dead car, need help part 2

[ViperJay]

ok, this one is odd. from my original thread here:

http://forums.viperclub.org/rt-10-gts-discussions/615086-car-dead-need-help.html

i start jacking up the car today, i get the jack up about 1.5" (tires not off the ground yet) and i hear the cd changer in the trunk cycling disks. the hazards come on (turned them on originally to check to see if any power to lights). car has full power now. i stopped right there and started typing this thread. sounds like a loose cable to the battery? im going no further in case someone yells "what the hell did you keep jacking it for???"

lend me your brains.

thanks
jay

 

[dave6666]

Let's see here... You suspect a loose cable and you figure ***, it will fix itself?

You *******!

Get back out in the garage and take that wheel off! Problems do not fix themselves. What if the battery mount is loose and the battery has shorted out on the chassis, and you tipped it back? Or you thermostat switch is flailing around? Get that cover off NOW!!!

 

[ViperTony]

Jay, get the battery compartment cover off and perform an inspection. Just do it.

 

[ViperJay]

come on, give me some credit..... i didnt put everything away, lol. i kept going and took the cover off. the terminals are fine and well secured. ground looks solid. what should i be looking for? at the top where the carry strap for the battery is touching the cage post, there is white corrosion dust. if its grounding, what should i look for? anything touching metal? if so, i see nothing.

tks

 

[twinturbo3150]

come on, give me some credit..... i didnt put everything away, lol. i kept going and took the cover off. the terminals are fine and well secured. ground looks solid. what should i be looking for? at the top where the carry strap for the battery is touching the cage post, there is white corrosion dust. if its grounding, what should i look for? anything touching metal? if so, i see nothing.

tks

did you just look or actually grab the terminal and twist it to make sure it's tight. I had a similiar problem with my 2000 and everything looked fine and dandy, but I grapped the negative post and it actually twisted in my hand. I tightened both the pos and neg and the problem went away.

 

[ViperJay]

it was tight. battery is out and there is a slimy goop on top that i can assume is acid. dates are not punched on the battery but it says shipped 05. i see no contact points that could cause shorting. im going to run out and get a new battery anyway. but does this answer the power on one second and power off the next?

 

[twinturbo3150]

I would get a new battery just to be safe. I think it might be a broken post inside the battery

 

[Dan Cragin]

Check the two grounds to the frame. One at the rear where the negative cable attaches to the frame and one the engine block to the frame near the drivers side head front.

 

[ViperJay]

dan,

would you happen to have a picture or diagram of where the ground is off the engine block?

tks
jason

 

[Kenneth Krieger]

Cleanliness is next to Godliness......clean it all up, take the battery to get tested. The "goop" may have been creating a ground.

 

[ViperJay]

new battery is in and what a difference. the engine turns over once and starts compared to turning 3 or 4 times before. i still need to find the ground off the engine block to check it. i was only able to start it to move it back in the garage last night. in cleaning the tray, i used baking soda. the corrosion bubbled up and turned to rock after a few min. was i suppose to use baking soda or baking powder? anyway, its clean now. getting to that battery was much easier than i had it in my mind. thanks for all the help and if anyone has a pic or diagram as to where that engine ground is, it would be appreciated.

jay

 

[ViperTony]

new battery is in and what a difference. the engine turns over once and starts compared to turning 3 or 4 times before. i still need to find the ground off the engine block to check it. i was only able to start it to move it back in the garage last night. in cleaning the tray, i used baking soda. the corrosion bubbled up and turned to rock after a few min. was i suppose to use baking soda or baking powder? anyway, its clean now. getting to that battery was much easier than i had it in my mind. thanks for all the help and if anyone has a pic or diagram as to where that engine ground is, it would be appreciated.

jay

Baking soda. You'll find that the engine runs much, much better. Did you have any problems with the TPS reset procedure? Not sure if you need to perform it on a GenI. I'll try to take a pic of the engine ground on my GenII this afternoon. Mine is located on om the side of the engine block but I forgot which side.

 

[ViperJay]

i didnt do the procedure because i was not sure if i should with a gen1. im hoping to run out to a cruise night event tonight. ill let you know if anything odd happens.

tks
j

 

[DJ'sviper]

I had problems starting the car and my alarm went bad. Thanks to the viper wizard I got everything back to normal. This Spring the battery blew up in my 68 charger. My fault Sam's club gave me a new battery anyway and I took the battery from the viper out and had it tested as I was having troubles and the battery was bad. I did not do the TPS reset proceedure as I had done before with the alarm and everything is running good.

There is a plastic cover on the driver lower side. You will see the cable coming up into it. Open that up and that is the positve cable. I hook my positive cable from the trickler to the bolt and the negative clip to the bolt on the frame below. I have it on all the time and it just takes away a lot of problems. The original battery was a self maintenance battery the used 6 of the 8 years that it was guaranteed for. Napa post rated it so I have a new battery with a two year guarantee.

By the way when I was there, bored, waiting for the clerk I filled out a contest form and won a nano 4 gig Ipod. Which my wife quickly confiscated.
I don't care I use my Zune and play it through the tape player, but she is happy.