2006 Viper electrical malfunctioning

[Carmine]

I have a 2006 Viper with 6000 miles on it. I had it out for a ride a couple of days ago and stalled it at a light. I tried to restart it and the electrical system went totally haywire, I am unable to start it, the starter clicks, the headlights no longer work. Turn the key on, the dash lights up, as soon as you press the start button it dims and goes haywire. I have disconnected the battery and ran down the computer, no luck. The battery is good, the ground wire to the chassis is intact. Dealers no longer want to work on these. Something has obviously gone wrong with the system, could someone point me in the direction of where to start looking or point me to a good mechanic. I am in the New England area. Could it possibly be a clutch safety? Didn't know if that could be a possibility. Could it be computer damage? Don't know what could have caused this, it was an uneventful stall.

 

[Steve-Indy]

What do you mean by "battery is good" ?

 

[Carmine]

Plenty of power, always on a maintainer, I will try another battery to rule it out but I dont think that is the problem.

 

[Steve-Indy]

Have you tested the voltage AFTER the tender or charger has been disconnected for an hour?

When you inspected the battery terminals, were they clean? Did you give a gentle tug on the battery cables to see if they could be deteriorating underneath the connectors? Is the red shield over the positive terminal fully intact...without evidence of arcing to the metal battery cover? Battery negative cable solidly mounted to frame? Check terminals on starter to see if dirty or loose?

 

[Carmine]

I haven't checked after it has been disconnected, red shield is intact, negative is solid to the frame, terminals are clean, cables are in good shape, have not checked starter terminals yet but this car is like new. I don't think this is a battery problem but I will rule it out. Never had an issue with this car, looking around for electrical components that might be causing multiple issues. It is not just a starter issue

 

[Viper Specialty]

Sounds like a voltage drop-off issue. Battery may have a damaged cell. Try a different battery and report back.

 

[Carmine]

It was the battery, the only thing that threw me is the battery had 12.6 volts and was holding. Thought It was good, I tested it under load and it dropped to 7.6 so I changed it.

Another reason was I never saw a battery start with no problems then after a half hour of running it didn’t have enough power. They usually show signs of getting weak before dying.

 

[Steve-Indy]

Thanks for the followup.

 

[Viper Specialty]

Got him all sorted. I knew it was the battery, just had to prove it lolol

 

[Carmine]

I have never seen a battery act like that in my life, only been playing with cars 45 years, they usually give you some sign they are getting weak. Learn something new every day. Started it last night, put the Optima yellow top in. Thanks for your help Dan, added you to my contacts.

 

[Carmine]

Showing my son how to drive a manual transmission, its the only car I have with a manual transmission to teach him in.

 

[Barry]

The electrical systems in these cars are finicky, they don't like bad batteries at all and will most likely take your alternator out. The car will run just fine without an alternator for a little while, (until your battery dies). My 00 GTS had 24,000 miles on it when I replaced my dead alternator, I'm still in shock. The good news is, it's an east job. Next time you run your car be sure to check the voltage gauge and make sure you are getting 13 volts. Anything less is a bad alternator.

By the way, I taught my daughter to drive stick in my Viper. She loved it. These cars are a great way to teach kids how to drive a clutch. They are something they want to drive and the learning curve in a Viper is easy.