Strange electrical problem with my ZR1

[salvatore1]

Has anyone ever seen this before? All of a sudden I noticed that my dash gauges will start to flicker, then all of a sudden my tach drops to zero, then EVERYTHING cuts out for a split second. It's as if someone pulled the plug on everything.
Could this be a grounding issue? All I know is that it never did this before (only has 32k miles).
Thanks in advance,
Sal

[Jeffvette]

Could be wiring, could be ECM on it's way out. Could also be a prom that's gone bad.

I'll lean more towards a ECM though.

[salvatore1]

Thanks Jeff - is there a way I can positively diagnose this?

[Jeffvette]

Is it doing this all the time?

[salvatore1]

Not doing it all the time, and it does it after it gets very warm.

[Jeffvette]

I'd definitely be looking at the ECM then. What is your local, might be able to borrow a ECM from somebody. What year is your car?

[salvatore1]

I'm in Livermore, Ca - my ZR1 is a 1991

[Jeffvette]

I've got a good 91 prom laying on a bench. I may have a ECM to loan out.

[salvatore1]

I've got a good 91 prom laying on a bench. I may have a ECM to loan out.


I have some more information pertaining to this issue. The car seems to be eating batteries (this is the second battery that has been fried in the last year). I just assumed the batteries were draining because the car sits for months at a time.

Anyway, the current battery is completely dead now (could barely jump start it). But once started it runs so I guess the alternator must be working. But after about 15 minutes or so, EVERYTHING cuts out and lights out.

So could this be a bad alternator or some other piece of the charging circuit.

[tomtom72]

Just a thought till Jeff gets back to you.

Did you try to read the charging rate with a VOM.....if the v-regulator was allowing a run a way charge rate maybe that's the issue...but usually you see the results at the battery, either you smell acid fumes from the over-charge rate or you see the acid boiling out of the battery vents.


or there is a short drawing current when the car is off....ya know and that draw is what is draining the new battery. You used to diagnoise that with a test light on the pos battery term and everything off in the car. If the light was lit, then ya started pulling fueses till it went out. With electronic cars, there has to be a constant draw to keep the various control modules alive...so I guess a VOM in place of a test light is the proper testing tool.

fwiw, you may have two issues. I'm not good with electrical issues, I hate that stuff. I'm fairly sure that the checks I suggested will not make the situation worse or break anything new, which is a plus.:redface: