When I replace battery cables it is often times due to someone has cut the sealed end where the cable attaches to the battery and installs one like you posted a photo of.

In my opinion...those type of 'replacement' cable ends are ......junk. And your photo shows one reason why. I prefer to have the ends of the cable be sealed up and solid and no possibility that the cable can become loose. Just because some things are made and sold ...does not mean that they are often times the BEST thing to use. I do know that if you do not want to go through the entire process of putting in a new positive battery cable. I have in certain situations....got a new battery cable with the correct sealed end on it...cut it to teh length I needed and then joined the new cable to the old cable via a large butt connector and crimped it and used super heavy duty shrink wrap and repaired it that way.

SO...when an entire cable has to be installed...the positive cable can be FUN due to its route it travels and the cable straps that have to be removed to do so.

Please keep in mind that I work on a lot of Corvettes that have had so much done to them....and from what I have learned...a majority of electrical issues can stem from how well the cables are attached to the battery....and how well the cable ends are attached to the battery cables themselves. You would be SHOCKED on how many Corvettes I have fixed electrical problems and all that was the problem was dirty, loose or poorly hacked up cable ends.

DUB

 

 

 

Can one pull a new battery cable through with the old one ?

 

No. The difficult part is removing the wire clamps that hold the battery cable up and around the driveshaft. It is not a bad job you just need to be patient.

 

When you go and remove the nut that holds the cable to the solenoid...see if that threaded stud is loose. Like I wrote...I have encountered many starter that for some odd reason the battery cable was tight to the solenoid...but it was not until I loosened the nut that holds the cable on the stud...the stud was loose. I tighten the jamb nut and in many cases it fixes the problem.

I ALSO check teh otehr wires attached to the solenoid for this strange problem and make sure the jamb nuts are tight.

And yes...I have replaced the front and rear bushings along with the brushes and got it to work again also.

DUB

 

Lots of times this intermittent problem is caused by the stud on the solenoid. The inside if the stud where it contacts the disc becomes worn and carbonized. Carefully remove stud, clean or rotate 180* and reinstall. T

 

When I first bought mine I was checking everything listed above and found that my battery cable looked good but was corroded almost through under the insulation where the corrosion could not be seen. I was able to cut back enough to get to good copper strands and still had enough to connect to the battery. It fixed my dragging starter issue. I'll replace the cable when I pull the body.

 

You can do that on OLD solenoids....but the new ones...do not allow the spinning of the stud bolt. I know this due to I have tried it.

DUB

 

 

*****WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!!!!*****

You are lucky to have a solenoid that allows you to rotate the stud bolt 180 degrees.

Hopefully that fixes it along with the condition of the brushes and armature bearings.

DUB

 

Yep - I rotated the stud 180 degrees and cleaned things up as best as I could. I think it will be all right.

So I yanked all the plugs and was expecting the worst but, it turns out to be reasonable.

The plugs are all dry and reasonably tanned.

I did a compression test on all the cylinders and 160 psi seems to be the average. A squirt of oil makes no significant difference. (the starter seemed to have less of a problem with the plugs pulled; I did the test before I dropped the stater.)

Plug #8 looks a bit white (not plug #8 pictured hereunder). I also noticed, when re-setting valve lash cold, that the intake rocker on 8 doesn’t seem to be near full lift potential. In fact I missed it the first time round when setting the exhaust valve and eyeing the intake rocker. I’m thinking the cam lobe is a bit worn. Typical for #8 is if I recall correctly.

I have an old pair of M/T cast aluminum valve covers... I'll cut the top off; ideal for setting valve lash with the engine running. First I need to get that starter fixed and back in there...

 

don't cut up a nice pair of M/T valve covers for something like that. Get a set of rocker arm squirter shields and cut up a pair of tin valve covers if that's what you are after. I have a soft spot for M/T valve covers lol.

 

I’m with you there; I do like them. Had these not been damaged and cracked, i would have saved and polished them. Well, one was damaged; the other is just fine

 

Compression looks good.

I have a stamped steel valve cover that I took the time and drilled hols in it with a hole saw over each nut for each rocker at the size I need so the socket could easily fit through but not so big that is was a waste of time...and this way I can install the valve cover by itself and run the engine and no oil spits out. Obviously I use them when I am adjusting the valves while it is running...but I also adjust them COLD also....and obviously were are referring to hydraulic lifters.

DUB

 

 

1.) IF the wire that is going to your HEI is NOT a 12 gauge wire....like what GM used when they started putting in HEI's in the cars...I would change it and NOT use any smaller gauge wire.

2.) 100% confirming that your notch on your harmonic balancer is STILL in its correct position is also advised due to the outer ring of these harmonic balancers can have the outer ring spin on them....thus...throwing you off IF you use a timing light to set the timing. I have made a piston stop tool that is adjustable and that threads into number 1 cylinder so I can manually rotate the engine and paint marks On the '0' portion of the balancer outer ring..and then spin the engine manually the other direction again til it stops and paint a mark. The center between those two marks is TDC.

3.) I ALWAYS disconnect any vacuum hoses off the fitting at the back of the intake and cap it off. The ONLY vacuum I leave is for the transmission if needed and the power brakes. I have had so many engines that were really off in how they reacted..and when I took the external vacuum accessories out of the equation..the engine would spin the tires....and when I put the vacuum back..the engine started to act crazy again. In some cases....I have found it to be the vacuum going to the booster or transmission also.

4.) It looks like your vacuum advance pod on your HEI can also be a problem. AS you probably know you can check to see what it is doing when the engine is running in how much advance it is or is not giving.

5.) I have seen the bushings for the advance weights are shot and the weights are flopping around and not pivoting on the pins. I make new bushings out of the red butt connectors you can use in car wiring. If my memory serves me correctly.

6.) Doubtful...but worth checking if you are have the distributor cap off and that is the electrical test for your pick up coil at the base of the distributor. Due to it rotating..I have seen one of the two wires actually separate enough to screw up the current...but yet the insulation on the wire still looks good. So the wire inside the insulation is messed up. While you apply vacuum on the advance pod and watch your ohmmeter..you might see a disruption in ohms.

7.) YES...the coil can be an issue...especially the underside where the center pin with the spring contacts teh coil. IF the rubber gasket between the coil and the cap DOES NOT have the dielectric grease on the gasket...it needs to be applied...I have seen the metal portion of the coil get really rusted. ALSO..I have seen so many new coils come in painted. So when it is put into the distributor cap...the metal strap that MUST go in before the coil is now possibly NOT making good contact due to the coil being painted black. I simply clean off the paint where the metal strap makes contact and ALSO the wire that is screwed to the topside of the coil...I clean teh paint off the coil there also...and then check it with my ohmmeter.

8.) If this problem happens even when the engine is still fairly cold...then I would not be so suspect that the ignition module is the problem. But I still make sure that the special grease is UNDER it where it is screwed to the base of the distributor.

DUB

 

Is your timing light a 'dial back' one so you can measure the timing advance at various rpm. Perhaps make sure that the timing curve is functioning and correct?

 

 

This is a first step, of course. I do have a dial back timing light and i will plot the curve.