Hello all,

Been dweling the forum and need some help pinpointing a starting problem.


Here is a overview.

1988 corvette 4-3

Replaced clutch, replaced both clutch slave cylinders.

Got everything hooked up and turned the key and nothing. Security light was flashing. Figured it out and used a vats bypass chip. Went back to start it and nothing again. But.. Security light does not come on. I don't get anything. Just a click that comes from the dash. Checked the clutch start switch but to no avail.

I jumped the starter and the car starts right up.

I am stumped... Any help will be appreciated.


Thanks
Al

 

well,
in a situation like this, IIWM, I would go back and un-do all the bypassing etc and get it back to STOCK so it can be diagnosed properly. Hard to diagnose when things are not as described in the book.

Ignore the security light.
That can flash/not for many reasons. Its NOT how to diagnose a VATS problem.

#1 rule of thumb (s) in mechanical work...

"if something stops working or fails to work immediately after work has been done, GO TO THAT repair and inspect ALL the work and related items...wiring, harness, switches etc."

Lets say the clutch is done, car won't start. I'd go directly to the clutch safety switch AND go thru the wiring to the switch and the harness section under the car that has the starter wires. Go thru ALL the work that was performed. The problem lies there.

Was the starter removed ? if so, were the wires replaced exactly as they were? Tight? No wobbly electrical studs on the solenoid?
These solenoids are famous for having contacts burn inside, either from the bolt/stud becoming loose so inside or from physical damage that loosens the stud. Everything is right, BUT the starter will not work.
Go back thru all the work done.

Blame Game.


"VATS will leave you standing on the side of the road when/if it breaks". The famous excuse for getting wire cutters out and "deleting" the security system...
A flat tire will also park you. So will a broken belt, or any number of other mechanical or electrical parts. We don;t delete the tires or the engine accessories if a belt breaks 'cause it'll stop you from driving? No, we FIX it with new parts or replacement parts. Whichever you have access to. Point being, that even VATS can be repaired, just not understood.

The FSM set is a great resource for the diagrams, ANY electrical and 99.999% of all mechanical questions.

The FSM has a test series to evaluate VATS health. VATS can fail in several ways BUT there are only 2 ways that effect the starter motor...

The starter enable relay and/or the VATS module itself.

Yes, the key switch can be a problem BUT that's only the key and switch. IF the switch was part of THIS problem the engine would NOT be able to fire and after jumping the starter...VATS has to see the correct resistance from the ignition switch/key DURING starter operation otherwise you can drag it across town trying to bump-start it and nothings gonna happen. A bad key switch/key will also cause the fuel inj permissions to be cut, as well as the starter enable.
So, if you jumped the solenoid and got the engine to start that way, with the key ON I assume, the key and switch are OK.

next, on the VATS merry go round, would be the enable relay.
Get inside the center display and find the relay behind the display panel. Find the 2 big yellow wires going to a relay. ID the green w/wht stripe wire. Jump a yellow to this green/white stripe. This bypasses the enable relay and the starter can operate IF the relay was/is the problem. if nothing happens, test for voltage on the yellow wires and go from there...This is where you need the FSM to go further. BUT, that would indicate the clutch safety switch has issues of some sort.

Key is ok, relay is ok, clutch switch is ok... the VATS module is least likely of ALL the vats stuff to fail. besides, it would be a huge coincidence for such an unrelated part to fail after doing work on other parts that DO cause the same problem...

Go back to the clutch pedal and switch. look at that with a DVM and watch the meter when its opened/closed. SEE it working... see what adjustments are needed. The problem is there.
Again, if it started by jumping the starter solenoid, its not VATS.
A faulty VATS module would have also shut down the injection.,

what are you calling a VATS bypass "chip" ??? A resistor in the steering column cable?
That's more of a key bypass and not necessarily a real VATS bypass.

I hope there is something here that will help guide you. Getting the FSM is the 1st step in doing ANY diagnosis on computer cars. Throwing parts and guessing gets expensive and frustrating.
been there done that...

Good luck, DO go back and look again at the clutch switch and related wiring.

 

on 88 the security light has nothing to do with vats

 

Check the starter enable relay if your hearing a click in the dash. See vatssucks.com for more information.

 

If the relay is clicking then it might be a problem in the relay itself. It could also be in the wiring between the relay and the starter solenoid. You could try bridging between the connections at the starter relay to see if that causes the solenoid to work. Connect the yellow and green/white wires together. The clutch switch is in that circuit, so it needs to be working.

I've had trouble getting to vatssucks.com, but this link works:

http://www.joestradingpost.com/vats/

 

Ok guys thanks for the heads up. Yes, I am getting a click from the dash. I just jumped the relay itself now but I still get the same clicking. Do I leave the relay unplugged or vice versa?

 

One more thing, I jumped the clutch safety switch and tried to get a volt reading but I get nothing the ignition is turned on..

 

Alright, tested the far yellow wire and got a reading of 10.71 volts. Tested the green\white wire and got a reading of 10.71 volts when key was turned to the cranking position.

So my problem is beyond that... Going to test the starter now.

 

Now I jumped the little black wire post from the starter to the hot wire on the starter and the car cranks over and runs. When I was working on putting the starter back on it fell out and hit me in the head and hit the concrete floor pretty good. Not sure if that has any thing to do with it.