Ok Here it goes,
My 86 vette always starts when I go to work in the morning.
It always starts when I get off from work.
After driving for a while I turn the car off and wait for 5 minutes it doesn’t start.
I turn the key and I get all normal things like lights/horn/dash lights.
Then after about 1 hour it starts.
What’s up with that?
Please help!!!
Thanks
EBM257

 

Expand on your answer a bit, does it crank and crank and just not start?
Or do you not even hear the starter turn?

 

Sounds like a starter getting heat soaked...when you turn the key to start does it make any sound,cranking over or etc?
Sometimes leaking injectors or a fuel problem can cause this as well.Theres also dirty key pellets and vats but I doubt thats whats wrong.

 

If you starter is not cranking or attempting to crank, it sounds like yet another intermittent problem with the VATS. A good way to fix this issue is to first get a hold of an 86 GM Shop Manual and a digital multi meter. Once you have that, you'll find there are excellent troubleshooting charts just for this very problem. The next thing you will need is to be in a position to do the checks in the shop manual while the car is in it's little no start condition fit. Otherwise, everything will check out fine when it's starting regularly and you won't find the problem. I had the exact same issue and for me it was the starter enable relay located behind the service engine soon light panel.

If this is your daily driver, I would not put this off. I did, and finally the vette never started back up again.

In case of an emergency, cary a long piece of wire with you in the car. If your vette won't start up after waiting, you can simply jump that wire from the positive battery terminal directly to the small terminal of stater solenoid, after leaving the key in the on position. This will bypass everything and will crank the car so you can at least get home. You'll have to do that each time you shut the car off.

 

Im not sure, but could it be the VATS?

The same thing happened to me, except I was stranded 30 miles from home. It ended up being the starter motor was going bad. Someone told me i could just bang it a couple times with a hammer. That sounded soo stupid but it happened again. Hammer trick worked like a charm.

 

No crank/no starter sound/no relay sound/no nothing!!!!
Thanks for the fast reply!!!

 

Vats:
Vehicle
anti
theft
system

 

Thats what happened with my former 86...it was notorious for heat sokaing the starter/solenoid.The precats they added that year didnt help either.I even had this problem after putting new starters in...they would last a few months and then start heat soaking,resulting in no crank over after repeated short trips.The hammer,I kept in the car and was very handy to have when it wouldnt start after I restarted a few minutes later..I also noticed once I eliminated the front Precats,The heat soak problem went away.

 

No sound at all!!!!
No clicks/No Starter/Nothing
I have 4 new keys and none of them work.
Thanks for the fast reply!!!!!

 

Mine did these and it wasnt the Vats...the solenoid didnt always click...but dont dismiss the vats trouble,not trying to confuse you.They can have similar symptoms.

 

Here's a test that you can do now if you have a multi meter, that will tell you for sure if the problem is the starter or something in the VATS.

Next time it does not want to start, unbolt that single wire on the small terminal of the starter solenoid. It's the one closest to the engine. Now attach one end of a volt meter to it, and the other to ground. Have someone in the car try and crank it over. If you don't see battery voltage, it's not the starter. It's something in the VATS system. If you do see battery voltage when cranking, quickly connect that wire back on to the starter. If it does not start, it's the starter.

 

Sorry Stupid me.
What are Precats?
I am only 6 year vette owner.
Always wanted a vette since i was 16.
Will not drive anything else.

 

Thats a great tech tip!

 

Front Y pipe has 2 small catalytic converters called precats and they connect to the main larger catalytic converter under the car.Was used for emissions and warm up.They hold ALOT of heat.the 84-85 Vettes did NOT have those precats.86 and up got them.

 

The two catalytic converters found on stock '86 front Y pipes.

 

Great!!!
Thanks for the tip.
I did buy a new starter a few years ago and the moron that
put it in new nothing about vettes and neither did I.
He bypassed the vats system and wired it to the battery!!!!
Thats messed up!!!!!
It is still wired that way!!!!
What do you think?
Thanks again

 

Well, that kinda throws a monkey wrench into this equation.

Bottom line though, the starter wants battery voltage at the small terminal when the key in in the crank position only. It does not care how or where it comes from, it just wants it to be able to spin when it's working and gounded properly. I'd check to see if that is happening or not, when the no crank deal is present. That will at least tell you if it's the starter or elsewhere.

Here's a pic of the pre-cats.

 

The catalytic converter is making a lot of rattling noise?
Will check it out and thanks.

 

Thats great and thanks for the info and pics!!!!

 

How did he bypass the vats?Can you elaborate more?Did he leave some wires off the starter and run something to the battery terminals?