more starter help uuggh
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 433
Likes: 2
From: mendocino ca
more starter help uuggh
uuggh, I was going to put a new starter in, but my buddys lift is tied up for a few weeks, so my wife books my car for a wedding, ( its a long story) this Sat, so I bite the bullet and take it to a local mechanic, we live rural, so the choice is between dumb and dumber, but I figure its just a starter , what could go wrong , it takes the guy 2 hrs and now the starter fires intermittently , sometimes it cranks, sometimes nothing, guys says he bench tested it and it works,
any ideas on what could be wrong?? he says wires are tight, I am so friggin pissed
65 327 roadster
any ideas on what could be wrong?? he says wires are tight, I am so friggin pissed
65 327 roadster
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 15,359
Likes: 2,729
From: Close to DC
C2 of the Year Finalist - Modified 2020
Start by making sure the tight cables are CLEAN and check the actual connectors. Next, if it's not a Delco rebuilt unit, the quality of the rebuild (solenoid in particular) may be in question. 
Dennis
Dennis
Last edited by Bluestripe67; Sep 21, 2016 at 03:54 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 54,155
Likes: 9,464
From: Sitting in his Nowhere land Hanover Pa
2024 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2015 C2 of Year Finalist
When it sometime doesn't fire did you check with a test light to see if there is power getting there?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 6,546
Likes: 1,978
From: Temple Terrace Florida
Starter
Just for fun, check the red wire that goes to through your firewall. It feeds the starter circuit through the switch. Much has been posted about this. Good luck. Jerry
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 10,349
Likes: 673
From: Beverly Hills (Pine Ridge) Florida
Why were you going to change the starter in the first place (what issues were you having that led you to do that)?
If the same issue before and after, it probably is not the starter........
Plasticman
If the same issue before and after, it probably is not the starter........
Plasticman
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 58,061
Likes: 7,146
Army
Guess I'm old school; just have the bride and groom push the car at the wedding and pop the clutch and it'll start; you can drive them around afterwards and it'll make a great story and pics for the wedding album.
I'm just sayin'
I'm just sayin'
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
5 Best & 5 Worst Corvette Daily Drivers
Joe Kucinski
The Headlights of Every Corvette Generation Explained
Joe Kucinski
5 Best & 5 Most Overrated Corvette Track Packages of All Time!
Joe Kucinski
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 433
Likes: 2
From: mendocino ca
thanks for the help I swapped the whole starter
thanks for the help I swapped the whole starter, figured the part was cheap, the old one was occasionally making a grinding sound, so I was worried about the flywheel and potential reliability issues in the future, now the starter only occasionally cranks and is mostly dead, the new starter seems very strong when it does crank, so it would seem hard to believe its an intermittent solenoid problem, I hope the idiot didnt disconnect some wiring
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 433
Likes: 2
From: mendocino ca
could it be my ignition switch??
could it be my ignition switch?? if I keep turning the key eventually it fires, if the starter solenoid was bad I doubt it would fire at all, any ideas?
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 17,571
Likes: 3,461
From: Fresno California
It could easily be the switch, or the wire that goes from the switch to the starter solenoid. A very common problem on early GTO's. Most 'no click, no start' issues lead back to high resistance in this wire. You will need a DVOM and some diagnostic skills to perform some voltage drop tests on the circuit. If out of your comfort zone, a competent mechanic. Could be the new starter, but you have to determine if you are getting enough current TO the starter before you condemn it. The circuit provides the current. A lot of old wiring will have enough resistance to pass voltage, but won't carry the current needed to activate the solenoid or other load.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 433
Likes: 2
From: mendocino ca
I am going to swap the ignition key switch 1st and see
see if that works,
does anyone know where to get the the electrical starter switch behind the key? no one seems to carry one for a 65?
does anyone know where to get the the electrical starter switch behind the key? no one seems to carry one for a 65?
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 17,571
Likes: 3,461
From: Fresno California
If you jump the starter at the solenoid next time it doesn't crank, and it cranks, you can eliminate the starter and solenoid and go after the switch/wiring. Easy, bulletproof test to do.
Pro
Joined: Feb 2015
Posts: 625
Likes: 213
From: Agawam MA.
C2 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
Check the spade connector on the ignition switch, if it's loose [common problem ] disassemble the switch, re-stake the connector and clean the internal contacts, its an easy fix
Pro
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 732
Likes: 150
From: AMARILLO TEXAS
If the starter worked ok, but was making a little noise I would check the wires at the starter.
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 4,142
Likes: 704
Melting Slicks
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,670
Likes: 134
From: merritt island fl
C1 of Year Finalist (stock) 2019
2016 C1 of the Year Finalist
2015 C2 of the Year Finalist