Car broke down! Questions. sort of long.

[ynkedad]

Well, today Angel's (TX Momma) car wouldn't start while she was at the Doctors office.
She went to start the car and heard a pop like sound, then nothing. No radio, door dinging, clock, nothing. I figured maybe the battery went dead or maybe the cable was lose or possibly a fuse blew (that might explain the popping sound) So, I get the jumper cables and some fuses loaded into the Armada heading out to her location.
Once there, I popped the hood and wiggled the positive cable, and it just detaches from the battery. The POP she heard was the bolt that attaches the cable to the battery terminal. It snapped or popped (broke) off leaving a portion of the bolt in the battery terminal (Now I'm thinking there's a SHORT).Plus I noticed there was some leakage coming from the battery terminal area. WTH ?
Her windows were down as well as her Vert top, so I had to get power to secure the car as it looked like rain was coming.
There wasn't enough bolt left to make contact with the battery unless I turned the cable and touched the bolt head to the battery, so I did that. Power was restored and we secured the top and windows, but when she hit the ignition, it popped again (where I was making the contact at the battery).
I had her car towed to a Chevy dealership less than a mile away
Where they said that it may not be covered under the bumper to bumper warranty that I purchased thru GM, they'd have to check tomorrow as they were closing early today.

Anyone ever hear of this problem with a 2000 C5?
The Svc. dept. fellow said, that the type of terminals (side) on vettes can leak, causing the cable bolts to rust and eventually breaking.???
Regardless, there still is the popping (Arcing) whenever I tried to start the car (while making contact with the terminal).?
What about the warranty issue?
NOTE... RichZ, I tried to post this in Maint. mods and tips, but was timed out several times.

Thanks guys!

~Ray

[Gannet]

It is INFAMOUS for the batteries to crack there, causing many troubles, up to and including ruining the computer, which is thoughfully installed right under the battery. Get the battery replaced immediately. When it's out have the wiring &tc underneath checked. If there are any signs at all of acid getting down there, you need major clean-up work, pronto.

Delco has fixed the battery issues, I pretty strongly believe, so a new Delco replacement would be fine.

That sucks. Good luck!

[CHASZ51]

My Delco has the top post, no probs so far!

[ynkedad]

Just got the call from the Chevrolet Svc Dept. The fellow said it's the BATTERY! He also stated that it's common for side terminal batteries to do this very thing. Apparently this sort of battery is only good for three years and hers is the original.

Damn Gannet, you're good!

It's going to cost around $210.00 for the new battery and labor, which includes the clean up of any acid etc. that may have leaked out (causing problems like those that Gannet mentioned above).

So, anyone with a Side Post battery, may want to make sure it's not over three years old. If it is, you may be on barrowed time!

Thanks for the replies!

~Ray

[9T8Vette]

This is good to hear Ray.Personally i would went with a opitma red top battery,But i sure after this problem with the side casing cracking the new batteries have been improved.

[Rich Z]

Yeah, been a lot of talk on CF about the original lead acid batteries cracking and leaking. Not too long ago I replaced my battery and went with the Exide Orbital AGM. It's a gel battery so it should leak at all. Lots of people say they like the Optima batteries, but I've heard some people claim they had problems with them.

[Nytro]

The 2001 Z06's came with the GM gel battery as original equipment. I got 4.5 years out of mine which is considered a long time. In typical gel fashion I went to start the car and it was dead. No warning no nothing. I had used the car earlier that afternoon. I was grateful it died in my garage. I also went with an Optima red top I got at Costco. I called Optima before I bought it to find out how to decipher the date code on it, got the newest one on the shelf and knock on wood no problems in a year and a half. Like Rich said, I also have read stories of people going thru a couple before they got a good one. Leakage of acid on the wires and the computer is a big concern, another reason I went with the Optima because of the construction of the case to prevent leakage and cracking.

[ynkedad]

Well, i got lucky. The mechanic said the leakage must have Just started because there wasn't any damage under the battery.

~Ray

[Nytro]

Originally Posted by ynkedad

Well, i got lucky. The mechanic said the leakage must have Just started because there wasn't any damage under the battery.

~Ray

Thats very good news Ray

[MADN3SS]

Originally Posted by Nytro

The 2001 Z06's came with the GM gel battery as original equipment. I got 4.5 years out of mine which is considered a long time. In typical gel fashion I went to start the car and it was dead. No warning no nothing. I had used the car earlier that afternoon. I was grateful it died in my garage. I also went with an Optima red top I got at Costco. I called Optima before I bought it to find out how to decipher the date code on it, got the newest one on the shelf and knock on wood no problems in a year and a half. Like Rich said, I also have read stories of people going thru a couple before they got a good one. Leakage of acid on the wires and the computer is a big concern, another reason I went with the Optima because of the construction of the case to prevent leakage and cracking.

I have an '01 Z and thought the battery that was in it was the original. I replaced it with an Optima Red Top last year. I could swear it was a Delco battery. The only warning I had, which I didn't know at the time, was the column lock problem. Apparently that can be a precursor to the battery dying, which it did about 3 weeks later.