Strange problem. National lampoons.

[1994viper]

Hello all, im having a strange problem with my 05 car. I had not driven it for a couple of weeks as i was waiting on new tires. The battery naturally depleted to zero. I charged it a bit with a booster pack and it started. It ran a little higher rpm at idle, i think it was ok tho. After giving the car a quick wash i got on my way, and few miles in i heard a chime noise in my check engine sign came on for about a second, then a minute later or so the chime and engine sign came on again for about 30 sec and disappeared. Next time i lost all my gauges all 4 on the right went to 0 and indicating red lights came on. My spedo and tach stopped operating. The car ran same well as before. That kept on coming on and off through out my travel. I saw an abs light coming on for a few seconds twice also. Today all those are displaying failure : 4 gauges on the right, spedo, tach, check engine. Can anyone even suggest whats going on? I did unplug the negative terminal on a battery for few mins to reset things, and retightened both terminals... Still same problem. Hope to solve it. Tanks guys

[BlknBlu]

looks like it tore your steering wheel too. I would have the battery checked.

Bruce

[Steve-Indy]

While it may appeal to attempt to properly charge your battery (depending on its age and whether or not it has been dead before)...I would follow BlknBlu's advice and check out the battery (and alternator while there).

It would not take much for me to move on to a new battery if questions remain.

[01sapphirebob]

Without question...buy a new battery. Once a viper kills a battery there is no going back. Just replace and I bet all will be fine. DieHard platinum series is what I put in mine and would recommend the same to you.

[1994viper]

Okay guys ill try that but now the car is missing and bucking and not running well either. Im far from home, do you guys think its okay to drive it while its not running properly?

[PaulP]

That car been in some sort of flood or salvage title ? i would replace the battery like everyone is saying and try that first

[98intrigue]

I'm dealing with the same exact issue. Check your ASD fuse. I keep blowing mine. It's common for the rear O2 wiring to melt or crimp and cause a short, resulting in blowing the ASD fuse. My rear o2 wiring looks fine, so I'm still trying to troubleshoot my issue.

[pony23]

Watch out for mice too. It's starting to get cold and they will look for places to hide. Ugh, I hate those little beasts. They screwed up one of my cars.

[St.Char]

Replacing the battery could be a simple fix, I would at least try it before driving long distance. Easy insurance, could save you a lot of trouble later.

[aviatorone]

Does anyone know if this problem was fixed?

Because when mine warms up, it will start to misfire, etc. Prior to that, the engine runs great, and theres no starting issues. The amp gauge seems to be normal, whether the car is running good or misfiring. btw, I have a 95 Viper.

I had a couple people tell me, to replace the alternator. (I haven't done that yet) But, did replaced the battery about a year ago, from Walmart. In the past, I've gotten 5 years out of a WM battery...this is the first time I've replaced the battery in the Viper. fyi

Thanks all,
steve

[06SRTCoupe]

Aviatorone,

It sounds like you have a different issue. How long has your car been misfiring? A misfire usually means a bad plug or plug wire. Not all the time...but a good portion of it. I have had it before...a plug wire on my car was touching the header on and off so, from time to time the car would misfire. I would look at that stuff first!

If you had a legit battery or alternator problem, it wouldn't matter if the engine was cold or warm.

[aNinjaneer]

Any auto parts store will typically test your battery for free, or even let you use a multimeter to see what the voltage is at. Definitely test that before diving into less obvious issues.

[ACtechOPS]

Not exactly the same symptoms, but close. When I bought my car, previous owner had hastily removed what I suspect was an after market alarm from behind the driver's knee bolster. He left two "hot" wires dangling and every now and then (usually after driving a short distance) one of the wires would ground out. Speedo, tach and 4 guages would go to zero. Red lights on dash came on and A/C would stop cooling. Strangely, it never blew a fuse. No check engine light and it ran fine. In your case, an actual misfire should generate a light and a code. Buddy, your steering wheel is nasty. I have a used one hanging on my garage wall that is just shiny in a few spots. If you want to make the drive north 45min, you can have it.

[Vprbite]

Those wires touched once and you didn't immediately tape them off?

Anyway, I think OP could be having battery problem. I can remember seeing when a battery was so dead it caused problems. I think because it's putting out nothing and therefor makes things wonky. These cars like new batteries. Did you notice your starts getting slower before this? I noticed a few slow starts before mine went and I just replaced it because it had been at least 3 years and 2 months (as long as I've had the car) on that battery. Also, the previous battery was mounted incorrectly and one of the bolts was broken, which my tech caught for me. So no reason not to test the battery/change it anyway if it's been 4 years or so. It won't be a waste of money. New batteries are always good.

[Vprbite]

Okay guys ill try that but now the car is missing and bucking and not running well either. Im far from home, do you guys think its okay to drive it while its not running properly?

Maybe/maybe not. But why would you want to? And is it worth the risk. Also, what about spark plug wires? That could cause crappy firing.