Need help ACR won t start

[wum]

Hi all - I didn't drive my 2016 ACR for a little over 2 weeks and now it won't start.

I get power to everything - lights, windows, radio, etc., but after using a plug in charger on the remote battery terminals under the hood with no luck, I tried jump starting from another vehicle, still no luck. the plug in charger says the battery is fully charged, but I only hear electrical clicks, no cranking sound or engine noise when I press the ignition. The car says the voltage is 13.7 but won't go any higher regardless of how long I charge the battery.

Am I missing something? Any suggestions?

TIA
Mike

[Special Ed]

Not trying to be a smart a$$. You are depressing the clutch all the way in?

[Steve-Indy]

Define "electrical clicks"...if you mean loud clicks like from a starter, check connections of wires to starter. If you mean a less intense click like from a relay, check seating of start-related relays in power distribution area.

[ViperTony]

Is it in Hibernation Mode?

[swexlin]

Tony, car comes out of hibernation mode as soon as the start button is pushed (I use it every time I park), so that's not it. I'm inclined to think a fuse, no power to the starter. Unless we can get it figured out for this gent, he may need a flatbed to the dealer.

[Madmav]

Sounds like the problem I had, it was a cracked ground strap. Took the dealer over a month to figure it out lol

[wum]

It's one or two loud clicks after a charge when I press the ignition, when I try again, the click is less loud, and when I try again, there is no click, as I get less and less power from the battery, I guess.

I never had a problem before. I'll try charging it again overnight and if it still doesn't work, I'll try taking it to the dealer, unless anyone has any other thoughts...

[EZ 2B Green]

Mike, is it possible you are forgetting to hold down the start button? For some reason I noticed there is a delay when I got my Gen V. My Jeep just requires a quick push of the button.

[Steve-Indy]

Have you checked connectors at battery?

[viperr]

I realize that it is very new, but have you checked the battery voltage while trying to crank it? I know it would be highly unusual in an extremely new battery, but stranger things have happened.

[ssmith71]

Not sure how the GENV's are, but did you check the starter relay?

[wum]

yes, I'm holding the button down, no go.

[wum]

I'll check all the connectors, but it is pretty frustrating because this is a brand new car, especially considering the price tag.

[NT-ACR]

Try taking a video.

[SharpMan]

Just buy a new battery and try it.

[supersnake]

Try taking your remote and push the start button with the remote. I am not sure what it does but it works

[Special Ed]

I'll check all the connectors, but it is pretty frustrating because this is a brand new car, especially considering the price tag.

Remember, no matter the price, if it has tits or tires, you will have problems.

[wum]

I just got a service notice/warning on the instrument panel - "Service Electronic Throttle Control." Any one seen this before?

[ACR]

battery tender

[steve911]

Low battery voltage. Charge the battery. Do you have a normal battery or do you have one of the braille batteries in your car?

[sparkrn]

It's 2 weeks old, call the dealer asap!

[Vegaskid]

I'd try the battery swap first...then drive it to dealer...

[AZTVR]

The car says the voltage is 13.7 but won't go any higher regardless of how long I charge the battery.

Am I missing something? Any suggestions?

In what configuration does the car say 13.7V ? A fully charged battery only generates 12.7V. That's with the car not running and no external charger connected. It sounds to me like you are telling us the voltage output of a battery charger connected to your battery when you press the START button. We want to know what your battery voltage reads while normally connected to the car, without a charger connected, and first without trying to start the car. Preferably after you charge it; but, before you charge it is is OK also. Maybe both.


It's one or two loud clicks after a charge when I press the ignition, when I try again, the click is less loud, and when I try again, there is no click, as I get less and less power from the battery, I guess.

What we want to know, given those starting symptoms, is, what is the battery voltage before you try starting it, then after it clicks and doesn't start and then after you try again and the click is less loud and then again when there is no click.

It sounds like the battery voltage is dropping significantly each time the battery is connected to the starter when you press the START button. That sounds to me like a bad cell in the battery. Remember, although your car may have cost beaucoup dollars, that battery is not very expensive. Vibration from driving the car around may have exposed a manufacturing defect in the battery.

[Jack B]

It sure sounds like a bad connection at the battery. That is pretty easy to diagnose, pull up the floor under the hatch. Loosen each battery terminal and look for signs of corrosion and clean if necessary, then, remount the connections and tighten.

Without the charger on the battery the voltage should be approx 12.5 volts. Take the charger off of the battery and check the voltage about an hour later, again it should read close to 12.5 volts.

[Purple Haze]

Lol....Honestly though I'm curious to see where this leads. Hope you can easily fix this!
remember, no matter the price, if it has tits or tires, you will have problems.

[V10powerr]

my car kept dying and the dealership tried some things, (changed key fob, and something else). not sure if that worked or someone on here recommended keeping the key further from the car so i moved my key hanger from the garage to further int he house. did all the above so not sure what worked. it was not the key fob as it died even after the key fob.
good luck

[ViperGarageElite]

Disconnect battery have it checked for bad cell sounds like its not holding charge. Rule out battery and connections first. Certain trickle chargers can over charge and don't shut down when battery is fully charged causing prolems. Then if you can check positve connection at starter that needs to be tight. Simple to do before going the flatbed route. Good luck

[ViperGeorge]

I agree with Jack, check battery connections and voltage with charger disconnected. As Jack states it should be around 12.5V. Turn on headlights and check it again see if it drops significantly. It sounds like 1) loose connections at battery, 2) loose connection at starter, 3) bad ground at battery or engine, 4) Defective battery, or 5) Bad starter. Do you have another vehicle with a similar battery? Remove the ACR's battery and swap in one borrowed from another car. I wouldn't spend the $100+ on a new battery until I knew the existing one was bad. Doesn't need to be exactly the same because you would only need to swap it in to see if that corrects the problem. I've tried jump starting Vipers before with a battery pack and with cables to another car, never had any luck with it. Swapping batteries is a better alternative.

[wum]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. I'll reach out to the dealership and check the battery, connections, etc. I'll keep you all posted.

[duc996]

I had the exact same issues's with my Acr... Had the throttle body code as well... Tell your dealer to check the main grounds on the engine, i bet you one of them are loose. I had the V/E heads & cam installed, for someone reason the main ground loosened up or it was never tightened :(.. This is one of the most fustrating problems!!! the computer does not know whats wrong, so it throws all these mystery codes.. I was ready to lose my mind. Hope this solves your problem.. GOOD LUCK!!!

[wum]

Thanks Duc996. I called the dealership and they'll take care of this under warranty after the new year (their viper tech is traveling). hopefully, they'll get it fixed without any issues. I'll report back with the results.

[ViperJon]

Thanks Duc996. I called the dealership and they'll take care of this under warranty after the new year (their viper tech is traveling). hopefully, they'll get it fixed without any issues. I'll report back with the results.

Keep us updated on this WUM.....always good to have the resolution posted.

[ViperDog]

Have you left the "Y" connector on the remote terminals for easy plug-in to the charger? If so, your battery system may not "like" it. I had a similar problem on the 2010 SRT8 300 I had and the dealer found that it needed to be removed. I used the alligator clips instead and it worked fine after that.

[ViperGeorge]

Have you left the "Y" connector on the remote terminals for easy plug-in to the charger? If so, your battery system may not "like" it. I had a similar problem on the 2010 SRT8 300 I had and the dealer found that it needed to be removed. I used the alligator clips instead and it worked fine after that.

I have the connectors on all three of my Vipers, no issues at all.

[swexlin]

Me too. Y connector on mine as well, no problem.

[ACR Steve]

Arrow installed???? sorry couldn't help myself bad joke on here

Sounds like it could be a couple of issues all should be very easy fixes

[Corjet]

I just got a service notice/warning on the instrument panel - "Service Electronic Throttle Control." Any one seen this before?

My car just got this message it requires a throttle relearn - did you go to the diagnostics panel ? (they are shaped like doctor stethoscope)

[Cybermig]

My 2016 TA 2 is exhibiting the same symptoms now. My car has 5 months on it and the battery reads 12.5V resting. Starter or maybe a relay just makes a clicking sound. Spoke to a mechanic and this is symptomatic of a bad starter with what I've told him so far. I've noticed though over the past couple of months ( I basically only drive the car on the track or once a week) that the car has been showing signs of the engine turning over more and more slowly when it goes to start until last weekend it turned over so slow when I went to start it from the house cold that it started clicking.... I tried it twice and it didn't ever start up again... just a clicking sound.... Battery seems fine according to my nice charger. Now I gotta get it to the dealer for some warranty repair.... dreading the boneheaded stuff they'll do to the car.

