Hey everyone!

Yesterday, I was running my vette in the drive way, as I could not take her out for a proper drive like we usually do about every week (I had school reading assignments due and was reading textbooks while occasionally pressing lightly on the gas).

I turned her off and continued to read after she got to a pretty good temperature (around 180 degrees, according to the gauge) and waited about 20 minutes before my mom came home so she could help me direct her into the garage once more, without banging into something (small garage).

However, she would not start. Deader than a doorknob, not even a hint of a drop of power going into anything. Usually, if she doesn't start, she just needs some more gas and we hear something: the engine rev up, the radio come on, etc. This time, dead silence.

We tried to jump start her with my mom's car, but nothing. We also manually pushed her into the garage and then connected the battery to a battery charger we have (on the lower setting) and left her in the garage for a few hours. Nothing, when we checked back later that evening.

Does anyone have any idea what might be causing this? We make sure to give her a good drive around town, so she doesn't sit idle for a long length of time and we had replaced the battery June or July last year (thankfully, the battery is still under warranty).

I called my mechanic about this situation and he said to fill her up with some more gas (she currently has about 1/4 of a tank and I planned to fill her up during next week's drive) and check the battery fuses, to see if they popped. However, I do not know what those look like and from what I saw, the battery looked normal. Or as normal as a battery that is in a compartment behind the driver's seat looks.

Any suggestions or information about the battery fuses and what my mechanic meant by them "popping" would be immensely helpful and appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

Sincerely,

Nicole

 

Popping of a fuse means it's blown (Blown fuse). How to check them properly would be to carefully pull the fuse out and test them with a multi meter. There is a mode on that meter to test for continuity. You touch the 2 meter probes together and it should have a low pitch ring. Then put the probes on each end of the fuse and if it rings, your fuse is good. No ring, it's bad. Or, just by looking at the fuse you might be able to see the element inside the glass fuse and see if it's broken which means it's bad/blown and needs replaced. Good Luck!

 

I would start at the battery make sure there is no corrosion at battery terminals. Do you have a test light or voltmeter? If so, see if there is 12.6 volt across battery, also check to see if there is 12v to alternator or if a test light it lights bright. The idea is to find out where voltage is or isn't.

 

If it's dead, no cranking, I would check if it's in Park...Saftey Neutral switch...

 

Are your battery cables the originals?
I was checking my battery cables when I first purchased my 73, and found they are the original cables .
The connections were clean but there was a little corrosion where the braided cable comes out of the insulation. I started cleaning the corrosion and found that my positive battery cable was badly corroded under the insulation. I cut back the insulation about three inches before I found good wire. I installed new connectors and so far no problems. I'll be replacing them soon.

 

If you have checked all of the above and all is good, it is very likely a bad starter solenoid. If you try again and it magically starts, I would recommend changing the solenoid before you get stuck somewhere you don't want to be.

 

putting more gas in won't make the engine crank, and this was told to you by a mechanic???? don't take your car to him!!

 

Check if it's in park. Might be a loose cable at the horn relay or missing ground

 

Hey guys!

Thanks for the advice. My brother (who has returned from the Navy) and I looked at her again yesterday and with the help of a neighbor, who has also restored a Vette, think it might be a connection problem somewhere between the battery and the engine compartment. Otherwise, everything else looks fine and normal. The roads here are not the best, so hopefully something is just loose and not corroded or chewed by something.

I'll be sure to update as we go along!

Nicole

 

Then I would bet my money on the starter motor. It doesn't need much vibrations to loosen those wires connected to it! Check both ground and power cables because if the starter doesn't even "click" there is no power to it or enough ground. Good luck!

 

Did you figure it out yet? You mentioned you had no power going to anything. I believe there is a fusible link that goes to the starter that may have blown or the connector has coroded.

 

No, I have not had a chance to dig further (I am currently a full-time student in college and I have some exams on Monday). But hopefully, after school on Monday, I can take a look and if I feel it is too much for me to handle (novice here), then I have some local mechanics I can call.

 

You don't mention if it's automatic or standard that I saw. A no start condition could be due to a starter lock out switch being bad. If you have no power to anything with the key in run or accessory, I would suspect the battery connections first. I've always hated those side post batteries in a tight compartment. Get back there and see if you can wiggle the cables and tighten them up before you start tearing stuff apart. Try the easy stuff first.

 

if you are going to try to DIY repairs on your car. I would get a Factory Service Manual it will have all the information you need. Digital is ok if it's on a tablet, or you have a way to print pages.

 

I'm having the same issue. One day it runs perfectly fine the next day I have no power anywhere. I replaced the battery tuesday and it started just fine. Ran tuesday and wednesday. I go to start it today and again I have no power. Alternator is only a couple years old. I'm guessing it's a wiring issue but from where?

 

Battery terminals need pulled and cleaned.

 

Get yourself a digital multimeter and check your battery voltage. Have you tried jump starting?

 

One more time - STARTER SOLENOID!

 

yes I've tried jumping it and after having it connected for 10 minutes it will only get the starter to start turning over. My mechanic said it isn't the starter or the solenoid or the alternator.

 

Put your foot on the brake and put the car in neutral try to start it. If it starts it's the neutral safety switch.