OK after I typed this I realised it is a long story.
Sorry about that.

Today I was sitting in line at the bank waiting to cash my check and all of a sudden my radio made a popping sound then the car dies and everything electrical shut off then it came right back on. I tried to start the car and it turned over just a moment then everything died again this time did not come back on. Luckily I was in a very slight downward slope and was able to get out of the way without making a big scene.

So I popped the hood and looked and found the positive cable was loose.
(I had recently been warned about the ground on Corvettes so last week I bought a battery terminal that would let you add an extra cable to it and added an extra ground cable to the frame)

When I did the work on the ground I cleaned the hot terminal and I am 99.9% sure I tightened it up so either I am wrong or the vibration of the car loosened it.

Back to the problem.
After I tightened the cable back the car still would not turn over.
Everything else was working fine. Voltmeter showed 12.2 volts.

I turned on the headlights and when I tried to crank it the lights did not dim at all. I thought I may have not got it in park good so I tried in neutral and park again. Still nothing.
I got out and checked the cables again even though I knew this was not the problem. Still nothing.
Next I think ok just short the terminals on the solenoid. This was a good thought but I am not the smallest person and the Vette is not the best car for getting under while on the ground. I got to where I could see the started but could not reach it. (I did find that my starter appears to have been replaced recently though)

I try one more time just for the heck of it and still nothing.
So I give up and admit defeat and call a rollback to come get me.
While I am waiting I try again and bam it starts right up with and the starter sounds fine.
I called the wrecker back and cancelled and went home.
I have tried to start it several times and it starts fine every time.
I have no idea what was wrong.
Does anyone have any ideas?

 

tthis is what yr vette?

 

Starter Relay ?????? What Year was That again ???

 

check for a loose cable at the starter
it happened something similar to me with a thirdgen
it was a burnt cable that was near the exhaust
replaced it and that was it

 

sorry,
it was a 1986

I will take it and put it up on a rack and check the starter cable.

 

....but my guess would be if the pos cable was loose you could have been having trouble recharging the battery properly.

These electronic cars are power hogs and I know on my 90 12.2v isn't enough to even get much of a reaction if I hit the key.

I'd check the starter for loose connections anyway but my bet is the loose pos cable at the battery was the issue. JMHO.


Tom

 

See if your security light is flashing or solid. Maybe you triggered the security system and was blocking you out. Lock all the doors and reopen starting with the passenger door. Don't ask me why I just did it when I got blocked out one time.

 

I am going to venture a guess that you have a new or almost new battery. Right or Wrong????

 

I have had a similar problem on my 91 Blazer. After I tried every accessory , it finally started like there was nothing wrong in the first place and has been trouble-free for the past year or so. Does the alarm system lock up the starter when the battery dies? Just a thought. Disconnect the battery in the driveway and see if the same thing happens. It did to mine. Anyway easy to try.

 

Now that you mention it, I do remember the security light being on and maybe flashing.
I did not even think of that.

Would I have had to use the key to unlock the door to reset that?
I did not. basically I sit there waiting on the wrecker for about 10 minutes then just tried it again and it started right up.


To answer another question.

I have only had this car for 3 weeks and I have not replaced the battery and it does not look new.

 

You could have a VATS problem. A C4 your age is subject to worn contacts in the ign lock that make connection to the pellet in your key. No or poor connection, then the VATS module doesn't see the correct resistance and won't close the start enable relay and thus your ign sw can't close the starter solenoid in the starter and NO CRANK! You could also have a dieing clutch safety switch (gear selector sw if automatic). Next time it won't crank, unplug the clutch safety sw and jump the socket and try a crank. If no crank, then measure the voltage on the jumper during a crank attempt. If you have 12v and no cranking then you have a defective battery, bad battery cable connections, or a defective starter/solenoid. If no 12v, then you have a VATS problem. Remove the kick panel above the drivers feet and find the 2 wires from the steering column that go to a 2 pin connector and unplug. Insert key in ign and measure the resistance across the wires from the steering column. It should measure the same as the pellet. If more than 4% from the pellet or over 13k ohms, you have defective contacts in the ign lock that make connection to the pellet and you need to schedule a replacement lock. You can temporarily bypass VATS by connecting a fixed resistor the same value as your pellet across the 2 pins on the socket from the harness (goes to the VATS module). You can use a 1/4 watt 5% resistor from Radio Shack, but it must be withing 4% of your pellet resistance. Do not permanently bypass VATS because 99% of thefts are done by bashing the column and jumping the ign.

 

I was looking for a simple cause/correction. Logic said it died from the loose cable. Then 12.2V is very low and might not have been enough to crank it over. A good battery will often start a vehicle after sitting for a short time, and don't ask me how they 'self recharge', but I have seen it happen more than a few times. The VATS suggestion is actually a good possibility, not sure how voltage sensitive it is but JFB has certainly done a good job of explaing the system. ps--keep the 'pellet' on your key clean.
Only 3 weeks--nice! Welcome to the C4 experience.

 

Check your ground wire to the battery. Years back I worked for AAA and that was a pretty common problem, with those symptoms.