Drained C6 Battery recharge?

[nhgoodrich]

Shutting down the C6

Dave;

Its worse than you can imagine...

First, you stop the car, set the E-brake, put the shifter in reverse, press the Green ignition button, press the seat retraction button, press the button on the door to open the door. There is a slight delay as the window drops about one half inch...

I really miss my '03 Z06...


-Dave C. '04 Z06[/QUOTE]

 

[nhgoodrich]

Battery

It was several, maybe 4 or 5. One time the battery died while i was on a trip. I had not brought along the the key. i called on-star and asked them to open the car, knowing without power it was impossible. On-star did call a wrecker for me, they tried for 30 minutes to "break" into the car with no luck at all. They then left but had suggested i have the car towed to the dealership...

The next morning i called the dealership. After a long discussion, they offered to order me a blank key so they could "cut" me another so i could open the trunk and ultimately the hood so a charger could be connected...

I asked, how long will that take? Their answer, maybe 2-3 days...

I then jacked the car up, crawled underneath and attached the battery cables to the starter. That provided enough power to open the door, etc etc...

Finally, another dealership replaced the battrey after much discussion and argument. I had offered to pay for the battrey if it didnt resolve the problem...

How many of those were for the battery and what were the others for?[/QUOTE]

 

[2bubbas]

Okay guys... I've driven a C6 6-speed, but do not own one. But I am wondering why the heck you'd have to put the car in reverse to shut it off anyways? In my C5, I just shut off the motor no matter what gear it's in and set the emergency brake. I usually leave it in neutral, but if I'm on a steep hill I might put it in 1st or reverse as a safety measure against rolling, but why does GM make you put it in reverse if you're on level pavement? (like in your garage)

Inquiring minds want to know.

-Dave C. '04 Z06

You can shut if off in any gear and leave it there. Of course your battery will discharge. Think of the putting it in reverse the same as if you were putting your automatic in park. I think everyone does that automaticly. You do not have to set the emergency brake though I do. It takes no longer to push the off button than to pull your key. Pushing the door button is about the same amount of time as pulling on a handle. I was told by GM that putting the shifter in reverse turns off all the unneccesary electronics. Think of it as a switch.
I always have put my stick shift cars in reverse. So, this has come easy to me. Like the no key feature.

 

[nhgoodrich]

I always have put my stick shift cars in reverse. So, this has come easy to me. Like the no key feature.[/QUOTE]
[font=&quot]

Bubba,

I guess I just don’t like being forced to do crap some overpaid non-gearhead engineer decides what is best for me. Personally, I like doing what feels good to me. It may not be politically or environmentally correct but when big brother says I hafta jump thru hoops just to exit my car, I am not happy.

With my 2003 Z06, all I had to do was stop and remove the key. The seat automatically moved to allow my exit without any further interaction from me. When I grabbed the door handle, I could pull the latch and exit without any interrupting wait for the window to lower.

I doubt if the present configuration will last... I am sure others feel the way I do.

Nick

C6 Silver Z51

ps, has anyone ever described you as compulsive?
[/font]

 

[smook]

Ok. Guys... I've just experienced this C6 "dead battery".

The story:
Walk up and try to open door. Door will NOT open. No way. Go to rear of car and place key in slot over license plate. Rear trunk opens. Pull tab on left in rear luggage compartment. Volia, driver's door opens.

Pleace fob in glove box to relearn the FOB. Nope. Dead battery. Ok.
Oppps. drivers door closed. Now locked. Can't get out. Sh*t. Check to see if I have my cell in my pocket. Yup. Goodie. I can call the wife from my garage to get help. (I'm not wanting to call the wife... she'll lecture me on the corvette again and say, wow.. your new car doesn't even start..>!)

Decided NOT to call wife on cell phone. Crawl to back of trunk and pull luggage tab again. Preso... driver's door open.

