Hello how is everyone new member and first time vette owner well ill get right to it I bought an 86 pace car from the original owner last weekend. In Loomis (outside Sacramento) drove it all the way home ( Bakersfield) no problem in fact I was taken by surprise cause everything works even the original seats moved easily but to the point came home parked it in the garage and back to the work week comes Saturday and she wants to give me attitude she cranks but doesn't want to start so first thing I looked at is battery it is pretty recent 8-17-2015 manufacturer date (threw the charger on it anyway and less than 15 it was full charge) so tried starting it again and same thing again NO START ( but this time I laughed and got a beer out of my garage fridge cause hey IT'S ALLWAYS SOMETHING and at least it happend at home and not in a parking lot miles from home) so I figure its eather the IGNITION COIL or the IGNITION CONTROL MANUAL or both it has 81k and change on the dash so I'm betting the original is in their so my question is I have never worked on vettes before and I'm not a tech but I do have some what comon sence so do any of you guy's got any advice for me on how to go about this thanks

 

Do you have fuel pressure and Spark, See if you can hear the fuel pump at the rear of your car, I've had mine fail after shutting it down at a gas station. I would go through the basics first. The guys on this forum are very good at diagnosing the problems a lot better than I am and hopefully will join in.

 

Pull any codes fuel pressure and spark. Don't forget the thermal grease.

 

I don't know good question how would I go about checking that but I do get a hum noise behind the driver seat I tried doing the slow ignition turn a few times ( thought I would hear something in front i guess) and I do have an OBD 1 tester I got for my 82 jeep J-10 gladiator it does have diffrent connectors ( chrystler was a part of gm back then) conection is under driver side dash right one of the reasons I got the pace car and not a c-5 and newer is I WANT TO LEARN and nothing to complicated you know and cruise around in a cool car the old lady doesn't like the pace car decals but not her car and I do one thing I learned all ready is looks like you got to make some ramps to get the front end up I wouldn't even try a jack

 

Just about any auto parts store can test the ignition module inside the distributor.

You might want to try the classic "fuel or spark" test: spray starting fluid into the throttle body and then try to start it. If it starts and runs a few seconds it's a fuel problem. If it doesn't it's a spark problem.

 

Well you have two of the A team working with you, they are great guys. Welcome to the Corvette world it can be fun and for the record my wife doesn't like the Pace Car decals either

 

and you can look on youtube to see how to pull codes using a paper clip.

 

Well I pulled the ignition Coil today and I think that's the culprit it was covered in orange dust and so was were it sits but nothing under the cap I would send pics but I don't know how ( my tech level is useing the tablet durring toilet time) oh yeah the date on the coil was 2-1-86 so yeah it was time I got a A.C DELCO replacement why not the last one made it this far so later today I'll throw it in. I'll let you I will say this the original owner kept the best records I have ever seen even car wash recites who does that he took care of that VATS problem in 98 and from what I hear that alone will ruin your day but never changed the ignition Coil so fingers crossed

 

I believe you need to put thermal grease under it. Just take a pic then hit the yellow mountain icon on the top of the box and it will tell you.

 

I agree about the grease and will try to send pic

 

well update sorry it takes so long job and not enough hours in the day well I put in the new ignition coil and ignition module (why not 30 💰 and it was their) so put those in and remember I have only drove the car once bringing it home from Loomis ca to Bakersfield ca put them both in NO START but it sounded underpowered so I tried again and noticed a DIC switch for volts it said 8.9 no need for voltmeter she dead (but I do have a Peter built 390 with 6 batteries so hooked it up let it run while I killed a beer watched my neighbor put up his Easter display right on his Christmas display on the roof 👍 well thats more than enough time to give it a try and NOTHING I thought a dead battery was part of the problem (still is) but what am I missing it should have at least started hooked up to the truck i don't get it it was fine here all the way from Loomis now nothing the old lady thinks its funny but she forgot about that 6000 💰 dashboard for that crapy b.m.w 850 and thats without labor yeah that was fun all that to fix the gas gauge and I don't want the vette to be that f in the a that bimmer is so what am i missing I don't want to say fuel but as I said only drove it once

 

and
I checked the grounds the hard way used company f-450 with hydrolicgate and a oilfields widefork fork lift to get under her (no damage the hydrogate had front and I was in the fork giving her 35 degree travel (wheel movment) and got under her saw the usawell oil mess BUT grounds I could see were in place clean and. Secure but I'm sure their are 50 more i don't see so any help is welcome WTF

 

Remove battery. Charge overnight. Bring it to a battery shop for a test.

Next we check the spark. Do you have a blue flame and is it regular when cranking?

What is the fuel pressure?

