Need help with this one. I have been having a problem starting my 1968 corvette. It's not a battery problem as it is fully charge and relatively new. Some times it will start right up and other times I get nothing at all. No click click click just silence. I replaced the starter and solenoid and it started right up then the next time nothing. Does anyone have any ideas about this problem? Thanks in advance Ron

 

neutral safety switch. clutch safety switch

 

Thanks blue1972 but there is neither a neutral switch or a clutch switch on this 68 vette. I have had it since 1969. It is a stick but just can't seem to figure it out.

 

Have you tried starting the car with the Headlights on in a garage or where you could see if they dim? One guess would be the negative battery cable connection, also when it happens look at the ignition key, where the rod goes to an actual switch on the steering column. Report back and let us know what you find.

 

People forget that the 68 did not have a clutch safety switch. Clean and check the grounds. It could be your ignition switch. Get a cheap remote starter switch and connect and use it when the car won't start. Jerry

 

Ignition switch possibly. I had a similar issue in my 75, randomly would have a no start no click nothing.
if you cycle the key cylinder back and forth a few times will it start?

 

Clean the battery terminals well and ensure they are tight. Not kidding.

My 68 came with the leads for the neutral/clutch safety switch. Not sure when they started installed those leads but I had them jumpered on mine until I put in an automatic (now they're hooked up to the Auto shifter).

You can check to see those leads (and jumper) are there and perhaps loose.

.....but clean and tighten your battery terminals first --- it could be that easy.

 

Try to start the car, make sure it is in neutral. If it does not start leave the key on and jump the starter terminal S to battery feed. If it starts / turns over then its the wiring or switch. If not most likely the solenoid.

 

All excellent ideas. I went out to try the headlight and start idea and it started 4 times in a row. Still not taking it out till I find out what is wrong. I will clean the cables and make them perfect. I will try the key back and forth idea to check that and then I will replace the ignition switch. It is the original and I have over 78,000 miles on it. I expect this type of problem with my 63 split because I am the 15th owner on that car lol. but it starts every time. The 68 I am number 2 owner. I want to thanks each and ever one of you for your suggestions
. Stay safe. I'll get back to you.

 

If you still have a points ignition system, the condenser in the distributor may have gone kaput.

P.S. If your battery is giving up quickly, you can charge it with a battery charger and it might show as "charged". But, if the battery no longer has much capacity left, there won't be many cranking amps available.

 

The 1968 Corvette does not have the ignition switch on the steering column like the newer C3's did. On my 1968 it is on the dash and it doesn't have any interlocking mechanisms either.

Using a Multi-meter, set the multi meter up for recording the Min-Max mode and connect it to the battery itself. Now crank the engine with the battery connected and see how far down the battery voltage drops during cranking the car. Anything down below 10 volts is going to be a problem just as overcharging a battery to above 16 volts is starting to damage the electronic components used in my aftermarket devices like the MSD ignition box.

Based on my 34 years of experience with a 1968 BB C3 I can only tell you that I would start with the battery connections and grounds. The ground cable attaches to the frame below the drivers seat and it is a frequent culprit. The connection might look "perfect" but it needs to be cleaned and greased with Battery Grease before being re-assembled. Please, DO NOT USE DIe-Electric grease I would start by measuring the battery voltage in several places. First at the battery itself and then at the starter motor and finally at the alternator output. Then check your engine for a ground, this is vital and easy to check and critical for a good running engine. While measuring the voltage at the alternator simply move the ground wire to the engine block and the voltage should still be the same.

Is everything else electrical still working while this is going on?

If the battery is a few years old and has been living on a charger it is possible to get the electrolyte Stratified which causes the battery to wear out the lead plates faster where the acid concentration is higher. A stratified battery will also have a reduced capacity of amperage. The keep a battery from getting stratified you need to either drive the car for a few minutes while running or use a battery charger that is capable of gassing the battery while being charged. Gassing starts about 2.5 Volts per cell and only a powerful 10-15 amp charger can hit it, a battery tender is capable of getting the acid stratified because of the slow charge rate. I disconnect the battery from the car and charge it with a powerful charger every few months to help the battery keep it's full capacity and make it last longer.

I do not think the battery is causing the issues you are dealing with at this time. I believe it is a ground issue. Check your ignition coil as well why you are at it. The ignition coils have started failing more often on my C3 and they can do exactly what your engine is doing.

 

OOPS! I misread your initial post. It's not the ignition condenser. With your symptoms, it is important that the right-side frame ground wire from the frame to the RH motor mount is present and in good condition. That ground wire feeds to the front mounting bracket for the starter. If it is still there, check for bad connection joint, wire damage from aging where wire could be exposed to the elements, etc.

The next (and most likely) possibility is that your starter solenoid contacts are worn or carboned-up from years of electrical arcing during starts. To repair or replace, you need to drop the starter/solenoid assembly...but only repair/replace the solenoid. Your starter sounds like it is still fine, from your description in posts. If the starter has never been worked on, it would be a good idea to replace the starter brushes and the Bendix mechanism on the starter shaft, while you have it accessible.

 

T sounds like my issue when my ignition switch failed. Eventually it started getting worse and my accessories would randomly stop working. Dont bother with a repop switch. They are chinese garbage and arent even correct. One person here even had to rewire the plug because their switch wasnt correct.

Go to ebay and look for New Old Stock....nos. i found mine new in the box...had the tin top and bottom to the gm box. Pretty cool. I just pulled my key plunger and swapped them...no rekeying required

 

Replace the battery ground cable. Cleaning the terminals does nothing if the cable is bad

 

All of you are amazing. The battery is good and remember I was getting NOTHING when I turned the key then other times it would start right up. New starter and solenoid and still the same problem. Using another battery and jumpers to the s terminal it would start. So many of you said to check the ground and the cables and to clean the battery terminals and make sure they are tight and also the ground straps. Well I am embarrassed to tell you that I started to take off the battery terminals and I saw that they were the replacement ones that clamp the cable and as I was taking off the positive terminal the cable fell out of the clamp. UGH I barely pulled on it. I believe that the issue is now resolved--at least I hope so--but this seems to be it. Such a simple 101 fix I can't believe it. Looking at it you would think it was perfect. Crazy thanks again to all. Stay safe Ron

 

Welcome to the Corvette Forum FtKnox! We are glad you have joined us here on the Corvette Forum! This is THE place for accurate Corvette information!

I found that Tinning the end of the battery cable will make it easier to keep inside one of the battery cable ends. Clamping down on loose wire is not the easiest thing to do.

You can simply heat the wire up with a small torch and then add solder to the wire to fill the voids between the wires. Doing it this way has required me to use some Solder Flux before tinning the wires to get a good connection.
We used a Solder Pot which had liquid solder in it and dipped the crimped connectors in it before applying heat shrink. By Tinning the wires you will virtually stop corrosion and the connector will attach to the hard wire end without coming loose.

Be safe and Enjoy your Corvette!!

 

This is all good but do NOT use the torch near the battery. Get the battery out of there first.

 

Thank you ctmccloskey and carriljc funny you should say that. I did solder the end and I used a very strong soldering iron. Thanks again