Now I look for the hood latch. Looks like it's electronic too. No lights, dark, so I feel around and behind the labelled latch lies the pull latch for the hood.

Charge battery during the day. Charge reads FULL.
I'll see if I can start the car tomorrow morning.

What's going on here? Placed in reverse. No lights on.

Is this another GM feature? I see dead batteries.
-Bill.

 

[nhgoodrich]

Ok. Guys... I've just experienced this C6 "dead battery".

Hey bud,

First, there's a pull handle just below the door near the corner of the seat. That will open the door for you.

Second, if you are sure you did not leave anything on, it's most likely a bad cell in the battery.... You will have some problem getting your dealer to swap in a new battery, but that's the only thing that will fix it...

btw, if you should happen to misplace your key, you can elevate the car enough to attach the jumper cables directly to the starter to get enough juice to open the doors...

Nick
C6 Silver Z51

 

[tonyhood]

Bill,
Great story! Especially the part about the decision not to call the wife!

Seriously though, when the door locked did you try the mechanical latch under the door? That should have worked. And the hood latch is mechanical, so you can pop the hood and charge the battery. One good engineering idea, leave the mechanicals in place.

Since this happened to me a few weeks ago, I've been very careful and I carry the spare key in one of those 'hide-a-key' things, just in case. I think that Dad may have hit the nail on the head in my case. I had put my car in reverse too, but I'm not sure it engaged the switch fully. Now when I shut the car down, I put it in reverse and let the clutch out just a little to make sure it's in before I shut the switch off. I've done the 3 day airport parking 3 or 4 more times since my original disaster and no further problems. But I'm still concerned that this current system isn't the best one.

 

[smook]

I found that lever.

BTW very tight position between the seat and the door to reach that lever.

Another NOTE:
VERY IMPORTANT.

Beware not to slam the door shut, since the window is NOT in the "peek down" position, it will hit the frame and NOT shut. This happened to me as well.

Love this learning curve... I'll get a new battery under warranty. No problem with my dealer.
One more lesson, I always car the FOB and the key together.
GO FIGURE.
-Bill.:L

 

[Dave C. '04 Z06]

You can shut if off in any gear and leave it there. Of course your battery will discharge. Think of the putting it in reverse the same as if you were putting your automatic in park. I think everyone does that automaticly. You do not have to set the emergency brake though I do. It takes no longer to push the off button than to pull your key. Pushing the door button is about the same amount of time as pulling on a handle. I was told by GM that putting the shifter in reverse turns off all the unneccesary electronics. Think of it as a switch.
I always have put my stick shift cars in reverse. So, this has come easy to me. Like the no key feature.

Why does the battery discharge if you don't put it in reverse? That sounds fishy to me. Once you press the off button shouldn't everything shut down?

On my C5 and also my '97 Camaro, when you shut the key off the interior power (interior lights, cig lighter, radio, etc..) remains on until the door opens or for 10 minutes, whichever occurs first. Does the C6 leave the interior power on as long as the car is not in reverse, even if the driver exits?

Being an engineer myself, I am trying to figure out the engineering logic as to why it would be necessary for the customer to put the thing in reverse to shut off the power in the car? (I am assuming this is the power that is left on if not in reverse) Perhaps there was no other way for a certain scenario, but I cannot think of it.

I would think that since they use a FOB, then maybe they should have programmed it so that when it no longer detects the fob and the ignition has been shut off, then the power should also shut off. But maybe there was a good reason this would not work.

I can see having the customer put the thing in reverse as a (although annoying) safety feature, but not as a power shut off requirement...especially if you can shut the car off without it being in reverse.

-Dave C. '04 Z06

 

[Big Steve]

Mine died after a two week business trip. GM could not jump it and no one knew about the accessory button 5 sec hold technique to override the low voltage sensor. It was towed and and new (more powerful) battery was installed.

