[frank29]

Started the car & Electronic Throttle Control (E.T.C. light looks like a lightning bolt and is below, left of gas gauge) warning light started to flash, ESP/BAS warning light glowed steady, and engine idled erratically at about 1,750 R.P.M. Idle speed was bouncing around from maybe 1,600 to 1,900 R.P.M. I depressed the gas pedal....nothing....I tried gas pedal in all positions from nothing to floored with virtually no change in the erratic idle.

Turned ignition off. Restarted. Everything was fine. Have since driven car about 50 miles with maybe 4 restarts, no repeat of problem. WHAT THE HELL IS THIS ALL ABOUT?

 

[arnoldw]

Try checking your codes
http://www.300cforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=68620#post68620

 

[Mike5959]

do you have a remote starter installed?

 

[frank29]

do you have a remote starter installed?

Yes, a Chrysler system and the mishap occurred when I started the car with the remote system.

 

[BobCav]

Same thing

Hey, I had the same thing happen to me 3 times since I've owned my car (April 15th) and I do NOT have the remote starter installed. I just called it to my dealer and they're going to check it tomorrow when I get my 6000 mile oil change/service. I'll let you know what they say tomorrow night!

 

[frank29]

I'll let you know what they say tomorrow night!

This forum is great!

 

[Mike5959]

Mine did this once after using the remote starter. I don't use it that often I got the starter mainly for the miserable New England winters. But i got in the car and it was running funny. I turned the key and had those lights on and it sputtered when I hit the gas. I shut it down, restarted and it was ok again. There are some weird things with this remote starter. Like if you turn the key and don't hit the brake right away the ac/heat and radio shut off untill you press the brake pedal. does yours do that too? I am thinking that the sequence in which they are powering up the ignition wires might cause this intermittently.

 

[frank29]

There are some weird things with this remote starter. Like if you turn the key and don't hit the brake right away the ac/heat and radio shut off untill you press the brake pedal.

Mike, depressing the brack pedal is required to transfer control away from the remote start system. The designed procedure is 1) insert key and turn to run position 2) depress brake pedal (radio, guages, etc will momentarily "lose" power).....at this point, remote start control is terminated....the sequence is important, the engine should shut down if you depress brake pedal before doing the key thing.

Additional notes, your remote start system will shut down the engine if you don't transfer control away from the remote system within your choice of 10 or 15 minutes. The default is 10 minutes.....I changed mine to 15 minutes.

Now, the remote does have two faults: 1) an error message "RKE" battery low will show up....you just have to live with it 2) the automatic lights will not work with remote start....this you can work around, add a third step to the procedure mentioned in this post's first paragraph: after the key thing and the brake pedal thing, turn the key to the start position and the automatic lights will function (don't worry, like I did, there is an anti-grind safeguard that disables the starter from activating).

 

[5point7]

Happened to me during on "on track" event at the racetrack. Turned the car off and hasn't happened again...just the computers doing their job I guess if something isn't 100%, and then they correct.

 

[Mike5959]

Mike, depressing the brack pedal is required to transfer control away from the remote start system. The designed procedure is 1) insert key and turn to run position 2) depress brake pedal (radio, guages, etc will momentarily "lose" power).....at this point, remote start control is terminated....the sequence is important, the engine should shut down if you depress brake pedal before doing the key thing.

Additional notes, your remote start system will shut down the engine if you don't transfer control away from the remote system within your choice of 10 or 15 minutes. The default is 10 minutes.....I changed mine to 15 minutes.

Now, the remote does have two faults: 1) an error message "RKE" battery low will show up....you just have to live with it 2) the automatic lights will not work with remote start....this you can work around, add a third step to the procedure mentioned in this post's first paragraph: after the key thing and the brake pedal thing, turn the key to the start position and the automatic lights will function (don't worry, like I did, there is an anti-grind safeguard that disables the starter from activating).

I am fully aware of how remote starters work I have been an installer for quite some time. Smoething about the way this one is wired makes the radio and hvac controls go dead as soon as you turn the key even before you hit the brake. I understand on a normal install there is a brief transfer when you hit the brake but this is different. Almost as if the starter stops distributing 12vdc to the secondary ignition output and possibly the third ignition therefor casuing those before mentioned accessories to shut off. They should remain on until I hit the brake and briefly blink off and on.

 

[frank29]

I am fully aware of how remote starters work I have been an installer for quite some time.

Excuse me, I misunderstood and meant no slight.

Smoething about the way this one is wired makes the radio and hvac controls go dead as soon as you turn the key even before you hit the brake.

Mine does no such thing.

They should remain on until I hit the brake and briefly blink off and on.

That is exactly the way mine works.

 

[BobCav]

Nothing found

Well, the dealer could not find anything wrong, couldn't reproduce the problem and there were no stored codes in the computer, so that's that for now. Sorry it wasn't much help.

 

[frank29]

Well, the dealer could not find anything wrong, couldn't reproduce the problem and there were no stored codes in the computer, so that's that for now. Sorry it wasn't much help.

That's a bummer. Here we have several similar situations just in this little thread and all these computers don't register anything abnormal. Thanks for both checking and reporting back.

I've had a couple of other little "one time gremlins" that were really wierd; but,they never repeated.......I'm going to hope for the same here.