No Power (new battery)
Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
No Power (new battery)
I bought a C4 and it was driving just fine. I left it sitting for a few weeks, got back in and started to crank it. It was cranking just fine just did not start. All of the sudden I lost all power. I took the cables off of the battery and while doing this they started sparking very bad....If I try to reconnect them they spark like crazy...The battery is good so I am assuming there is a short in the positive batter cable somewhere...I am very car dumb so any help would be greatly appreciated....thanks
Drifting
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,354
Likes: 325
From: San Antonio Tx
On my 86 all of the interior lights come on when the battery is connected. They will shut off automatically when the timer circuit times out. Some sparking is normal. Spark "like crazy" is not. The battery cable runs behind the motor to the starter. A smaller cable runs from the battery to a connector on the firewall behind the battery. Good luck and be careful. Burning Corvettes give off toxic fumes.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 9,061
Likes: 214
From: Epping NH
Need to know year, but sounds like you've got a short somewhere,
First I would eyeball every electrical connection under the hood an make sure nothing seems foo.
Then I would probably pull all fuses with the battery out, then connect a volt meter between negative battery post and negative battery lead. Use a meter that can support 10A at minimum (majority do) and set it to read amps in the mA range (ie 20mA).
On my 96 it will pull 30mA (.03A) of power when parked, key out, doors closed, interior lights off, older vettes are less. Then start putting each fuse in and see if there is any dramatic change on amps being pulled. If there is a dramatic change give it a second as it could be just a circuit needing to re-energize. If it doesn't settle down then you've at least narrowed it down to the circuit that might be causing the problem.
A lot of sparks would seem to indicated something is drawing high power or is shorted out.
Don't try starting the car though it will blow the fuse in the multimeter.
First I would eyeball every electrical connection under the hood an make sure nothing seems foo.
Then I would probably pull all fuses with the battery out, then connect a volt meter between negative battery post and negative battery lead. Use a meter that can support 10A at minimum (majority do) and set it to read amps in the mA range (ie 20mA).
On my 96 it will pull 30mA (.03A) of power when parked, key out, doors closed, interior lights off, older vettes are less. Then start putting each fuse in and see if there is any dramatic change on amps being pulled. If there is a dramatic change give it a second as it could be just a circuit needing to re-energize. If it doesn't settle down then you've at least narrowed it down to the circuit that might be causing the problem.
A lot of sparks would seem to indicated something is drawing high power or is shorted out.
Don't try starting the car though it will blow the fuse in the multimeter.
Last edited by bac22; Apr 7, 2017 at 05:47 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 2,024
Likes: 363
From: Central Alabama
If I'm understanding what happened the starter may be shorted
if the car was cranking and suddenly stopped and now what sounds like a short circuit that isn't fused
with battery disconnected disconnect the positive cable at the starter and make sure it isn't touching anything
then see what happens when you connect the battery
if the car was cranking and suddenly stopped and now what sounds like a short circuit that isn't fused
with battery disconnected disconnect the positive cable at the starter and make sure it isn't touching anything
then see what happens when you connect the battery
Pro
Joined: Mar 2000
Posts: 504
Likes: 9
From: Youngstown Oh
Confused??
Need to know year, but sounds like you've got a short somewhere,
First I would eyeball every electrical connection under the hood an make sure nothing seems foo.
Then I would probably pull all fuses with the battery out, then connect a volt meter between negative battery post and negative battery lead. Use a meter that can support 10A at minimum (majority do) and set it to read amps in the mA range (ie 20mA).
On my 96 it will pull 30mA (.03A) of power when parked, key out, doors closed, interior lights off, older vettes are less. Then start putting each fuse in and see if there is any dramatic change on amps being pulled. If there is a dramatic change give it a second as it could be just a circuit needing to re-energize. If it doesn't settle down then you've at least narrowed it down to the circuit that might be causing the problem.
A lot of sparks would seem to indicated something is drawing high power or is shorted out.
Don't try starting the car though it will blow the fuse in the multimeter.
First I would eyeball every electrical connection under the hood an make sure nothing seems foo.
Then I would probably pull all fuses with the battery out, then connect a volt meter between negative battery post and negative battery lead. Use a meter that can support 10A at minimum (majority do) and set it to read amps in the mA range (ie 20mA).
On my 96 it will pull 30mA (.03A) of power when parked, key out, doors closed, interior lights off, older vettes are less. Then start putting each fuse in and see if there is any dramatic change on amps being pulled. If there is a dramatic change give it a second as it could be just a circuit needing to re-energize. If it doesn't settle down then you've at least narrowed it down to the circuit that might be causing the problem.
A lot of sparks would seem to indicated something is drawing high power or is shorted out.
Don't try starting the car though it will blow the fuse in the multimeter.
I'm not having this kind of problem yet but want to learn how to diagnose if I do. The paragraph above has me a little confused.
1. Before pulling fuses does the battery need to be removed or just remove the negative cable? Negative able off.....then pull fuses.
2. Then next, connect the voltmeter between the negative battery cable and the battery negative post with the positive cable still on the battery. This completes the circuits with the exception of the fuses being removed. Correct??
3. Now the technical stuff....30ma on a shut down '96. That information is going into my maintenance notes for future reference if needed to diagnose issues in my LT4 some day.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 4,429
Likes: 605
From: Minneapolis Mn
IIRC there's a pigtail that comes off the positive cable that goes to the distribution lug under the battery. If I'm right (with the battery disconnected), if you check from the battery end of the positive cable to the block with an ohm meter, you should not have a circuit. If you do then the positive cable is likely shorting out (because the starter end shouldn't complete the circuit till the starter is energized). If that happens I'd expect you'd see a lot of sparks and smoke from it.
I might be wrong but seems logical to me.
I might be wrong but seems logical to me.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
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
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 9,061
Likes: 214
From: Epping NH
2. Then next, connect the voltmeter between the negative battery cable and the battery negative post with the positive cable still on the battery. This completes the circuits with the exception of the fuses being removed. Correct??
3. Now the technical stuff....30ma on a shut down '96. That information is going into my maintenance notes for future reference if needed to diagnose issues in my LT4 some day.
I had a problem where my Selective Ride Control module shorted out and was drawing 1.2A when off...every morning I'd come out and car would be dead. So I did the above steps and pulled each fuse until I saw the current suddenly drop from 1.2A to 30mA...voila found the circuit I needed to investigate further which, as I mention, turned out toe be the SR control module.
The reason I suggest to the OP to pull all fuse is because he mention he was seeing a lot of sparks which tells me he has a much more serious current drain...one that can cause a fire if not careful. So I think he's better off pulling all fuses and going from there instead of 1 at a time like I did with my problem.
Current draw above what is normal can be scary in a car, because it means something is pulling current which generates heat and this can lead to a fire.
Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
sorry guys, I forgot I had asked for help on here and I did not know there would be so many helpful people on here...I know now if I ever have a problem again, I will ask and keep my eyes glued to this page....
IT is a 1988 C4 Corvette.....I figured out the problem....the starter was shorted to ground....took the pos lead off the starter, hooked the battery back up, no sparks and the lights all came on....bought a new starter and it cranked right up....thanks for all the input and one of yall nailed the problem right on the head even with out all the information needed....
IT is a 1988 C4 Corvette.....I figured out the problem....the starter was shorted to ground....took the pos lead off the starter, hooked the battery back up, no sparks and the lights all came on....bought a new starter and it cranked right up....thanks for all the input and one of yall nailed the problem right on the head even with out all the information needed....