Did you ever get this resolved?

[Cybermig]

So I still think I have a bad or going bad starter/solenoid but after reading through some of these posts I checked a few things, ruled some things out and found something that may have been the problem. But most important of all, the car is firing up like normal now after 3 successive tries.

First I tried ruling out the battery by swapping it out with another good battery and still the same symptoms. So I put the original battery back in and same thing... Next I inspected under the hood and visually inspected the start the best I could from the upper vantage point since the car is not on a lift. From what I could see that from around the starter positive terminal, whatever yellow grease/glue they put on the terminals, some has melted from the terminal on to the starter. Guessing that's not supposed to happen but I don't think that's the problem per se. I can't check yet if the starter positive terminal is tight or now until I get it on a lift.

But what I did find which is most interesting is that the driver side ground strap from the left side of the block to the frame was not only touching but actually fused via heat to the headers. I free's the connection between these and noticed the ground strap was pretty roasted and about 25% stayed behind on the header so it's definitely damaged and worth replacing. After the ground strap relocation... I attempted to start the car the first time and still had the same symptoms but the next 3 times the car started up like nothing have ever happened.

It's important to note that not once did I ever throw a CEL... But for now things seem okay for me... regardless it's going to the dealer this week to get the solenoid/starter looked at and to get a new ground strap.

Hope this helps anyone else. I'm not sure if there's a correlation to the OP's 16 ACR and my 16 TA2 but I'm guessing being the car's are built the same with the same parts that maybe the ground straps on the '16s are longer than other years and when driving at high speeds they'll touch and possibly fuse to the left side header and stay there causing some sort of a bad ground.

[wum]

Unfortunately, I haven't had this resolved yet. I cancelled the first scheduled towing because I didn't have a tow hook. So, I got that and installed it. Then Chrysler towing missed the first scheduled pick up - they said it wasn't ever inputted into their system... So, now I have an appointment for next Monday. At least it's been raining a lot in NorCal, so I don't feel too bad about not being able to drive my ACR. I'll keep everyone posted after it's resolved.

[BlueAdder]

You could always jump start it or swap the battery with another car's one at least to check if the battery is the problem and possibly avoid a tow.

[wum]

OK I finally got my ACR up and running again. Turns out the battery died. But, I did learn a few things that I thought I'd share with other Gen V owners:

-get a battery tender - I could've saved myself a huge headache if I started there
-FCA won't replace the battery under warranty unless it's in the car - I guess it's so the dealer can be appropriately compensated
-the ACR light weight battery is expensive - costs $500 msrp
-get a tow hook - I don't see how the gen v can be towed without one without damaging the paint on the bumper
-consider keeping wood blocks in the trunk if your gen v is lowered - mine is track height and the flat bed tow truck operator refused to tow my car
-jump starting - if jumping from the remote location doesn't work - try connecting to the actual battery in the trunk - this is how I was able to get to the dealership; I charged it for 45 mins from the tow truck
-check the connection between the ground point and the fuse box (roughly) - I didn't have an issue, but it looks like it could touch and get melted by the exhaust manifolds/headers

I hope this helps a fellow gen v owner.

Mike

[Policy Limits]

I use deltran battery tender plus, worth every penny.

[swexlin]

I use deltran battery tender plus, worth every penny.

Me too, + Hibernation mode.

[BlueAdder]

I use deltran battery tender plus, worth every penny.

Or you could just drive the thing :lol2:

[swexlin]

Or you could just drive the thing :lol2:


Still need to keep 'em on the tender unless you drive them 2-3 times a weeks.

[BlueAdder]

Still need to keep 'em on the tender unless you drive them 2-3 times a weeks.

I didn't realize that. I drove mine to work last Thursday and before that, it was for a track day but nothing in between really. Battery was a little weak but the car started like a champ.
I have a couple of tenders anyway, because my Elise is the worse (I have a motorcycle battery in there).

