Hello, everyone! I am new to the forum and owning my very first C4 Corvette so bare with me! I am not very mechanically inclined but I am trying to get better!

Late September I was at my girlfriend's family's house and went to go start the Corvette. It ended up taking a few tries, but it did eventually start. The next day, it did not. I had my girlfriend's dad help it get started and miraculously it did after a lot of cranks and having another car to try to jump it. Wasn't sure of what the heck was wrong with it then. I did not shut it off after that because I was worried it would not start again and ended up driving it immediately straight home after we got it started where I parked it in the garage. It has now been sitting for more than a month. I have attached jumper cables and let it charge with my other car in case it was discharged in any way. I have done that a few times over the last month, and even with a lot of cranks, I cannot get it to start. The only thing I hear when I try to start is a SINGLE CLICK. I would assume this is the sound from the starter solenoid trying to engage and hitting the contacts.

Now after doing some digging and thinking it was the starter solenoid, I bought a little kit to replace the contacts and the plunger. When I took off the starter and dove into it, I saw the contacts and initially thought it was the main problem because they were VERY worn down. I replaced them and the plunger and put it back together. I went to go start it and.... nothing. The single click from the starter solenoid again.

Starter relay problems maybe? But would I even get that single click if something was wrong with that? As I turn the key, the lights and dash dim a bit as they would when actually trying to start it. I am now so very completely stumped and need guidance from people who are much more knowledgeable than me in this matter. Please let me know of anything I can do and will take any suggestions! Thanks for the help!

 

Have you pulled on the battery connections? if they're loose this click thang will happen. (there are other connections you could check, but that's the first and easiest one)

 

try to jump start with another car. You either have loose contacts or a bad battery and or starter

 

I have disconnected the battery before when working on the starter to get to the solenoid and had taken them out and put them back in. I will make sure tonight, but the rest of my car's electric things do turn on.

 

I have unfortunately tried jumping very recently and let it sit and charge up for a bit. Tried to crank, but still the single click.

 

starter can be bad too

 

As another poster above suggested, check your battery terminal connections. In these 12 volt systems sometimes even a little corrosion can prevent starting. If it passes that test, be systematic about it. Check the battery cables for voltage drop. The large post with red cable should have constant 12 volt voltage, the wire on the solenoid should receive voltage when attempting to start. Also check your ground, The starter body is case grounded and should have continuity to ground. If all these pass, then remove the starter again and test it for functionality. If you're unsure about how to perform this, just take it to an auto parts store and they usually have an instrument which tests starters. (I would take it to a location where you can watch them perform this in case you get a lazy employee who just brings it back to you and says its bad without testing it or hooks it up wrong...)

As an interesting note, a few days ago I was working on a John Deere tractor. It would not start and it turned out to be just a thin layer of corrosion on the contacts.

 

not sure if this might be giving you grief, but there is a starter relay (i believe they call it VATS, for the Vehicle Anti Theft) behind the center console. Hopefully this link will show you. IMHO it is completely useless and is easily bypassed with a jumper wire. I would eliminate this as a possibility now and for future. It was causing me grief, mine wouldn't start hot but it could also be your culprit.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ts-bypass.html

 

The VATS is not a starter relay but is involved when starting. However, if it is not working, you won't even get the click that the OP is experiencing.

 

it looks and behaves like a relay and they call it a relay. I ordered a replacement that is still in the box since the bypass made more sense. I don't think you have anything to lose trying the bypass. this is a pic of what I bought.

 

Should have bench tested when you had it out for contacts.

 

Looked in the garage to see if it was still in there😂

 

UPDATE: A new entire starter was purchased and installed. And.... I am still getting a single click. After installing the new starter, the voltage reading on the dash was quite low. I grabbed my other car and was reading around 12.8-13V with the cables attached. Again, wouldn't start with that dreadful single click. I took the cables off and parked the other car, came back after quite literally 5 minutes and now the car was pretty much dead. It was sitting at like 3.8V. At this point, I figured maybe it was the battery not providing enough amps to the starter motor to engage. I bought a new battery and had the old one tested before I switched them out to be certain and sure enough, the battery was sitting at around 3.8V. I installed the new battery at home and.... the single. damn. click.

At this point, it has to be some sort of wiring issue or other electrical issue. This is the part I am very uncertain about so any guidance is appreciated. Please bare with me if I ask a lot of questions!

 

I also looked for any grounds i could find to clean & snug them up. Battery cables good? Main ground seems to go to a crappy spot to get to and I have a 4 post lift at home to check from underneath.

Did you keep your old starter, or send in for core charge? I replaced starter but my OEM was better and is also original japanese (Denso). The new one probably needed some sort of pinion gear shim as it seemed like not working when mounted on car but when I bench tested it threw out the pinion gear. thankfully I hadn't sent in my OEM one yet so I was able to keep it and use it.

I also replaced my battery but my old one is at end of life as it will discharge when it sits.

And i still think bypassing the VATS solenoid behind centre console (radio area) is good idea, even if it doesn't fix current problem, it saves a future headache.

 

Just a thought, maybe a cylinder is hydro locked ?
Can you get any movement by hand turning motor ?
If you can, try jumping power from starter battery terminal to S terminal and see if it turns over. Might shed some light.