Boodieman

My 2000 LS1 (214,000 mi) acts like it has a weak battery. When I turn the key the starter really drags and the engine rolls over....barely.

The battery is 1 year old, Autozone Gold. I had the battery tested and it tests "Good" with 840 CCA's. I removed each terminal, which are clean, reinstalled with no change.

Is there a cable connection near the starter that could be corroded? A connection that is problematic? A ground?

Could it be the starter? Or starter solenoid?

I have the car up on ramps and am interested in any suggestions of where to begin.

Thanks in advance.

_TomL

73Corvette

[QUOTE=Boodieman;1589528076]My 2000 LS1 (214,000 mi) acts like it has a weak battery. When I turn the key the starter really drags and the engine rolls over....barely.

The battery is 1 year old, Autozone Gold. I had the battery tested and it tests "Good" with 840 CCA's. I removed each terminal, which are clean, reinstalled with no change.
Looks good

Is there a cable connection near the starter that could be corroded? A connection that is problematic? A ground?
Yes and Yes and Yes

Could it be the starter? Or starter solenoid?

Yes and Yes

I have the car up on ramps and am interested in any suggestions of where to begin.

Thanks in advance.

73Corvette

You should disconnect your battery and then take all the connections loose, clean them and reconnect. You may have to take the starter off to take it in and get it bench tested...if it's bad you can either have the OEM one rebuilt at a qualified starter/alternator shop... or buy a rebuilt or new one.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...urns-over.html

K-Spaz

I just replaced mine two weeks ago (starter). Had starting and cranking problems ever since I bought the car. It always started, but it always acted like it didn't want to. Sometimes I'd need to turn the key off when it was cranking, then hit it again to get it to start. Mine also has a brand new 78 series Interstate battery.

I suspected the battery cables, but they looked fine and the cost of new ones was so perverse I could not bring myself to replace them. I did however, buy a new Delco starter for the car, ($175 or so) and that made all the difference in the world. My starter looked old and very used. The drain tube (soft rubber) was closed off, hard and brittle. It just shattered when I bumped it. I didn't bother opening the starter, the scrap was going out the next day and it went with it. But I suspect the thing looked horrible inside. They don't live forever.

Mine solved ALL starting issues. The car starts like a brand new car, every time now.

dadaroo

If this is the original starter it NEEDS to be replaced regardless of whether it is your problem. You can inspect the connections while you are there.

Starters are only good for about 100,000 miles due to the heat. The windings go bad and the heat increases the resistance. That is why many times it will crank when cold but you stop after it is hot and it will not want to crank.

Boodieman

So what you are saying is I have gotten my money's worth! lol.

I went thru all of the connections last night, cleaned them and the starter was the same. This morning I removed the intermediate exhaust pipe and removed the starter, It is at the local shop here in Greenville being rebuilt.

Question: The O2 (or HO2) plug connectors on the intermediate exhaust pipes, what is the trick to disconnect them? Mine does not have a clip-together connection, more of a metallic o-ring that spins.

K-Spaz

They don't come apart there. They are removed at the other end. The wiring can come down from the tunnel shield where it is held in place by clips. The connections you are looking for are up on the frame rails about 2' forward of the O2 sensors. They are both right beside the exit ports of the exhaust manifolds. Just follow the wires forward.

dadaroo

If they are not rewinding your starter you are wasting your money. Did you ask what the "rebuild" would include?

Boodieman

Yes, they are rewinding the starter. Thanks!