I don't like to keep the battery on a tender because it tends to bake them, it happened to my Elise a couple times. Had the battery constantly on the tender and after a few months, poof! kaput.
I lost count of how many batteries I bought but I'm pretty sure I could open my own Battery+ store with all of those :)

[swexlin]

I didn't realize that. I drove mine to work last Thursday and before that, it was for a track day but nothing in between really. Battery was a little weak but the car started like a champ.
I have a couple of tenders anyway, because my Elise is the worse (I have a motorcycle battery in there).

I don't like to keep the battery on a tender because it tends to bake them, it happened to my Elise a couple times. Had the battery constantly on the tender and after a few months, poof! kaput.
I lost count of how many batteries I bought but I'm pretty sure I could open my own Battery+ store with all of those :)

Hibernation mode works pretty well, but when they sit like mine in the winter in an unheated garage for weeks at a time - Deltran it is!

[Brian GTS]

Ugh. Same thing happening with my ACR. Lots of clicking when attempting to start. Tried a fresh battery with same results. Ground wire from left side of block to frame looks perfect. Need to put on lift to look at starter, but I think it is electrical in nature. The battery is being drained by something because other things are low on power, door solenoids, horn, etc....but again, the fresh battery still doesn't result in a successful start?

[Policy Limits]

Do you get a voltage reading on the dash as you hearing the clicking?

[texasram]

After work i am going to start mine since its been sitting for 2 weeks just because of this, 2013 with original battery never tendered

[texasram]

Ugh. Same thing happening with my ACR. Lots of clicking when attempting to start. Tried a fresh battery with same results. Ground wire from left side of block to frame looks perfect. Need to put on lift to look at starter, but I think it is electrical in nature. The battery is being drained by something because other things are low on power, door solenoids, horn, etc....but again, the fresh battery still doesn't result in a successful start?
After fresh battery it still clicked? try pushing start button with remote

[Brian GTS]

Do you get a voltage reading on the dash as you hearing the clicking?

Hmmm, I'm charging the battery (again) and will check tomorrow.



After fresh battery it still clicked? try pushing start button with remote

Yes, a fresh battery from another Viper...and it still clicks. Everything else like the horn, door solenoids, etc. work fine with the fresh battery, but the start-clicking won't go away. If I leave the battery connected for a day, it will be drained. So it seems there are two issues:

1) Won't start, clicking.
2) Battery eventually drains from a full charge if left connected after a day or so.

[texasram]

Hmmm, I'm charging the battery (again) and will check tomorrow.




Yes, a fresh battery from another Viper...and it still clicks. Everything else like the horn, door solenoids, etc. work fine with the fresh battery, but the start-clicking won't go away. If I leave the battery connected for a day, it will be drained. So it seems there are two issues:

1) Won't start, clicking.
2) Battery eventually drains from a full charge if left connected after a day or so.
Did you try pushing start button in with the factory keypad?

[Brian GTS]

Did you try pushing start button in with the factory keypad?

Maybe I'm having a dense moment. What "start" button on the remote are you referring to? I see unlock / lock / panic on the remote.

[texasram]

Maybe I'm having a dense moment. What "start" button on the remote are you referring to? I see unlock / lock / panic on the remote.
Instead of pushing the start button on the dash with your finger, push the start button on the dash with the end of the factory remote.

[wum]

The original battery is covered under warranty, so if you can drive to a dealer with the original battery, put it back in - if you show up with a different battery it might not be covered. It took a tow truck 30 mins to charge my original battery enough for me to drive it. The stock ACR battery is 8-10 lbs lighter than other batteries that fit, so you'll want to get an ACR replacement battery.

I now have a new ACR battery under warranty. I've hooked up a battery tender to my new ACR battery and everything works great. Good luck!

[Brian GTS]

Update to benefit anyone else with a similar issue...

Despite some issues that occurred that still make me scratch my head, long story short, I believe the battery is bad. Tried 2 different chargers (to rule out the charger being the issue). Installed the battery in different Viper which reproduced the problem. Now going through the process of getting a new battery under factory warranty.