The car that wouldn't shut off! 09 Chevy Cobalt funny story

Discussions about other vehicles other than the Vibe & Matrix.
Post Reply
vibedrivermatt
Posts: 520
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:44 am

The car that wouldn't shut off! 09 Chevy Cobalt funny story

Post by vibedrivermatt »

Well, something sorta hilarious happened today. I drove my parents 2009 Chevy Cobalt into the town to help them with an errand. I had to pick up my mom from an auto garage where she was dropping off my their truck for inspection.

When I pulled up to their house I couldn't turn the Cobalt off. The key wouldn't move to the off position. Apparently there's a recall out on this to fix the problem. It has something to do with binding in the ignition. My parents hadn't got around to bringing it in to get fixed.

Anyway, we sat around puzzled for a while trying to figure out how to shut the car off. We called the dealership for advice. They gave a few suggestions like pressing on the brake really hard while wiggling the key and moving the steering wheel. As a final resort we were advised to remove the negative battery terminal. After stomping on the brake and shaking the key every which way without any success, I resorted to removing the negative battery terminal. Much to every ones surprise this did nothing. The car was still running. I tried turning all electrical equipment in the car on, high beams, wipers, AC, radio etc... Still, the car wouldn't turn off.

So again, we called the dealership and surprised the guy from the service department when we reported that the car was still running with the battery disconnected. They said they'd never heard of that. I can only guess the car has a pretty good alternator? As another last resort they advised us to remove the fuse to the fuel pump. I did this and nothing happened at first but, eventually the pitch of the idle started to lower, the car got really lean and then sputtered out making a blub, blub,blub noise.

So currently the key is still stuck in the ignition. It cant be removed and we're not sure if we'll be able to start the car again. It may have to be towed to the dealer for the recall repair which is sorta a bummer cost wise. We're still glad it didn't happen further away from where they live. That would have made the situation much worse. :shock:
KITT222
Posts: 2257
Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2010 1:45 pm
Location: Flint, Michigan

Re: The car that wouldn't shut off! 09 Chevy Cobalt funny st

Post by KITT222 »

That's funny. Why not just drive it to the dealer while it was still running? Look about on a Cobalt forum for the answer to getting the key out of the ignition.
star_deceiver
Posts: 5800
Joined: Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:49 pm
Location: Airdrie, AB

Re: The car that wouldn't shut off! 09 Chevy Cobalt funny st

Post by star_deceiver »

Hmmmm.... hook up a toggle switch to the fuel pump fuse connecters...
2019 Ram 3500 4x4 CCSB srw 8HP75
2016 Ram 3500 4x4 RCLB Dually w/stick (traded in - 05/10/19)
2012 Chevy Silverado 1500 Cheyenne 4x4 (Traded in - 03/30/16)
2009 Vibe. (Traded in - 12/12/12)
User avatar
trb
Posts: 1670
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 4:06 am
Location: Houston, TX

Re: The car that wouldn't shut off! 09 Chevy Cobalt funny st

Post by trb »

I would not think that disconnecting the battery would kill the car. It's not powered by the battery like an electric car after all. :roll: Of course the alternator is what keeps the car running after it has started.

You should be able to reconnect the battery and replace the fuse and it should start up again if the key will move to the start position. If not, then call the dealer and have them tow it in. Since it s a recall, they should not charge you for it. Anyway, the free roadside assistance is for 5yrs/100K miles.
Thomas
the "Mustang Guy"
1987 5.0 LX Mustang
2016 Mustang GT - current daily
2004 Satellite Vibe &
2009 Red Vibe GT -twin's cars
2003 Neptune Vibe GT - prior daily
2010 Red Vibe GT - RIP 6/16/14
2006 Platinum Vibe - son's car
skimask
Posts: 103
Joined: Wed Dec 21, 2011 2:47 pm

Re: The car that wouldn't shut off! 09 Chevy Cobalt funny st

Post by skimask »

trb wrote:I would not think that disconnecting the battery would kill the car. It's not powered by the battery like an electric car after all. :roll: Of course the alternator is what keeps the car running after it has started.
That's an ongoing discussion amongst mechanics for literally decades.
A generator has a built in magnetic field to make juice, spin coils inside magnets, make juice.
An alternator needs juice to make juice, gotta have a bit of juice to energize the stators to make a magnetic field for the engine to spin the rotor to cut the magnetic field, to make the juice...etc...etc...etc. The rotational energy of the engine adds to the magnetic energy of the alternator to keep the voltage up high enough to keep everything good.

