3 almost stalls on the freeway. Battery possible?

Omar1 · 09-09-2021, 12:08 PM

I was driving back from a 300 mile trip on Sunday morning and about an hour in, I felt the car jolt as if it had stalled and the gauges all turned off for a quick second. Then it sort of just jumped back up. Drove the rest of the way home with no other issues.

This morning I was headed to work (35 min commute) and it did it again halfway in, but it was twice in the span of 30 seconds. The gauges turned off for less than a second, even shorter than the weekend incident, and it felt like it was about to stall before reving back up again. This time I was able to see the check engine light turn on for the 1/4 second that the gauges were going out.

I took it to the dealer for an oil change 2 weeks ago and they did say that they noticed low voltage on my battery. But they didn't say I needed to change it then and there. It's not the original battery, dealer changed it once before probably 3 years ago under warranty to "solve" the infamous hot start issue, also changed the starter that time..

Did this happen because I need a new battery or could it be another issue? On another note, can I blame the hot start issue on this again and have the dealer replace the battery under my extended warranty? It doesn't crank as quickly like it used to when they replaced the starter and the battery.

59k miles. Has not been my daily driver for almost 3 years.

WhiteMale · 09-09-2021, 02:31 PM

A 3 year old battery could start giving problems but I think it'd manifest itself differently. have you looked at the battery, is it a sealed top/maint free type? Its sounds more like an electrical short.

SSDan · 09-09-2021, 04:06 PM

Once you get your new battery do this https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=586153 to fix your hot start issues.

Its likely to help your weird electrical issues too. Try it. Its easy, cheap and effective.

Gunkk · 09-12-2021, 09:36 AM

Grounds.

Vodkapocalypse · 11-10-2021, 07:00 AM

This exact thing happened to me as well. (2019 Turbo) My issue was an aftermarket stereo. The amp had pulled so much power thru the fuse block at the battery, that it melted the block and the 80amp fuse was barely touching. I got a new battery, and an upgraded fuse block, and never had that issue again. I will mention, the "blackouts" were when the bass hit, so big battery pull. This may not relate to you in reference to the stereo, but it could indicate that there is an electrical short somewhere in your vehicle.

ctrlz · 11-10-2021, 12:19 PM

What is your voltage display doing while driving?
If battery is in question, I would suggest a trip to a place like autozone or advance where they will load test your battery for free. Or hook up a voltmeter and measure the resting voltage.

The gauges turning on and off sounds like a connection issue. While it could be ground, there are actually multiple ground points. The "hot start crank" issue is a very high amperage draw situation, and that is remedied by improving the ground. Just cruising along is not high amp draw.

If car is driven intermittently I think battery is a decent place to start. Could be one cell in the battery going in and out. That'll take you back and forth from 12 V to like 10.5, and definitely mess with electronics. In older cars the alternator was always on, so that could mask battery problems while driving. The Camaro shuts the alternator off when it thinks the battery is charged enough.

09-09-2021, 12:08 PM	#1
Omar1 Drives: 2016 2SS Red Hot Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: Greater Los Angeles Posts: 176	3 almost stalls on the freeway. Battery possible? I was driving back from a 300 mile trip on Sunday morning and about an hour in, I felt the car jolt as if it had stalled and the gauges all turned off for a quick second. Then it sort of just jumped back up. Drove the rest of the way home with no other issues. This morning I was headed to work (35 min commute) and it did it again halfway in, but it was twice in the span of 30 seconds. The gauges turned off for less than a second, even shorter than the weekend incident, and it felt like it was about to stall before reving back up again. This time I was able to see the check engine light turn on for the 1/4 second that the gauges were going out. I took it to the dealer for an oil change 2 weeks ago and they did say that they noticed low voltage on my battery. But they didn't say I needed to change it then and there. It's not the original battery, dealer changed it once before probably 3 years ago under warranty to "solve" the infamous hot start issue, also changed the starter that time.. Did this happen because I need a new battery or could it be another issue? On another note, can I blame the hot start issue on this again and have the dealer replace the battery under my extended warranty? It doesn't crank as quickly like it used to when they replaced the starter and the battery. 59k miles. Has not been my daily driver for almost 3 years. __________________ 2SS Red Hot 6 Speed, NPP, MRC, 5 sploke black low-gloss, glow-tie

09-09-2021, 04:06 PM	#3
SSDan Drives: 2016 1SS 6MT NPP Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Lake Murray, SC Posts: 2,245 View My Garage	Once you get your new battery do this https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=586153 to fix your hot start issues. Its likely to help your weird electrical issues too. Try it. Its easy, cheap and effective. __________________ 2016 Camaro 1SS Hyper Blue 6MT NPP 2010 Camaro 2SS Cam/Headers/CAI/3.91 gears 476 rwhp/440 rwtq (sold)

09-09-2021, 02:31 PM	#2
WhiteMale Drives: 23 ZL1 A10 Rapid Blue Join Date: Aug 2020 Location: MO Posts: 1,992	A 3 year old battery could start giving problems but I think it'd manifest itself differently. have you looked at the battery, is it a sealed top/maint free type? Its sounds more like an electrical short.

09-12-2021, 09:36 AM	#4
Gunkk Thank you Al Oppenheiser! Drives: Red Hot A10 ZL1 Convertible Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Sarasota, FL Posts: 4,975 View My Garage	Grounds.

11-10-2021, 07:00 AM	#5
Vodkapocalypse Drives: Chevy Camaro Join Date: Nov 2021 Location: VA Posts: 8	This exact thing happened to me as well. (2019 Turbo) My issue was an aftermarket stereo. The amp had pulled so much power thru the fuse block at the battery, that it melted the block and the 80amp fuse was barely touching. I got a new battery, and an upgraded fuse block, and never had that issue again. I will mention, the "blackouts" were when the bass hit, so big battery pull. This may not relate to you in reference to the stereo, but it could indicate that there is an electrical short somewhere in your vehicle.

11-10-2021, 12:19 PM	#6
ctrlz Drives: 2017 2SS, 50th pkg, M6, MRC, NPP Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Ocean City, NJ Posts: 3,181	What is your voltage display doing while driving? If battery is in question, I would suggest a trip to a place like autozone or advance where they will load test your battery for free. Or hook up a voltmeter and measure the resting voltage. The gauges turning on and off sounds like a connection issue. While it could be ground, there are actually multiple ground points. The "hot start crank" issue is a very high amperage draw situation, and that is remedied by improving the ground. Just cruising along is not high amp draw. If car is driven intermittently I think battery is a decent place to start. Could be one cell in the battery going in and out. That'll take you back and forth from 12 V to like 10.5, and definitely mess with electronics. In older cars the alternator was always on, so that could mask battery problems while driving. The Camaro shuts the alternator off when it thinks the battery is charged enough.

User Name		Remember Me?
Password