 

[tonyhood]

I just thought I would post the latest headache in this forum and see if anyone else was still having any problems. This was my second such event. I parked at the airport 4 days, came back and zap....dead battery. Exactly the same as the last time several months ago. After getting my hidden key and getting in the hatch and opening the door, the first thing I checked was the emergency brake and the shifter. Definitely in reverse. No doubt, no sloppy gate. It was stuck in good. Since the last time, I usually put it in reverse and let the clutch out a little just to make sure it's engaged. Then I set the brake and shut the car down. I blew off the last time as maybe it was me who made a mistake and didn't get the shifter in reverse. But this time, no doubt. And I tried the 5 second accessory trick. That didn't work either. Dead, Dead, Dead. They brought a hot shot and it fired up, but it wouldn't stay running until after about 3 seconds when the alternator kicked in and started the charging circuit. Then, you could remove the jump cables and it stayed running.

Any ideas what is happening? Anyone having this problem? Or am I all alone in the parking lot?

T.

 

[nhgoodrich]

i had the same battery problem for months. finally, i told the dealership that i would pay for a new battery, but if it fixed the problem, they would pay for it.

after installing a new battery, that problem disappeared. (there were others, but that one was gone)

 

[tonyhood]

Battery Draining while parked

Well, I'm posting another update. While parked at the airport for 3 days or more, my battery drains to the point I can't open the car, can't start the car and have to get a jump to get going again. This is the 5th time this has happened to me in the past 6 months. 2 times in the past two weeks. I'm taking the car back to the dealership for the third time to see if they can find the problem. This time, I'll have to leave it for a full week so they can duplicate the conditions. It's fine as long as I start the car and drive it every day or two days. But more than 3 days, and bam...dead.

By the way, I did replace the battery with a brand new one. No help. I even installed a Battery Protector as I read about on this forum. That worked one time, but not the last time. The first time I was only gone 3 days so maybe there was still enough juice once I triggered the switch. But last week, 5 days out, and totally dead. Had to be jump started. I'm really getting tired of being stranded every time I have to drive and leave my car at the airport. Thank God for the parking lot crew at the Atlanta airport. They are always there to give me a jump start. We're pretty much on a first name basis by now!

 

[smook]

Why do we all put up with all this crap on a new corvette? I just gave up and sold my C6 'vert. The battery problem is just one of many issues with the C6. No more first year cars. BTW When I jump started the car, the battery would NOT accept a charge. Then by magic the charger would read FULL. Very odd. Never did fix the battery issue or transmission on my car before I sold it.
-Bill.

 

[Dad]

Bummer

I know this is going to sound weird but I had an Eldorado that was of the same nature. It could sit at home for weeks or in the Toledo airport for up to 3 weeks and never a problem. When I had to leave out of Detroit Metro about two thirds of the time the battery would go dead. Always thought that there was maybe some electronic stimulation that would turn on the lights as they did when you open the doors with the fob or someone tripped the alarm a few times? It was so predictable in Detroit that I to checked everything and made sure it was shut down before I left and it would still go dead. Also had one of my C5s go dead sitting by a power distribution transformer, never parked there again so couldn't repeat it. For a first year car this C6 is nearly flawless but I still hate the sloppy gate for reverse.

 

[shepardd]

Took delivery of my new C6 (6-sp manual) at the museum on Aug 13th. It had a dead battery that morning which should have caused my immediate concern but the people there are knowledgeable.

Went several weeks w/o problems before the draught ended (along with the sunny days) in Virginia. Three days later, dead again. Off to purchase a battery charger.

This past Thursday it showed a full charge but Sunday morning it was dead again. I proceeded to film the process of opening the trunk, opening the door, and showing that my steering column lock was clearly locked. Believe that adequately shows that my car was in reverse. Back on the charger.

Clearly this car either has a bad battery (probably not, otherwise automatic cars would have the same issue) or with whatever switch is supposed to tell it to shutdown (most likely IMO).

