Help help ignition problem
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,898
Likes: 0
From: Oklahoma City Oklahoma
3 things in order...
1. Battery
2. Alternator
3. VATS (doubtful)
If in fact it IS your VATS, which I don't think it is, when you turn your key to start the car, there would be no reaction, BUT, your lights wouldn't dim. Your VATS is strictly the ignition, and has no effect on the other functions in the car ie: lights, dash, etc.
1. Battery
2. Alternator
3. VATS (doubtful)
If in fact it IS your VATS, which I don't think it is, when you turn your key to start the car, there would be no reaction, BUT, your lights wouldn't dim. Your VATS is strictly the ignition, and has no effect on the other functions in the car ie: lights, dash, etc.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,139
Likes: 482
From: H-Town Texas
so more update.first off i dont have a obd reader to get codes and the car isnt running enough to get it to the shop. it starts when it wants to but after a few minutes the dash lights and LCD screen go out completely. after you turn off the car it wont start. i cleaned up the battery and after reconnecting the cables it started fine then went out again
Some one was saying check the vats.....i dont know what that is or where it is help? could this possibly be an alternator problem as well? yesterday while the dash was on i watched the volt meter(while the car was on but not cranked) run from 14.9 to 11.0 in about 30 seconds.
if it is electrical this car may be for sale soon
Some one was saying check the vats.....i dont know what that is or where it is help? could this possibly be an alternator problem as well? yesterday while the dash was on i watched the volt meter(while the car was on but not cranked) run from 14.9 to 11.0 in about 30 seconds.
if it is electrical this car may be for sale soon
I doubt it's an alternator problem, because this would mean that you would be driving on battery power, and you wouldn't get very far with an LT1 on just battery power.
It's probably not the starter because the engine cranks, a bad starter would not do that.
Could be fuel. Bad pump, clogged filter, causing slow/no fuel delivery.
Could be optispark, but you would probably experience problems when car was running, plus the ses light would come on. I would think.
But if it were me, I would try a battery first and check connections from the battery to the starter first. A weak battery can run accessories yet not have enough power to turn the starter effectively.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 422
Likes: 6
From: Daly City California
Vats is not your trouble. If it were, when you turned the key, absolutely nothing would happen, no crank, no click, no nada. I would not worry about stuff like the LCD displays, interior lights, etc. It is very possible that they have nothing to do with your no start problem. I am not a big fan of throwing parts at a problem, but you have yet to mention the age of your battery. If it is anywhere near 3-5 years, just go get a new one. Alot of your starting issues sound like battery problems. At least this will eliminate one variable. The LCD could be a loose bulb.
I doubt it's an alternator problem, because this would mean that you would be driving on battery power, and you wouldn't get very far with an LT1 on just battery power.
It's probably not the starter because the engine cranks, a bad starter would not do that.
Could be fuel. Bad pump, clogged filter, causing slow/no fuel delivery.
Could be optispark, but you would probably experience problems when car was running, plus the ses light would come on. I would think.
But if it were me, I would try a battery first and check connections from the battery to the starter first. A weak battery can run accessories yet not have enough power to turn the starter effectively.
I doubt it's an alternator problem, because this would mean that you would be driving on battery power, and you wouldn't get very far with an LT1 on just battery power.
It's probably not the starter because the engine cranks, a bad starter would not do that.
Could be fuel. Bad pump, clogged filter, causing slow/no fuel delivery.
Could be optispark, but you would probably experience problems when car was running, plus the ses light would come on. I would think.
But if it were me, I would try a battery first and check connections from the battery to the starter first. A weak battery can run accessories yet not have enough power to turn the starter effectively.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 4,738
Likes: 15
From: OC Calif
St. Jude Donor '10
No, that's the asr stuff 
- I just looked, no such thing as BSM- it's a CCM (just for kicks). Central Control Module. It's looks like it's located deep inside the dash but trying to get at it would be your last resort. The CCM allows you to run codes, including on itself. There's a good 12 pages dedicated to the procedure to get codes, troubleshooting etc. in the Factory Service Manual. You should look on ebay and get one.
Go here, go down to 'Sequential Code Recovery' where it shows grounding A and G
http://www.corvettephotographs.com/c4vettes/codes.htm
edit- location per another forum : The CCM definitely needs to come out on the drivers side, as it is bolted to the driver's side inner knee bolster. The Right hand side of the CCM has two large plastic alignment pins that slide into the passenger side inner knee bolster.
A warning to all, if you don't HAVE to take your CCM out, don't do it!!! Had I listened to others that swore the CCM wasn't causing my problems, I would be driving my car after reinstalling the IP. Instead I now have both seats and most of the interior out just so I could get the CCM to seat properly. The CCM mounting bracket was quite a PITA as well, I wasn't able to get all of the bolts back in until I removed the drivers seat and could lay on my back to see up under there.
- I just looked, no such thing as BSM- it's a CCM (just for kicks). Central Control Module. It's looks like it's located deep inside the dash but trying to get at it would be your last resort. The CCM allows you to run codes, including on itself. There's a good 12 pages dedicated to the procedure to get codes, troubleshooting etc. in the Factory Service Manual. You should look on ebay and get one.Go here, go down to 'Sequential Code Recovery' where it shows grounding A and G
http://www.corvettephotographs.com/c4vettes/codes.htm
edit- location per another forum : The CCM definitely needs to come out on the drivers side, as it is bolted to the driver's side inner knee bolster. The Right hand side of the CCM has two large plastic alignment pins that slide into the passenger side inner knee bolster.
A warning to all, if you don't HAVE to take your CCM out, don't do it!!! Had I listened to others that swore the CCM wasn't causing my problems, I would be driving my car after reinstalling the IP. Instead I now have both seats and most of the interior out just so I could get the CCM to seat properly. The CCM mounting bracket was quite a PITA as well, I wasn't able to get all of the bolts back in until I removed the drivers seat and could lay on my back to see up under there.
Last edited by socalman; Jul 21, 2010 at 07:17 PM.
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Intermediate
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 43
Likes: 0
Something similar happened to me. The car would fire up every day then once in a while would not start. I would leave the car for 30-40 minutes, come back and it would fire right up. The guy who is changing my A/C system out looked at it and it was the battery. The battery had loose posts. The battery is being changed out as we speak.
I posted before that it was my battery with loose posts that caused the car not to start, but it turns out it wasn't. New battery, still won't start sometimes when cold. My mechanic found it was a short in the neutral safety switch and is putting a new on in tomorrow. Cost of the switch $30.00. Of course this is only for auto transmissions.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 422
Likes: 6
From: Daly City California
Well a buddy of mine came over and we broke open the dash. There are three relays under the dash to the left of the steering column that are for the starter and the security system. We bypassed it and grounded it out, now the car seems fine. Well this is the third time I thought it was solved so let's see how it lasts
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 422
Likes: 6
From: Daly City California
sooooooooooooooooooo guess what! the car after working for a few days now cranks over but wont start i thought maybe the fuel was low so filled it with a gas can and nothing still. the car has a new battery and new terminals so thats not it. soooo it turns over it started a few times but after a few seconds of running it dies......the fuel pump is priming i can here it....so what now
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 422
Likes: 6
From: Daly City California
well i cant pull codes cuz i dont have an obd1 and the fuel pressure was fine after i changed the pump
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 6,842
Likes: 285
From: Palmdale CA
Secondly, while you may have changed the pump and checked the pressure back then, what set of circumstances says that the fuel pressure regulator is still good or not?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 8,041
Likes: 2
From: EOF ★ Kaliforniastan ★
St. Jude Donor '10
No no I'm just kidding, sorry.
