JPSilvaggio

My 1985 corvette will not start. Going back over a year ago, If the car had anything below a half of a tank it would stall. When i hooked up a pressure gauge i got from Autozone to the fuel rail it said the pressure was 30. Also, there was a suspect water leak in the tank because after a rain storm it would not start. When i syphoned the gas it did not have the aroma of good gas.

Since then it has been one year of me working on it without starting it, I installed a new audio system, dyed the carpets, dynamated/foamed the whole car, drained the gas, installed a new fuel pump with new cork seal on the mounting, put a new gas cap, and put 4 gallons of the best gas mobil had in the area. The pressure gauge now reads 40 when attempting to start it. I know now that the gas tank is sealed because when I loosen the cap i get the hiss of air coming out.

From what i can tell so far, the battery is stone dead and will not accept any charge. Even after 30 minutes of jumping cables hooked up.. the dash goes dead as soon as i unhook them. The car will turn over when the jumping cables are hooked up, but not stay running. Although, it does sound like it wants to...

Correct me if i am wrong, but the car should still start even if it has a dead battery with the jumping cables hooked up, right? Also, on my numerous attempts of starting it up with the jumping cables hooked, I heard a ticking from under the hood. I narrowed it down to the first thing bolted onto the firewall in the passenger side that read something about 'coolant pressure'… This device was ticking fast and repeatedly until i unplugged the jumping cables.

In closing, Did i ruin this car by letting it sit outside without starting it for so long. It had a cover over on, but, it was not a weatherproof cover. It has a lot of sentimental value to me as it was what my dad left to me when he passed. Please help thanks.

Constable John P. Silvaggio

0Paul Ruggeri

Does the car actually start and die or crank and sound like it wants to start. I think I would start by replacing the battery.
Leaving the car outside shouldn't have caused any serious problems.

engle1147

a new battery would be a good place to begin.

Did you drain the fuel rails after you siphoned the old bad gas out? If not this could be part of the problem....those rails/lines hold a bunch of fuel.

Check the exaust to see if it is obstructed by critters that might have made a home in there while the car has been resting.

With the new battery installed shoot (5 seconds) some starting fluid into the TB and give her a crank and see if she'll fire up for a few seconds.

Mark85Vett

a stone dead battery will not take a charge from a jump start...or anything else. Like the above posts said...start with a fresh battery, bleed the lines of the stale gas, replace the fuel filter, and you should be good to go. When you have your car sitting for more than a week or two, its a good idea to connect the battery to a trickle charger to keep it charged up. Its a lot cheaper than buying a new battery every year.

Frizlefrak

I don't think you have any issues besides a dead battery and rotten fuel. Do what Mark says, and all should be well. 40 psi on the rail is just fine. If you have compression, pulsing injectors, timing and spark, with fresh fuel and a strong battery, she should light off just fine.

Also, as Engle pointed out, the fuel lines and rail hold a LOT of fuel. Flush them all thoroughly, replace the filter, and drain the tank completely and refill with fresh fuel.

Should be an easy fix.

JPSilvaggio

Thank you for reply. I had syphoned the tank and after disconnecting the fuel pump I went in with a rag and cleared the tank of all debrees. I never changed the fuel filter nor drained the fuel rail.

Also, I just gotten back from walmart as I had a three year warranty on the battery. They replaced it for free and i purchased new connectors. Only problem is getting the new connectors into that plastic tight plastic on the power lines.

JPSilvaggio

At this point I could be wrong, but, I believe it started for a turn or two and then shut down. but like someone pointed out i never drained the fuel rail yet..

JPSilvaggio

Engle, Please advice how I can drain the fuel rail properly.. Thanks.

engle1147

Sent you a follow-up PM

JPSilvaggio

engle1147,

Thank you for your continued support. It turned out, when I took the front dash apart, I unplugged the computer. As soon as replugged the harness, it fired right up.