 

[tonyhood]

DBS #5 and counting

Hey guys, I just thought I would post the results of my 3rd trip to the dealer with this issue this week. I left my car all week long, and I explained to them that this seems to be a 4 day deal for me. Everytime I leave my car parked at the airport (underground) for 4 days or more, I can count on my batter being dead. Various levels of discharge. They let it sit in their shop for 4 days and it fired right up. They ran all the normal checks for battery drain and couldn't come up with anything. I suspected this would be the outcome. I talked for a long time with their top Corvette mechanic, a very knowledgable. But this has him stumped too. There does seem to be something here about all of these modules that communicate with each other, and it appears that the normal Chevy dealer does not have the diagnostics equipment to really check this out. I wish I could have had something more to report, but for me it looks like it's just wait until my next long airport parking event, and see if I can pick up some more clues. I do have the GM Cust Service folks looking into this too. Between all of us, maybe we can figure it out. Doesn't look like GM is being much help right now.

PS: Just fyi...something I learned from the mechanic. Once you put the car into reverse for shutdown, you can take the car back out of gear or put it in another gear without jeopardizing the electricals. The reverse lock is just for the shutdown sequence. Once it has shutdown, it doesn't have to stay in reverse.

 

[Philzer]

First Winter: C6 Battery

OK, so it is now winter in Boston, and for those of us in colder climes, I thought I would report in and see what others are experiencing:

1) I made it through my first 5000 mile summer of ownership with no dead battery other than the one that prompted my query of LAST January.

2) My first re-occurrence was in late October. Did not start vehicle for five days and it was dead. Jumped it succcessfully, but had to take five minutes of charge from the BMW before it would actually crank. Scary.

3) Second re-occurence in December, less than four days after a thorough work-out of acceleration possibilities...great fun, but apparently I got more charge out of this than the battery did.

4) Third re-occurence: Screw it. It is dead and it is nearly Christmas. Too much ice and snow to take it out in ,so I l decide to let it lie unused until this coming weekend.

5) Thought I'd buy a trickle charger, but a CAC colleague recommends an Optima gel battery. (see other thread)

I need advice:

-Trickle or buy better battery?

-Have I finally killed the old battery by letting it fully discharge over a month?

-Has GM Ever sent out notice of a problem? If so, I can't find it here at CAC. Did GM change the arrangement for the 2006 C6's?

-Will I have to "re-program" everything once the battery is truly rock-bottom dead dead dead?

-Anyone else having this problem despite avoidance of soft gate, fob stored beyond 25 foot radius, brake set, etc etc etc etc?

I've had three Vettes, and loved them all. The battery bullsh-t doesn't change my mind, but I'd like to adopt the "current best practice" that all of you have found in your own experiences. I firmly believe we among CAC know more collectivley about the car now than GM does, as we have accumulated the miles, not them.

I appreciate your helpful comments.

thanks/Philzer

 

[Lucy64]

From what I understand these are all 6 spd cars with this problem. I have not had any problems with my automatic car. A good friend who is a Vette mechanic at the local dealer swears that there are no problems that Chevy will admit to and that all the problems are 6 spd driver related (not in reverse). I argued with him telling him I find this very hard to believe but he sticks to his guns on this. He said he has has a number of these complaints and has found nothing wrong with any of the cars. There has to be something they are missing.

 

[Mr.Cool]

A good friend who is a Vette mechanic at the local dealer swears that there are no problems that Chevy will admit to and that all the problems are 6 spd driver related (not in reverse).

Your friend is definetly wrong, after 15 months of ownership, DBS hit me at the end of November. I had been driving the car daily that week when I went to get in the car one morning it would not open, the battery was completely dead.

Before manually opening the car I verified that all doors were closed tight.
Then I put a battery charger on and sat in the car to make sure no lights were left on and the radar detector was off.
After charging the battery I started the car without touching the gear shift, when I let out the clutch the car went backwards.

I did not find anything I might have done wrong and it's been two months now with no more problems.

This was the first problem I have had with the car.