Good Afternoon All,
I purchased a 1990 base a few months ago. To be honest I got a good deal on it but it has been a headache.

61000 miles on it

Week after I got it the starter went out. I replaced that. It then ran fine for 3 or 4 weeks.

Then I started having intermittent starting issues. Sometimes I would turn the ignition on and off several times it would start fine. Other times it would start right up. I started then to have to press the gas pedal to get it to start up.

I put a gauge on the rails and my pressure was low. So I decide to go the easy route and got a new fuel filter.

During this time the thermostat also went out.

So this week I drained the radiator and replaced the thermostat. Figured while it was sitting I would do the fuel filter also.

Now the car won’t even crank over. It tries to but it is almost like the starter went out again. Thought it may have been a disconnected sensor or vacuum hose, but I can’t find anything.

Also I have no codes showing up on the ECM…

Any thoughts would be appreciated…

 

Start with simple things, is the battery Fully charged.
Are ALL you're battery connections clean And Tight, Corvettes are kind of prone to give you trouble with poor connections and weak battery

 

Thanks for the response. I did check all of the connections on the battery and the battery voltage seems to be good.

The weird part is that I could get it started by pressing the gas pedal and then all of a sudden it wouldn’t start at all..

 

Is it cranking slow or is it just not catching unless pedal is pressed.

You might want to clean the throttle plates and check/ set tps and see were your base idle is set after the plates are clean.

You might also want to see if the IAC is working correctly

 

It’s actually not even cranking now. It seems almost like something died in the process of changing the filter. I did check to see if it would start without the tps. No luck with that. I will look at the IAC next.

Thank you!

 

Is your “Security” light flashing when you open the door?
If so, does it go out when you turn the key?

 

Like I had said you have to have a Strong Battery and good connections top and bottom. Since you not to long-ago put a starter in I would give those connections a look at.

does it do any better on a jump start
also dont fall into the trap of I have 12volts on the volt meter Amps is what does the job with good connections

 

Seems like it turns over but doesn't catch. So try this. Check the fuel pressure. Hook up gauge, turn the key to run position and see what the pressure is. After that, turn the key off and see if the pressure bleeds off quickly. Are the plugs good? Are the wires leaking current?

I have chased such a problem before. It wouldn't turn over after sitting for a couple of weeks. When it is jumped, it works. Obviously, it was the battery. Checked the alternator and it was fine. Changed battery and same thing. If you started it within 2 or 3 days of stopping, it was fine. Otherwise, hard start or no crank like a bad battery. All the time, the battery tested good. Finally, I checked the starter and that was the issue. New starter, no problems. So maybe the starter is turning but not fast enough?

 

Pressure goes to 40. And holds for over 20 minutes.

I did the same thing you did when I first got it. Replaced the starter about 2 months ago.

 

DWAVette,
Yes and yes. It is not a PASS Problem. It tries to crank.

 

So if it is sputtering like trying to start, there is some fuel, air and spark action, just not in the right way.

Flooding the engine?

Question to Aklim:? Can’t you hold the accelerator to the floor to shut off the injectors because the ECM thinks it is flooded? If so, what if he holds the pedal down and has someone spray starting fluid in the plenum while cranking. If it starts then it is a fuel delivery issue. Is my logic wrong?

 

All,
Thanks fo all of the input, I really appreciate it.

Just an update. Re-checked all connections for battery and starter. All check good. Tried jump starting it and it tries to crank but didn’t turn over. The other thing I noticed is that I don’t hear the click and whirl sound I normally hear when I turn the key on.

But I am still getting pressure to the shrader port.

I will try to post a video of what I have going on.

 

Weird thing is this all started after trying to refill the coolant and changing the fuel filter…

 

Take a couple minutes and follow the electricity from the battery. First measure the batteries open circuit voltage. Then measure the voltage at the fuse panel. The reading should be the same or VERY close to each other. If not I will show you how to solve that one. On a Corvette I worked on there was close to a 2 volt drop between the battery and the fuse panel. This was a major problem and even the fuel pump would run but slower than it should. The radio had 10 volts going to it and so on. It was caused by the point where the fusible links get their power from the battery. It is a post bolted to the frame and isolated. The one with the voltage drop had serious corrosion on every connector attached to the post and the post was covered in rust.

That almost sounds like a starter hammering, where is the hammering sound coming from while someone else turn the key?
Are you are no longer getting the priming function when you turn the key to start the Corvette?
The intermittent Starting issues were actually cranking and starting the engine or not?
Have you checked the wires that power the distributor? Mine had a broken clip on the red power wire and it would cause issues when you hit a bump.
Have you checked to be sure that your engine is grounded properly? Take a Multi meter and put one lead on the battery Positive and with the second wire touch the metal part of the engine block?

Who rebuilt the starter? I am a bit suspicious of the starter motor. Did you put All the wires back the way they were?

Low voltage to the starter would make it try to spin and throw the Bendix into the flywheel, it might result in the pounding you heard.

 

Not at all. It goes into the clear flood mode. But I can also do it by pulling the injector fuses. No pulse, no fuel

 

The hammering is from the starter. I bought the starter at O'Reilly. I did verify the grounding on the engine and the starter. It ran well for a while after replacing the starter. I started having the starting issue about 2 weeks ago.

So I checked the pressure and I wasn't getting full fuel pressure to the rail. Which is why I replaced the fuel filter. I also had the thermostat intermittently not opening. So I drained the coolant and replaced the thermostat. was int he process of refilling the coolant when all of this started.

 

I don't know how difficult it is for you to be changing the starter. I have to bring mine to a shop. If you are able to take it out, maybe have it tested? It's not impossible for it to fail so new.

 

Thanks aklim.... It is a pain in the butt.... I did do it myself the last time. I am going to order a new one today. But I am going with the shorter high torque ones I have been reading about

 

I struggled to take it out and install was impossible. I had to tow it to the shop. I didn't have the car high enough to have leverage to install the bolts because of the headers.

 

So far mine is fairly stock except for the cat back exhaust. I have to move a couple of lines to the side and stand on my head wit both arms behind my back, but I can get it out.