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Hey guys,
I’ve finally managed to get my hands on a C3!! The car is kinda in rough shape. I already took a look at the engine and know what’s wrong with it and am addressing within the next days. Now my problem is, I tried connecting a battery but nothing will happen. The ignition and steering column is messed up so I can’t tell if that has to do with nothing being reactive. If anyone could help me with where to start looking or what wires to trace, that’d be amazing. I know the positive goes to the starter but where then? I’m really hoping someone can help me with getting her all started again. Thanks and sorry if this is an awkward post.
First things first, you should get the Factory Service Manual, then I'd order one of the big colored wiring diagrams that are printed on a big plastic sheet. Next, if you have any kind of auto electrical experience at all, an multimeter and more importantly, a diagnostic device called "Power Probe" is a must have and will save you countless hours.
Next, go under the dash, check the fuses, also check the fusible link as well. While you're under the what does the wiring look like? Has it been hacked? Do you see a lot of cheap aftermarket splices or worse, black electrical tape, sloppily wrapped around various wires? How about the engine compartment? Does the wiring look like crows and birds have been picking at it?
If the ignition switch is hinky, you'll have to drop the steering column to get at it. Replacement switches are cheap, replacing them is tough. The dash on any C3 is a major pain in the behind to take apart, trust me. If you aren't experienced doing this kind of work, you can either educate gourself patiently, or find a really good repair shop, but trust me, it wont be cheap or easy, these cars always need something anf that's just part of the ownership experience.
Welcome to the club and feel free to use the search resources here, there's a lot of great information and help here.
Knowing WHAT YEAR you have is needed due to ...in 'C3' era...a 1968 is quite different than that of a 1982. And like 'Peterbuilt' asked....if it m is a manual or automatic transmission. SO always give your year model due to you have not filled out your Public Profile even with just basic generic information and nothing too specific...because we do not know where you live.
Hopefully you have tools and the KNOW HOW on how to use some of them so our suggestions and advice can be employed adn oyu give us answers to whatever it is we want you to look at and test.
SO when you turn your ignition key to ON...NOTHING is powering up????
Hey guys,
Thanks for the awesome tips so far. I completely forgot to say its a 1977 Corvette Auto with the base engine. Also I should have a Haynes manual for it laying around somewhere!! I did take out the carpet and some panels near the dash. The wiring was a little messy. Some wires were cut but those were near the radio so Im assuming they are for the stock radio. The ignition switch comes out completely out of the column which I'm assuming is bad!! It did barely turned at first until it popped out. For the engine compartment the wiring seems to be intact for most part, beside some loose wires for the missing ac compressor. I did find a mess of cut vacuum hoses though, which I will need to address in the days to come. I looked at some wiring schematics, do you think I should start at the wiring going from the starter to see if there a loss in power? Once again thanks for the great responses I've received. I will keep updated on what I find out within the next days working on her!
If so...YES...If it were me I would begin to make sure the power form the starter is going to all required areas and the fusible links are intact and I have power when I turn the key on and my fuse panel is powered up.
Bill, just an FYI, the Haynes manual is barely adequate for working on these cars. The FSM or Factory Service Manual is far more comprehensive, with large diagrams and pictures (compared to the tiny pics in the Haynes, that are barely legible). It has to weigh three or four pounds, easy. You'll need to order the 1974 Chevrolet FSM, along with the 1977 supplement (1974 was the last year for a full FSM, after that, GM just put out a supplement). IMHO, this is a MUST HAVE if you're going to work on a C3 Corvette extensively. My FSM is well worn. The electrical diagram for the Corvette section (the FSM covers all the Chevrolet Models, Malibu, Monte Carlo, etc) is three 8x11 pages long!
Regarding the Ignition Switch, the round chrome deal that you stick the key in, is actually, not a ignition switch at all, it is a ignition lock cylinder for the key. Electrically, it has nothing to do, with starting your car, except that it allows the key to turn the cylinder, just like the internals of a padlock. What actually does that, is a steel rod, that is hooked up to the lock cylinder and that rod, lays down on top of the steering column. When you rotate the cylinder, the cylinder pushes the rod towards the firewall. At the other end of that five or six inch rod, is a 'hook' that goes into a sliding electrical switch that is mounted on top of the steering column with a single small bolt, behind the gauges. As you rotate the key from OFF, to ACC, to ON and then to START, that rod pushes the Electrical Ignition Switch through the various positions, I just described, with START, being the last position. If your key lock cylinder is falling out of the steering column, you've got problems and will likely have to disassemble the steering column, not an easy thing to do, especially if it's a tilt column.
Voltmeter or Multimeter is good, providing you know how to use it. Are you experienced in checking continuity, resistance and voltage with this? Lots of YouTube videos on how to work with this. I still advocate a Power Probe if you're going to do any kind of serious electrical work on any vehicle. It will save you, countless hours, because you can apply voltage or ground to anywhere on the car. It will also tell you, instantly, whether or not, you even have a complete circuit at all. For a little over $100, it is a bargain, but you should also be knowledgeable about basic electrical theory. If not, then I highly recommend getting somebody to help you, or farming it out.
This is a pic of when I first got my C3, years ago, with the steering column dropped down. I took a lot of pictures, before I restored it, so I knew what I was dealing with (a lot!). You can see the Ignition Switch on top of the column and the sliding rod, that runs from the key lock cylinder on the side of the column, to the underside of the switch.
01-05-2019, 01:47 PM
Newbie in need of help
