My 1986 has been acting kinda funny starting up-- not that smooth flow of power if you know what I mean when I turn the key to the starter. It kind of hesitates like the battery is weak... But the battery, always on a DieHard digital maint charger, appears fine showing a charge of "95%".

So today i went to start it and it turned over for a half a second them nothing. when I got in the car, all door lights and dash were nice and bright when I turned the key.
Now I have no lights no power to anywhere. battery still says on readout "95%".

What did I do now?

 

Clean and tighten your battery connections if that does not work have your battery load tested.

If not maintance free check it's fluid leval.

 

I don't know if this factors in, but a mechanic friend of mine told me a few years ago my battery lead(s) were bad. Since I didn't seem to experience any problems I ignored his advice to replace them.

• how do I know if that's correct?
• what are the symptoms?
• are they easy to replace?
Thanks

 

Inspect and test
Your seeing it
Never done one

 

The same happened to my lt1 this morning, started up weak. I normally hear the straight pipe exhaust roar to life, not so this A.M. Two plugs were loose

 

 

I see, so it could be the battery terminal bolts instead of the battery cables...? Good video.

 

Or loose conection on starter or bad starter!

 

while you are at it, make sure the wire is clean where it connects to the terminal bolts.

 

Saturday- gonna see whast up. Bought terminal bolts (didn't know these are replaceable.)

 

Also keep in mind that the negative battery cable needs to make a good connection where it bolts to the block. On the side of the block above the oil filter.

 

So Im guessing its not the starter enable relay since I have no power anywhere...?

 

Start at the battery pull the bolts out of the cables and clean inspect all the way down the cables and clean and tighten all feel for weak spot in the cables. Make sure your battery is good with a load test.

 

Thanks everyone for the tips...

Here's what happened. My mechanic /racing buddy came by to lend a hand. I couldn't even get the hood open on the 86 as my 69 was on the auto lift above it, so we had to roll out the 86 to open the massive hood.

We cleaned the terminal bolts and he asked me for some jumper cables to "test" the battery.

Confused I gave him the cables where he used a very scientific method to test the battery. He touched the live ends to each other! "yeah you got plenty of juice" he said.

We hooked up the terminals and lots of dash lights and the headlamps when turned on were nice and bright. But no ignition !

Then I heard a constant clicking... Then it occurred to me... THE aftermarket security system (I had disconnected the annoying siren years ago..)! When the battery is disconnected then reconnected, the alarm arms and kills the startup.

I had to fiddle around under the dash to find the security button and get the sequence I always forget to over ride the kill switches. (the FOB never seems to help). Finally it started after screwing around. Somehow now Ive got the alarm in some mode that to start the car I MUST turn the key half way the THEN press the hidden plunger switch.

Soooo annoying. I wish I could remove the $$$ alarm system that was installed 25 years ago. The installer is long out of business. Its a "Steal Stopper" brand. I am reluctant to take it to a stereo/alarm shop with teenagers to do the uninstall as they could make it WORSE...

 

When my brother bought his vette he had the same problem. It really isn't hard to disconnect. Under the dash you should see the box. The wires are color coded meaning that if you see a wire(s) that have been cut you would remove the wire coming from the after market box and splice the original(s) back together. Good luck

 

I'll look at the alarm wiring this weekend. Today it started up w/o having to fiddle with the alarm immobilizer switch and trying various key turn combinations.
I had the alarm installed in 1990 when I first got the car and lived in a condo w/o a garage. Now I don't need it...