Help--car will start....but won't stay running

[ukviper]

Went to pull my 93 out of storage this morning and the battery was dead (was sluggish a couple of weeks ago but the car started fine), turned the key and I got an "alarm set" message on the dashboard and I could here something clicking behind the dash(drelay??) and the lights where flashing. I let it charge for an hour or so, turned th ekey, could hear the fuel pump prime and it started right up, but it cuts out, it wont run....any ideas?

Nick

 

[Steve-Indy]

call me when you can

 

[jasontiff]

Sounds like the alarm is set. I had this happen last week and Tator said on a '93 the only thing you can do is use the keyfob to disarm it. I didn't have mine with me so my wife had to make a 60 mile round trip to get it for me.

Does it start for about a second and shut off immediately? If so, that's the fuel pump being shut down by the alarm. You'll have to find a way to disarm it to get it to run.

 

[Steve-Indy]

Nick got it running.

 

[ukviper]

Thanks to Steve

 

[triblk6spd]

Well, what was the problem? For future reference.

 

[dave6666]

Well, what was the problem?

The car was yellow? Yellow Vipers have issues?

I'm just sayin'

Oh. Sorry. My bad. A '93. Probably red.

 

[hopesdm]

Ben there with my '96. I think your battery is too dead to keep the car running.

 

[Steve-Indy]

While a low battery is known to cause several types of problems in operating a Viper engine, in this particular case the problem was that the alarm "thought" that the Viper was being stolen after the dead battery was replaced and the owner attempted to start the car (irrespective of a working key fob). This is what I would call "a quirk" of the anti-theft system on 1992 and 1993 Vipers...and requires a specific procedure to "cure" the problem. I have seen this on a few 1994's as well...just don't ask ME "why".

This fuel pump shutdown certainly can occur once the alarm is "tripped" on other years...but is rather "sneaky" on the early Vipers seeming to occur with just a simple current interruption to the alarm.

Of course, the solution won't be posted in this public arena for the obvious reasons...noting that an owner can usually find help here pretty quickly...though it will require conversations rather than written instructions.

Sorry if this seems "disjointed", as I am writing this in a somewhat time constrained fashion.

Over and out !!