All Right, so I have a 97 C5. 6 Speed.

Roughly 42K on it.

So yesterday, I leave my house, pull out. Turn on the Main St (Speed Limit 45) Casual acceleration. Maybe 2, 2.k rpm. Not going anywhere in a hurry. Slid into second gear. Then like 5 seconds later almost like a pop sound.

ABS Light Comes on, Traction System Alert Comes on, Check Engine Light, and Says something like Slow Down, Speed Lowering or Safety shit. Then the car can only go 30mph. I turn around at the next street, drive back home. Maybe .5 mil trip in total from house, to back home.

When I pull into my Driveway the car is kinda sputtering. Hovering at 1k rpm and down. I turn it off. Wait 5 Mins, turn it back on. Check engine light is still on. RPM Seems steady at idle. I back out of driveway, turn around, and simply back it back into my garage. (Don't like pulling in) and then turned it off.


Any idea what the issue could be? I might try to trigger it for the Codes on Sunday Night, but Ive never done it before.

Would you take it to a dealership? I have a friend who is the Service Manager at my local Chevy place, so I kinda trust him lol. But 80% of the drive is speed limit 45 or 55. If its going to bog back to the 30mph limit I don't really want to drive it there. but at the same time I don't want to pay for a Tow. (I guess my insurance would cover it, but don't want to file a claim over a $60 charge.)

http://www.stengel.net/diccodes.htm

Pull the codes


If its saying reduced engine power and your service traction control and active handling lights come on all together its probably your battery being shot

This post was edited by ride686 on Aug 6 2016 01:21pm

Yea, Reduced Power.

Hopefully its only my Battery. Just Sucks Paid for Insurance and Plates Saturday lol. Like dang, should have just garaged it lol.

Clear the codes from your DIC and reduced power should be gone. The service active handling and t/c lights should turn off when you restart the car.

This post was edited by ride686 on Aug 6 2016 01:31pm

Ill be honest, haven't read how to clear codes/read them yet. Been a busy day at work. Is it easy to do that? And yea, the ABS turned off when I restarted, but didn't go faster than 5 or 10 mph.

It sounds like a vacuum leak Bruh..

Check your booster

You triggered REP. My car goes into REP if I pedal it too fast under boost. The airflow forces the throttle blade into the wrong position. That isn't your problem though.


Ride is correct. It is most likely the battery. Pull it out and have it load tested at the parts store. Before you do that pull your codes. I usually video it with my phone because they scroll through too fast to write them down.


How to Pull Codes:
1. Turn your key to the "ON" position, but do not start the engine.
2. Clear any present messages by pressing the RESET button.
3. Hold the OPTIONS button down, and press the FUEL button 4 times. (This will get you into the "codes" section of the DIC.
4. The computer will automatically display all the codes your car has created. It will cycle through each code every 3 seconds. (Have a pen and paper handy to write down the codes)

Note: Any code that ends in an "H" is a history code (something that has occurred in the past, but is not reporting as an error currently.)

5. Once the computer has finished going through all of its codes, press RESET to enter Manual Configuration mode. It should start with a module and show "NO CODES" or "# Codes."
6. To optionally reset codes once in manual mode, press and hold RESET until is displays "NO CODES."
7. Press OPTIONS to go into the next module (ie, from PCM, or Powertrain Control Module, to TCS, or Traction Control System.)
8. Repeat Step 6 until you have reset all the codes in all the computer modules.

Note: Only reset the codes if you want to- it is not necessary to reset them every time you pull the codes.

9. When finished, simply take your key out of the ignition.


When you pull you codes post them here and I will help you. The 97 has it's own weird electrical gremlins. The EBCM in your car is different than the later years.









He triggered Reduced Engine Power which is GM code for limp mode. Lots of things can cause it but they usually go back to low battery voltage or a weak ground.

This post was edited by FMX_89 on Aug 6 2016 03:26pm

a buddy of mine has like a 07 grand prix and he had a battery cable really loose. caused the car to start slipping like the trans was going down the shitter. he said once the battery cable was tight again (he had to buy a new end) its running like a brand new one again. weirdest shit i ever heard.

yeah i'd check the battery first, it could've just had a nasty chain reaction on shit going wrong because the battery is losing voltage or is not keeping a steady voltage. check the charging system too, make sure its not the alternator because you don't want to bust another battery if its the alternator lol

worst case it could be an ECU malfunction. might want to look into that as well. sometimes weird shit like that happens.

If he pulls the codes the car will tell him what it is. These things display hundreds of codes thst go beyond the generic OBDII codes. If the alternator isn't charging correctly he will have a charging fault code etc. He can also view his system voltage real time on the DIC. It should never drop below 12.9 volts.