In theory, with an alternator, you pull the battery, and you lose the power to hold the magnetic field between the output phases of the alternator, hence lose power, voltage falls off quickly, car dies. With older alternators (e.g. circa mid-70's types), this is generally the case, or at least it's the case with all of the mid-70's vehicles in my "fleet". The metal in the alternator has a very low magnetic permeability (I think that's the right word for it), it doesn't hold any sort of magnetic field at all.
Maybe the alternators in newer vehicles are able to be magnetized a bit while running so as to hold a field for a bit and keep everything kosher. Who knows... Maybe there's enough wiring and 'built in capacitance' in the wiring of the vehicles to keep enough of a magnetic field built up to keep the alternator energized in the absence of a battery.

meh...all theory aside...it's a good story nonetheless. Ya don't see that every day.
User avatar
trb
Posts: 1670
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 4:06 am
Location: Houston, TX

Re: The car that wouldn't shut off! 09 Chevy Cobalt funny st

Post by trb »

Right, that is true, I forgot about the stator wire. But in my experience, it does not stop charging quickly. On my Mustang, it does require a stator wire to start the alternator, and guys that replace the stock gauges with aftermarket have to jump a wire in the harness to get the alternator to start charging. I've pulled my battery out before and the car kept running for several minutes until I replaced it. Maybe mine was able to keep the charge up. I'll have to try it again and see what happens.
Thomas
the "Mustang Guy"
1987 5.0 LX Mustang
2016 Mustang GT - current daily
2004 Satellite Vibe &
2009 Red Vibe GT -twin's cars
2003 Neptune Vibe GT - prior daily
2010 Red Vibe GT - RIP 6/16/14
2006 Platinum Vibe - son's car
vibedrivermatt
Posts: 520
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2008 8:44 am

Re: The car that wouldn't shut off! 09 Chevy Cobalt funny st

Post by vibedrivermatt »

KITT222 wrote:That's funny. Why not just drive it to the dealer while it was still running? Look about on a Cobalt forum for the answer to getting the key out of the ignition.
Oh, we had considered that before shutting the car off. The problem was that the dealer where they bought the car was sort of a long drive. It was so hot yesterday with this never ending heat wave that we were lacking motivation to drive the car all the way to that dealership. We decided to deal with it another time.

The car does have a remote start. When they're ready to bring it to the dealership I'll attempt to start the car with the remote starter. Im not sure if it will work with the key stuck in the on position but maybe, if not it'll have to be towed. The key can move slightly forward but not all the way to the starting postion.

edit 07/21/12 The car has was fixed yesterday. My parents ended up finding a nearby GMC garage that was willing to do the repair. The cost was of the repair was zero dollars. The tow truck cost $91 but the driver informed them that their collision insurance should reimburse that. Anyway, the Colbalt has been a very nice car. It seems to me it has a pretty robust drivetrain/powertrain and the suspension takes the bumps pretty well. It's comfortable.
User avatar
vibenvy
Posts: 7121
Joined: Wed Apr 15, 2009 5:38 am
Location: Sandwich, IL

Re: The car that wouldn't shut off! 09 Chevy Cobalt funny st

Post by vibenvy »

LOL... possessed Cobalt :evil:! Great story! Glad to hear it's been fixed though. Also, glad to see you posting again Matt :)!
Image
2009 Liquid Platinum Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
2009 Steel Blue Metallic Vibe GT - 5-Speed Auto – Garage
User avatar
trb
Posts: 1670
Joined: Thu May 08, 2008 4:06 am
Location: Houston, TX

Re: The car that wouldn't shut off! 09 Chevy Cobalt funny st

Post by trb »

vibedrivermatt wrote:
edit 07/21/12 The car has was fixed yesterday. My parents ended up finding a nearby GMC garage that was willing to do the repair. The cost was of the repair was zero dollars. The tow truck cost $91 but the driver informed them that their collision insurance should reimburse that. Anyway, the Colbalt has been a very nice car. It seems to me it has a pretty robust drivetrain/powertrain and the suspension takes the bumps pretty well. It's comfortable.
So the car is not still under the 5yr 100K mile powertrain warranty? From what I understand the warranty includes free roadside assistance and towing coverage, so GM should have covered that and paid the tow driver directly. Hopefully he's not going to get paid twice for it!

Good to hear it was fixed, and for free!
Thomas
the "Mustang Guy"
1987 5.0 LX Mustang
2016 Mustang GT - current daily
2004 Satellite Vibe &
2009 Red Vibe GT -twin's cars
2003 Neptune Vibe GT - prior daily
2010 Red Vibe GT - RIP 6/16/14
2006 Platinum Vibe - son's car
Post Reply