'69 Stingray - [engine shut off after pothole]
Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: Dallas TX
'69 Stingray - [engine shut off after pothole]
Say you hit a sizable pothole. What would be something that would cause the car to shut off and not turn back on? A loose serpentine belt? Loose alternator wires?
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 1,716
Likes: 4
From: New Baden Illinois
Something electrical. Check the battery cable connections at the battery. If they were not tight to begin with, they could come off or jar enough to lose contact.
If you have HEI, check to make sure the wires did not come out of the distributor. Most of the time, they are held in with brittle plastic clips.
You can also check the connection at the starter. A cable may have come off. If you hit hard enough, it could have cracked the plastic housing that holds the starter terminals.
Edit: By the way, fill in your profile so that we know what we are dealing with.
If you have HEI, check to make sure the wires did not come out of the distributor. Most of the time, they are held in with brittle plastic clips.
You can also check the connection at the starter. A cable may have come off. If you hit hard enough, it could have cracked the plastic housing that holds the starter terminals.
Edit: By the way, fill in your profile so that we know what we are dealing with.
Drifting
Joined: Jul 1999
Posts: 1,542
Likes: 43
From: Plano TX
Mine cut out when I hit a pot hole on Beltline and it ended up being fuel. It seems that when I hit the hole it cause fuel to come up the vent and back into the primary and seconday venturis (top of carb was wet with gas). It was a bit flooded with black smoke when restarted.
Might be electrical but don't overlook flooding.
Might be electrical but don't overlook flooding.
Team Owner
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 37,637
Likes: 3,118
From: Crossville TN
I would guess that your motor mounts are not that good and that the engine moved around enough to either: 1) break a ground strap (frame-to-engine is most likely); 2) break some other electrical wire/connection (something starter related, perhaps). If a fuel line broke, you would be seeing fuel leakage; I don't know how a fuel line would buckle [close off] from that kind of impact. There could also be some wiring harness fault, if an old harness were stretched beyond its limits. Again, all of those would indicate that the motor mounts were not in good shape and allowed too much movement of the engine.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 342
Likes: 0
From: Onley VA
I didn't hit a pothole, but soon after I got my 72 I came to hard stop and my timing chain skipped three teeth. The plastic over the cam gear teeth (for quiteness) was in the process of breaking off and I belive the hard stop combined with worn mount bushings gave it the boot it needed to jump. It did shut the engine down, but I assumed it was electricle so I tried to start it and it did fire, but very reluctantly, just enough to get out of the road. I was lucky it didn't bounce a valve off a piston. What sucked was the hard stop was intentional, I was contemplating whether to upgrade brakes first, or tires, and wanted to see which was the weaker link.
Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
From: Dallas TX
For a novice, non-mechanic where would this be? Are there any guides online for stingray maintenance?
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Racer
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 360
Likes: 0
C3 it is located on the right side of the shift lever beneath the console. Remove the console cover for access. To adjust the switch, place the car in neutral. Lots of trial and error if the switch is out of alignment. There should be a hook up for the electrical parts. Most likely vibrated/jolted loose.
After '73 the switch contains wiring for back up lamps and seat belt buzzer warnings.
After '73 the switch contains wiring for back up lamps and seat belt buzzer warnings.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 11,874
Likes: 263
From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod
my guess is also electrical.....perhaps the main battery supply connection broke off of the starter lug do you have any electrical power???
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 4,226
Likes: 643
From: Orange County Ca
Well, it's either spark or fuel. Once you determing which one, you can go from there. Will the engine crank? If so, pull a plug wire and hold it about 1/8" from the sparkplug or any grounded metal part. If it sparks while cranking, then it is probably fuel related. Stuck float? If no spark, then you just have to start at the battery and follow the electrical flow through the ignition switch to the coil, etc. Gook luck