odd electrical problem....diagnosis please
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Joined: Sep 1998
Posts: 8,319
From: US 1 Mile Marker 52 in the Florida Keys
odd electrical problem....diagnosis please
recently i've been noticing a strange electrical issue.
the car sits quite a bit, sometimes over a week between uses....i have a beater that i daily drive. and when i start it the guages do a quick "full sweep" and then settle down to normal readings. several of them do it...tach, speedo, gas (havn't noticed the others). also the trip odometer resets to ZERO every time.
car seems to start and fire up perfectly, and the radio and clock don't lose any settings.
sound like something computer related? or could it be a bad battery? the battery is an optima red top, about 4yrs old. it has been drained to nothing at least once, and it sits ALOT now between starts...sometimes several weeks.
seems like it acted normal recently when i took it on a long trip. although i threw it on the trickle charger for a few hours prior to leaving (just to make sure it was fully charged).
the car sits quite a bit, sometimes over a week between uses....i have a beater that i daily drive. and when i start it the guages do a quick "full sweep" and then settle down to normal readings. several of them do it...tach, speedo, gas (havn't noticed the others). also the trip odometer resets to ZERO every time.
car seems to start and fire up perfectly, and the radio and clock don't lose any settings.
sound like something computer related? or could it be a bad battery? the battery is an optima red top, about 4yrs old. it has been drained to nothing at least once, and it sits ALOT now between starts...sometimes several weeks.
seems like it acted normal recently when i took it on a long trip. although i threw it on the trickle charger for a few hours prior to leaving (just to make sure it was fully charged).
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Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 1,655
From: Jacksonville, FL
Some of the '99 cars do the gauge sweep/trip odo reset when battery voltage is low - GM issued a TSB on it back in 1999. The fix was to replace the instrument panel cluster, but a good battery makes it go away. I'd have the battery load tested or keep it on a battery tender if you can if it's sitting for several weeks at a time.
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 2,592
From: N Falmouth MA
Some of the '99 cars do the gauge sweep/trip odo reset when battery voltage is low - GM issued a TSB on it back in 1999. The fix was to replace the instrument panel cluster, but a good battery makes it go away. I'd have the battery load tested or keep it on a battery tender if you can if it's sitting for several weeks at a time.
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 182
funny...
I drive diesal trucks at work, large box trucks made by Sterling and freightliners. They do it before you actually start the truck, its suppose to though. I dont know why your camaro is doing it. Probably the posting above is right.
Last edited by Sunsetmaro; Jan 16, 2008 at 05:19 PM.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Sep 1998
Posts: 8,319
From: US 1 Mile Marker 52 in the Florida Keys
yeah...been driving the car almost daily...due to a broken beater car.
hasn't done the "glitch" since the first time i started it after sitting for a while.
the battery is an optima red top...bout 4 yrs old. has been drained a few times though.
i guess i'll just keep it charged the best i can, we have a trickle charger at work.
can't afford to replace the battery just yet...
hasn't done the "glitch" since the first time i started it after sitting for a while.
the battery is an optima red top...bout 4 yrs old. has been drained a few times though.
i guess i'll just keep it charged the best i can, we have a trickle charger at work.
can't afford to replace the battery just yet...
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