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I finally bought my first corvette and it just came in last week. I have been turning it on every day for the past 7 days to see if it gave me any issues and to find any patterns. I have two issues that I've noticed.
EDIT: Cluster isn't turning on at all now. Getting to start the car consistently is my main focus right now however.
More often than not, If I turn off the car after a good start with little to no cranking, I'd try to turn it back on but it will just crank and not turn on. When this happens I just go back inside for the night and the car will start the next day. I had two days in the beginning week were it would not cold start at all but this hasn't happened since.
This is all very confusing to me as I am kinda new to what goes under the hood. Has anyone ever had a similar experience? Any thoughts as to what is happening? I bought a multimeter and tested the battery will off and while the car was running. The battery is good. Could this be a grounding issue? Since it sounds like a electrical issue, it might not be something I can fix so I might have to have it looked at, but the starting issue concerns me. Any advice or help will be greatly appreciated
Last edited by Guns n Roses; Dec 3, 2020 at 02:05 PM.
The dash issue is likely a bad connection. 30 year old connectors sometimes just need a good cleaning. This means pulling the cluster and cleaning all the connectors with something like CRC QD. Also see batee.com for more on the cluster.
Your starting issue sounds like a leaking injector, or at least that's where I would start. You need to measure the fuel pressure and see if it holds for a minute or two after you turn off the key off (it should). Your local auto parts store may have a gauge you can borrow or there's always Harbor Freight tools.
You should buy a copy of the factory service manual (ebay). It's going to need work and you'll go broke paying someone else to do it. May the Corvette gods be kind to you!
Is your pill clean on your key? Is the ignition cylinder loose in the the steering column? Try cleaning your pill if its dirty and see if the cylinder is loose. It might have to do with the Vats system. They can act up if the lock cylinder is really loose in the column, or if the pill on your key is dirty.
The dash issue is likely a bad connection. 30 year old connectors sometimes just need a good cleaning. This means pulling the cluster and cleaning all the connectors with something like CRC QD. Also see batee.com for more on the cluster.
Your starting issue sounds like a leaking injector, or at least that's where I would start. You need to measure the fuel pressure and see if it holds for a minute or two after you turn off the key off (it should). Your local auto parts store may have a gauge you can borrow or there's always Harbor Freight tools.
You should buy a copy of the factory service manual (ebay). It's going to need work and you'll go broke paying someone else to do it. May the Corvette gods be kind to you!
if it was the cluster connections the a/c unit lights and door lights shouldnt be affected or am i wrong? Checking the fuel pressure is a great start and i will be doing it as soon as possible, thanks!
Is your pill clean on your key? Is the ignition cylinder loose in the the steering column? Try cleaning your pill if its dirty and see if the cylinder is loose. It might have to do with the Vats system. They can act up if the lock cylinder is really loose in the column, or if the pill on your key is dirty.
the pill on the key is as clean as it could be and i havent noticed any loose parts on the ignition cylinder but will be checking it today to make sure. When the vats acts up will it still crank indefinately or just locks up?
It won’t crank or start, you just get the security light. I had alot of problem with mine. Also a 1990. The crank and no start could also be a pump relay. There are 2 under the dash. One under the driverside and one under the passenger side. The vats is goofy, ive heard of some people and have had it happen to me where you drive the car shut it off and go to turn it on and nothing. Then after the vats resets after 5min or a day or so it starts right up.
The dash issue is likely a bad connection. 30 year old connectors sometimes just need a good cleaning. This means pulling the cluster and cleaning all the connectors with something like CRC QD. Also see batee.com for more on the cluster.
Your starting issue sounds like a leaking injector, or at least that's where I would start. You need to measure the fuel pressure and see if it holds for a minute or two after you turn off the key off (it should). Your local auto parts store may have a gauge you can borrow or there's always Harbor Freight tools.
You should buy a copy of the factory service manual (ebay). It's going to need work and you'll go broke paying someone else to do it. May the Corvette gods be kind to you!
U gave me the idea to test injectors and so i put a multimeter on each connector. Its 17 ohms across all except for a 14 ohm reading on one, the drivers side closets to cabin. Do you think a 2 ohms difference be whats causing problems or is it not too big on an issue?
The question is why is that one different and does it stay at 14 through the temperature range. If the resistance gets too low the ECM will stop firing the injectors. Most bad injectors I've come across are mechanically defective, not electrically. If they are original, they weren't designed for gas with ethanol and should be replaced. Also take a whiff of your oil dipstick and make sure it doesn't smell like gas. There are plenty of injector threads on here. Most opt for replacement of original injectors with Bosch II's.
BTW, if it cranks it's not the starter enable relay or the VATS security system.
glad I can rule out the vats and relays. I just smelled my dip stick and while there was a faint odor of gas, I checked its viscosity of how fast it ran down the stick and i also tried to light it on fire. The oil didnt light, it just started to drip off as it melted so am I safe to assume the gas levels in the oil are okay?
1990 L98 Issue with Dash and Starting
