Hi guys,

A funny thing happened on my car a few days ago (it's a LT1 92)...
When I tried to start...nothing, no starter actuation while I turned the key, nothing, not even a clic :confused:
The battery was full and I had no previous warning from the starter...
After several attempt I decided to have a look at the fuses...I checked all the fuses, they were all good and after having removing all the fuses and putting them back on I tried once more to start and...it started :confused: :confused:
So now my car starts normally but I still don't know what happened and I swear that it didn't happen on night in a desert road after having seen a bright light :D
Any ideas guys?
Thanks

 

My guess is the starter solenoid is going bad. I had the same thing happen to my 86. Everything was fine until it wouldn't make a sound when the key was turned. I thought it was the VATS . It ran fine for a while and when it was most inconvenient (out of town) , it would not start. I whacked the starter with a hammer and got home. I replaced the whole starter with a reman unit, since it has to come out to replace the solenoid. Rest assured, yours will do it again. It has given you fair warning. :cheers:

 

If you prove that it is not VATS, then remaining is the battery, cable connections to the battery or starter, or the starter.
First, remove the battery cables (neg first) and clean both the cable lugs and the battery terminals and replace the cables (neg last). When the cables are off the battery, check for tightness on the cable going to the starter. To deliver the 100+ amps to the starter, the battery connections need to be tight and clean.
Next time it won't start, try your spare ign key as its pellet contacts aren't as worn as your everyday key. Find the 2 wires from the tumbler contacts that make with the pellet (on my 87 they come out the bottom of the steering column and go under the carpet to a 2 pin connector) and unplug them. Measure the resistance of the wires from the tumbler with the ign key in place. It should measure the same as the pellet. If not, or over 13k ohms, you need a new tumbler that also has new pellet contacts. You can bypass VATS until you can schedule a repair by clipping a fixed resistor the same value as the pellet across the wires going to the passenger side (VATS module). Don't permanently bypass VATS as 99% of thefts are done by bashing the column and jumping the ignition.
Also keep in mind that if VATS doesn't read the correct pellet resistance after two tries, it shuts down for 4 minutes and you can then try again.


[Modified by jfb, 8:50 AM 11/8/2003]