 

The battery is dead and 8 years old was thinking about getting one of those OPTIMA RED TOP but the guys at NAPA (my store been going their for years they have allways gotten what I needed in a hurry and they belive in customer service) they said for a corvette that red top is more fashion than functional idk but I'm not trying to power an r.v and I live in Bakersfield ca and that 3 month 115 degree weather is right around the corner (every summer I see a parade of shut down cars ALL MAKES on the side of the 99 from the heat) and I say that to say this regardless of brand I usually replace batteries every 2 years just so I won't be in the parade (don't think my girl would be waveing at people smiling) as for fuel preasure idk I got to go to harbor freight and get a tester and then what do I do I noticed the vette has fuel rails so I'm GUESSING checking at the end of the rail and spark well I have aluminum heads so I'll have to figure that one out (could use the alternator bracket. But my friend a tech in Santa Barbara smoked this guys testarosa doing that) but thanks for the help I feel like this be done WITHOUT spending big dollars

 

OK. You got me confused.

First off, I wouldn't worry about an 8 yo battery since most of mine give up the ghost by 6. My MB battery seems to last and last forever. 3 months after I got my 91 Firebird, the battery died. Replaced under warranty. 3 months later, it died. Each time they checked everything and this was during winter and spring. After that, the battery lasted over 5 years with no issue. I take the battery out every winter and test it. If you leave it sit all winter, you have a problem. Hook up a maintainer or run the car. Your call. Optima from what I heard doesn't fit without some work. I have always used standard batteries that drop in. Secondly, I chased what seemed like a battery problem. Wouldn't turn over till jumped. Tested battery and it was fine. Checked starter and found it was problematic. So before I go replacing batteries every 2 years, I'd check the starter and cabling.

IIRC, the schrader valve is on the passenger side rail on the back. I haven't had a stock rail for a while. Try

.
What has aluminum heads got to do with anything? They ground just the same. What do you think your spark plugs ground to when they screw into the head?

PS. It would make it easier to read a long bunch of words if you broke it into paragraphs with punctuation.

 

well good to know but I just got the car and only drove it once. But good to know that their is a way to shut it down for long periods.
And I was thinking starter for the fact how hard it was to get off the ground (I will make ramps when I get 5 min) anyways I think starter to cause the original owner. Was elderly and not verry mobile so I don't think he ever lifted it.
And had some guy in a van come to his house for maintenance. I will check the fuel pressure though just to be thorough. Then spark while I'm their.
I will admit it did look like the original starter when I was under their this is my first vette so I'm learning as i go
Could it be as easy as a simple starter and battery.
And stupid question how are you guys getting your vette off the ground the way I did was not safe wouldn't like to do it again and I see they sell plastic ramps for 300 💰 but it only gets the front up 8 inches so how you doing it

 

If you are winter storing, I would get a can of fuel stabilizer, double strength it since I don't trust the manufacturer's recommendation, fill the car to the max, drive it home and fill up with a gas can if you have a long ways to go. I don't want water condensation. Come spring, dump a can of gas dry. Over the winter, you get a battery maintainer to keep it charged.

I don't know what to say about your starter. You need a good rebuild shop so they can take it apart. I have tried Autozone for starter and alternator testing. They said it was OK and when I brought it to be disassembled, I see burned or oiled up internals. Like looking at girls. You don't know if she is really a D cup or it is a padded bra.

Lets start easy. Change battery. While we are there, I always like to check if the alternator is good. IMO a bad alternator doesn't charge a battery well and kills it and a bad battery could stress out the alternator. If it is, good. If not, check the starter draw. If it is too high, you may have a bad cable. If not, to to the starter next and have it disassembled.

Like many guys (Not me ), they tell women that size matters not. 8 inches is plenty depending on what you are trying to do. R&R a motor or trans or rear end? No. If you have LT headers, it is going to be difficult to do a starter. I'd ramp it so that I can get the front off the ground, jack it up with a hockey puck on the jack placed at the right locations as shown in your owner's manual. Take the wheel off for more clearance.

 

Thanks for the advice. And a co-worker of mine was talking about those hockey puck things and jacking up both sides at the same time. Like the tire off approach. Looks like the tire will be in the way to get that pannel off for the battery anyway. I'll just get a new battery anyway just to take care of that problem.
And i agree with the starter passing a test but still be crap been stuck in a parking lot with that verry story

Plus I can get a new battery and starter with a heat sheild and still be under the cost of that optima battery

Besides even if I'm wrong and it's neather one I can still kill a few beers in the garage do something productive. Honestly I'm gonna feel stupid if all it was. Is just a starter

All the effort for nothing 😄 I took a company truck and big fork lift just to get a vette off the ground😄

 

The side panel comes off to get to the battery not the tire. Lol
If original starter get it rebuilt.

 

I have taken it off by taking the ECM and cruise control off since I don't like to risk body panels.