My 1978 corvette will not fire
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1st Gear
Joined: Mar 2024
Posts: 1
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My 1978 corvette will not fire
So I just bought this corvette last September purely for the enjoyment of rebuilding cars with not much experience. Today I had just tried starting the car back up for the first time since fall and it could not fire/start at all. It had eventually gotten to the point where I could turn the ignition and have nothing happen. Last fall I had replaced the bad gas, spark plugs, and wires. It has started two times out of three times trying.
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From: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
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Cruise-In VIII Veteran
Assuming that right now you have a battery charger on it.
When you get the battery back up. Remove the airfilter cover. Work the throttle lever by hand while looking into the carb. Is it squirting fuel into the intake manifold?
What, if anything did you do to prep the car for winter storage?
Let's assume that fuel is indeed squrting into the manifold when pumping the carb. Is the choke setting? Do you have spark?
if it's not squirting fuel, try pouring a small amount of fuel into the carb throat. Perhaps a quarter cup. Crank engine, does it fire?
When you get the battery back up. Remove the airfilter cover. Work the throttle lever by hand while looking into the carb. Is it squirting fuel into the intake manifold?
What, if anything did you do to prep the car for winter storage?
Let's assume that fuel is indeed squrting into the manifold when pumping the carb. Is the choke setting? Do you have spark?
if it's not squirting fuel, try pouring a small amount of fuel into the carb throat. Perhaps a quarter cup. Crank engine, does it fire?
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 11,953
Likes: 4,510
From: Virginia
Fire (ignition), or crank?
That sounds like "no crank" to me. What is your battery voltage? Even if it is "charged", it may have no ampacity. Please describe exactly what happens when you turn the key to "crank".
And, to try to predict the next question, check for burned out fusible links near the starter. This harness is replaceable in a 78. It is also one reason I insist on charging the battery outside of the car.
With or without A/C:
https://www.zip-corvette.com/77l-78-...n-harness.html
https://www.zip-corvette.com/77l-78-...n-harness.html
And, to try to predict the next question, check for burned out fusible links near the starter. This harness is replaceable in a 78. It is also one reason I insist on charging the battery outside of the car.
With or without A/C:
https://www.zip-corvette.com/77l-78-...n-harness.html
https://www.zip-corvette.com/77l-78-...n-harness.html
6th Gear
Joined: Mar 2024
Posts: 6
Likes: 1
From: North Texas
Just went through this scenario myself. An easy thing to check, and for me was a big player in my no start condition was the negative battery cable. The negative cable passes through bottom of the battery box and bolts under the car to the frame. Check to see that the connection to the frame is not loose. Then check that the cable itself isn’t corroded (from the inside). The cable will probably look fine inside the battery box where it’s protected. The corrosion is more likely to occur where the cable is exposed to the elements and road debris. The corrosion may be hidden inside the cable, but can be seen or felt with your hand as a bulge. My cable had a split in the black sheath with white corrosion and multiple breaks in the copper strands. Replaced the cable and the car started up.
