covered in sand, slush and snow and no way to clean it. There is a good reason not to buy a Corvette in December! It was June of the following year before I got to drive it the first time. The year after never got to drive it at all.

Can't wait to hear your thoughts once you get to put some miles on it. Really hope you enjoy it.:thumbs:
 
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Glad to help as all members here are..........I hear you on modern car's complexities.......but you've found a good place to get help. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience right here.

BTW welcome. I've not been on much for a while due to family matters so apologies for missing your arrival. Hope to chat more in the future with you and all these fine folks.

Cheers
C.
 
Black 03 Z06 said:
Victor, have you actually driven the car yet? One way or another it must be killing you not to have had it out yet.

When I bought my 03 I loaded on a open trailer and hauled it to our cottage in Haliburton from Toronto for storage. Went through a raging snowstorm and my heart was broken with the car covered in sand, slush and snow and no way to clean it. There is a good reason not to buy a Corvette in December! It was June of the following year before I got to drive it the first time. The year after never got to drive it at all.

Can't wait to hear your thoughts once you get to put some miles on it. Really hope you enjoy it.:thumbs:
Click to expand...



Hi Black 03 Z06
Believe it or not , I havent driven the car at all except for putting it in the garage when it was delivered. I went to Bennett Chev in Cambridge in late Jan.
Had a look , started the car , saw that everything worked and bought it. It has 21053 km. It sounds crazy but after a long search , i had a good feeling about this car. Due to scheduling problems on my end the Dealer kept the car in the show room for me. I used Carismatow to deliver my car. He offered open and covered transport , so I chose covered covered . It was only $100 more . Being Feb. I didnt want the car getting messed up.
So yes, I am dying to drive the car but after waiting this many years a couple months wont kill me.
I will post more pics soon.
Victor
 
Bowling said:
Hi Black 03 Z06
Believe it or not , I havent driven the car at all except for putting it in the garage when it was delivered. I went to Bennett Chev in Cambridge in late Jan.
Had a look , started the car , saw that everything worked and bought it. It has 21053 km. It sounds crazy but after a long search , i had a good feeling about this car. Due to scheduling problems on my end the Dealer kept the car in the show room for me. I used Carismatow to deliver my car. He offered open and covered transport , so I chose covered covered . It was only $100 more . Being Feb. I didnt want the car getting messed up.
So yes, I am dying to drive the car but after waiting this many years a couple months wont kill me.
I will post more pics soon.
Victor
Click to expand...
Victor... there's not much more to say except when you finally get behind the wheel and out on the road you're cheeks and neck will be sore from the perpetual smile that will be on your face. We all live it here and no matter how much time passes, unless you're a Grinch, the smile never goes away. Don't forget...Save the wave!

wave.jpg
 
After loosing many expensive batteries in cold Winter storage, I had this recommended to me by my local GM Dealer Parts Manager who is an awesome dude and I have never had to look for anything else.
I have used them for vehicles inside and outside on everything and it's weather proof.
I have two now so that I can use them on my stored vehicle(s) and at intervals to "top up" shelved boat and boat lift batteries during the winter months. I love them because of the display. It scrolls the words to show you the % of charge on the battery when you first hook it up (so that you know where the battery is at). As it charges it constantly scrolls words to show you the increasing % of charge. At 100% it goes into automatic maintenance and then just leave it on a stored vehicle.
My neighbor just bought a new GM Yukon. They snowbird and came back for their Family Christmas, he was so disappointed to find his Brand New Yukon having battery trouble.
I asked him that, even though the Yukon is in a locked unheated garage, if he used his remote to lock the vehicle before his extended leave and his reply was Yes!
There you go .... and then add the fact that it has been rather cold to say the least ...
The Yukon is now "rescued" for the remainder of the Winter with my battery extender so that he can have the satisfaction of the vehicle being redundantly locked up tight with all of it's alarm features turned on and stored within a locked up garage that also has a security system. (this is going to be on of those vehicles that I will seriously consider to buy when he sells it - it's babied to the nines and not winter driven - a Yukon! - maybe that next owner will be me!)
Since putting this on my neighbors Yukon, I have using the battery maintainer that came with my Corvette now and it is pretty much the same without the displayed readings (which is a feature that is kinda kool)
Anyways here's a photo of it ... a Schumacher Battery Extender ... Contents is the package include (1)SPF3 Battery Charger + (1)Clamp Adapter + (1)DC Adapter + (1) 24" Fused Ring Leads Harness with Weather Cup + (1)Manual. Priced in the "you get what you pay for range" about $100 I think - I got them from my GM Dealer parts department. I have had no remorse after spending this money though ...
I used one of these 100% during outdoor Winter Storage on a remote-locked & loaded 1998 Grand Prix with SLP GTX Ram Air Package and since never lost a battery ... money saved ... (car was sold for my Corvette Funds)
schumacherbatteryextender.jpg
 
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That is a charger I have not seen before.

Thanks for the write up about it.
 
I have a battery tender from parts source and it works very well. It displays volts and percentage of charge.. so you know if the battery is weak as it will not charge to 100 percent.
 
BDK, that is interesting. My BT has flashing lights to indicate state of charge and also problems but no digital readout. Mine will bring the battery back to 100% so unless the battery is damaged I have no idea why it would not bring it back to full charge. It may take a while but have had boat batteries that were flat and the BT brought it back.
 

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