no start after drive
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
From: Warren Mi
no start after drive
We had our 88 out for a drive the other day , stopped for a few minutes and when i went to start the car, engine would not crank over ,i had power .guage showed 12 volts. So i had it flatbed towed home, rolled it off the truck into the garage. i turned the key just for the heck of it and the !@#%#!! started, by the time we got home an hour passed and the car cooled down. There are only 21k miles on this car and this is the first problem i've had in 4 years, i'm planning a long trip in acouple of weeks , at this point i don't want to drive it for fear it will happen again any ideas ??
Racer
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 409
Likes: 2
From: Toronto Ontario
The usual questions: could you hear the starter clicking when you turned the key? if not then time to change the starter. Also could be the VATS (anti-theft system), or if your car's a manual then the clutch has a safety switch on it that goes.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,456
Likes: 7
From: MichAgain
How old is the battery? Don't trust the dash gauge for a reading. Hook up a voltmeter and see how much voltage you have when sittiing w/ engine off; during cranking; and then while running. If the battery is 4 years old (or so) it could be the cells are getting weak and don't have the amps anymore. Could be corrosion or loose battery terminal so check and clean those as well as the opposite end of the ground to block. Could be altenator not charging enough. Someone already mentioned the starter. There could be more but these are all basic things to check first.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
From: Warren Mi
Battery is 2 years old ,bought car 4 years ago ,car was not driven very often ,had intake gasket leak and waterpump leak ,so while it was down ,changed those tuneup items , have had no problems at all, have driven 250 miles in a day no issues . no clicking at starter when key was turned . this happened on Sat and i have not had chance to start looking into problem.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
5 Best & 5 Worst Corvette Daily Drivers
Joe Kucinski
The Headlights of Every Corvette Generation Explained
Joe Kucinski
5 Best & 5 Most Overrated Corvette Track Packages of All Time!
Joe Kucinski
Every 2027 Corvette Engine Explained
Joe Kucinski
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Verdad Gallardo
10 Ugly Corvettes That We Still Kinda Love
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
Thread Starter
Advanced
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 64
Likes: 0
From: Warren Mi
Update on what i found so far. I got a code 46 when i scanned the car . book says, VATS system so i'm looking into that ,also i got car up on ramps to look at the starter and found corrosion on both connections , the starter and cables are all original . battery also seems it might be a problem it's 4 years old and it's down to 11.2 volts after sitting 5 days. I thing it's time to replace these items, wife was not happy about riding home in a dirty tow truck !!
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 146
Likes: 0
From: Broadway Virginia
You might want to charge the battery and then hook up a amp meter between the negative terminal of the battery and the negative clamp of the battery to see if there is excessive parasitic drain on the battery, possibly due to a blown diode in the alternator or the like.
It still may just be a worn out battery.
It still may just be a worn out battery.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,456
Likes: 7
From: MichAgain
If the car sits a lot, make sure to get a battery tender for it, or disconnect the battery altogether. My C4s run down the battery fairly quick if not run often... this can kill a battery too. And watch for lights, especially in the glove box and console storage; if one of those stay on it's amazing how fast that little light will drain the battery enough to not start! Especially if there's corrosion on the connectors to the starter.