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Vette Won't start...HELP.!

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Old May 5, 2012 | 06:04 AM
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Default Vette Won't start...HELP.!

Morning all... I have a 1970 corvette that simply wont start. The car needed a new starter...So Thursday night we replaced the starter on this BB 454 car....2 weeks ago, the car would at least "turn over" ..we knew from the sound she needed the starter... After replacing the starter, a new battery, new plugs, wires, rotor and distributor cap..we went to start it for the first time in 2 weeks yesterday.. nothing... You can turn the key and "NO" lights on the instrument panel.... We tested the battery...12.6 volts....thats fine.... we checked the starter..that was fine... we checked all the fusible links we could locate within the engine compartment...they were fine... Seems we have NO power at the fuse box...but power in the engine compartment right up to the firewall. We've looked at the wiring diagram and can locate 4 fusible links within the engine compartment. The Main battery cable going to the starter seems fine.... the horn works, the radio does not...simply NOTHING.....

Any helpful words of wisdom and accompanying pics or links to a solution sure would be appreciated..... thanks.!!! Andy
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Old May 5, 2012 | 06:44 AM
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The next thing i would check is all your grounds. Bad grounds cause well Over 50% of all the electrical problems out there. Pay special attention to the main ground from the engine block to the frame.
Good luck. I hate electrical gremlins.
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Old May 5, 2012 | 06:56 AM
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Years ago I had a similar problem with my former 67 Chevelle...without getting into the story that led up to it, this is what I recommend....

Pull the electrical connector from the firewall that connects to the back of the fusebox and examine it. Hit all the prongs with a test light, and then after that, disconnect the battery and wirebrush the connections.
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Old May 5, 2012 | 07:01 AM
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Thanks guys.... Appreciate the advice..
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Old May 5, 2012 | 01:45 PM
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From: Taylor Michigan
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Originally Posted by Mgrad92
The next thing i would check is all your grounds. Bad grounds cause well Over 50% of all the electrical problems out there. Pay special attention to the main ground from the engine block to the frame.
Good luck. I hate electrical gremlins.
It also seems that you made someones day....lots of parts purchased unnecessarily, but its typical........rather than changing the starter you should have addressed the information mentioned in the above post.....{grounds} also there is a short ground connection from the battery to the frame behind the seat that hardly no one addresses......check it out it .....may be what was wrong
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Old May 7, 2012 | 11:21 AM
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I just had a similar problem on my 72. The wire going from my MSD box to the positive on my starter was just a hair loose which resulted in no power at all in the entire car. I was olny able to get maybe another quarter turn on the nut but that was all it took to lose power. Make sure that everything is not just snug but tight. Good luck!
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