New Problem Car is Dead Again! No Electrical Power

[TFENT]

Ok so the car has been running really good, good enough I took it to AZ to so my wife could use/test it. So she calls me this morning to tell me just a block from the house the car was running poorly and the pulled over and shut it off. Then tried to start it back up and there was zero power. No lights, no radio, no nothing. Absolutely dead as a door knob.

She went home to get the truck and jumper pack. Attached the jumper pack and the lights all came back on but when she went to crank the car all the lights went off again. So she hooked up the jumper cables to the Vette and now there is nothing at all. ZERO...

No matter what now there is nothing electrical working. What do you all think it is?? I have to gather parts now and take them there so I can repair it again. I think it's a bad ground or something. Fill me in here. Am I missing something that would cause the system to have power then just cut out like a circuit breaker would when there is too much load put on it??

[VetteMed]

I'd probably start by checking battery cables for looseness or corrosion.

[TFENT]

I'd probably start by checking battery cables for looseness or corrosion.

Thats the first place I will check but the wife says they are secure at the battery. Where does the ground from the battery attach to specifically? Any other ground spots I should look at?

[A26B]

Tom,
Sounds like maybe a bad battery (bad cell(s).)

[TFENT]

Tom,
Sounds like maybe a bad battery (bad cell(s).)

New battery as of July. When she put the truck on it to jump it there was still no power. This connection would have bypassed the battery. At least giving the system power.

[Ccmano]

Sounds like a shorted battery to me. If the battery is shorted jumping won't work. My last Wallymart battery did that to me after only 6 or so months. Took it back, got a new one no questions asked.
:cheers:
H

[TFENT]

Sounds like a shorted battery to me. If the battery is shorted jumping won't work. My last Wallymart battery did that to me after only 6 or so months. Took it back, got a new one no questions asked.
:cheers:
H

Really? Same symptoms?

As I stated when she first put the jump box on it, it came back to life electrically. But when she went to crank it over the whole car went black again and she has not been able to get any power since. Even after attaching jumper cables to it and our truck.

[Ccmano]

Had to re-read your original post. But, yeah very similar. First jump gave me interior lights and gauges but no start. I put a charger on it and when I went to start it after a few hours it was completely dead.
H
:cheers:

[tomtom72]

This is just a fwiw Tom. I had the same symptoms when my AutoZone gold top battery shorted two cells. Nothing worked. Took the battery out and brought it to my work bench and charged it up, but noticed the charger telling me that the battery could have shorted cells. Rate of charging amps never diminished beyond I think 20 amps....if I remember right.:o

Long story short, brought it back to A/Z and they did their tests and declared it done. Not too bad as I got 3 + yrs out of a five yr battery & a new one only cost me $40.00.

:cheers:
Tom

[TFENT]

You would think as long as the car was running it would have enough power from the alternator to not run poorly.

Does anyone know the routing of the alternator cable to the battery? Or the routing of the ground cable from the battery to the ground point on the frame? Any photos?? I am thinking I should get several feet of 6 gauge wire and run new wires, I just need to know how much wire to get. I am going to head to AZ tonight and try to tackle this thing tomorrow.

[Pete]

Do what ccmano said.

or

Take the battery out of the Z and install or wire the truck battery to the Z, you will have to completely disconnect the battery from the Z

If the battery has a bad cell i don't care if you connect a nuclear power plant to it it will not do nothing,alternator will do you no good if the battery is shorted out.
Try it, it's simple and easy and you have nothing to loose.

Pete

[TFENT]

UPDATE!

Just arrived in AZ. Opened up the hood first thing, low and behold. The POS (+) cable bolt was way loose on the battery itself. Tightened it back up and back in business. Nice when it's something simple. I was way sweating it because my Chevy guy said the cables were no longer available...

Thanks for all the help gentleman!

[VetteMed]

VetteMed hit the nail on the head :thumbsup:
Great advice VetteMed :cheers:

:dancingGlad the brain isn't 100% fried just yet