Ok now that you got the key to turn, and the starter does not engage, the most likely culprit is the battery. It needs to be at least close to 12 volts to turn the starter, the seats and radio can work with less. Put the headlights on, and turn the key on to start, if the headlights look fairly normal and when you turn the key to start they dim to half normal or less get a new battery and you will be up and running again. You have an 03 with 12000 on the clock which means you don't drive it very often, and if you don't have a battery maintainer on it when it's not being used your battery is surely done. There may be other possibilities, but the circumstances you are portraying will point to a used up battery 95% of the time. If you don't want to buy a battery till you know for sure, pull one out of another car that you know is starting right. and hook up jumpers to the vette cables after disconnecting the battery in the vette. Sometimes the car won't start with a jump if the bad battery is still hooked up. Depends how much of a short is in the bad battery. I have an 03 with 14000 on it and I just replaced my battery a few months when it failed the same way you are describing, bought a new pro series delco and it fired right up, now I use a battery minder on it when not driving it for a few days or more.

Good Luck

 

Right now the battery is kicking out just over11 volts. I tried a boost the conviential way.......no dice. It may be the battery

 

So.................was it or was it not the battery?

 

 

I once worked on a guys C4 that had similar symptoms.

Turned out to be the starter solenoid relay fuse. I hadn't even been aware that there was one - talk about stepping down the current to the 'n'th degree! Current gets to everything else in the car except the starter motor, so you get instrument lights etc, but it won't crank.

Anyway, it was a translucent blue plastic delco relay up under the dash. The fuse was built onto the side of the relay itself. Pulled the fuse, put a new one in and it started right up. Don't know if the C5 has a similar arrangement or not, but thought I'd mention it.

 

I purchased a new battery and the same thing happeded. I am on pins an needles right now.............I am at work, just got back from the getting my car to the "stealership" ...............I will know in hopefully a few hours what the heck is wrong.

Thanks for all the helpful tips and ideas. I feel like I just took a loved one to the hospital.................

 

Same thing happened to me last week. Had the car towed to the dealer. Installed a new battery and said it was fixed. Two days later happened again. Same symptons you are describing. Back to the dealer again. This time installed a new ignition switch and said problem was fixed. That was three days ago. Went to start the car this morning and same thing again. I am at wits end. Have an 02 mn6 with 16000 miles on it.

 

Looks like after much agonizing, the problem is solved.

The problem was found to be the ignition lock cyclinder & pass lock connection, needed to replace the ignition cyclinder & perform thief learn verify repair.

The cost, which was covered by my warranty, was $638.38, corvette and stealership tax included.

I need a beer.........

Thanks for all the input.........

 

Glad to hear your fixed and back on the road Robert

 

ive had the same issues, turned out it was the ignition switch. good luck

 

Man, I was at a loss to figure this out........but in the mean time this situation made me speed up and purchase a beater for the winter............over the weekend my mechanic shop guy sold me a 98 S10 black, new shocks and tires, new head and gaskets, 111.000 miles for $2,000. So I am ready for winter and I got my first issue taken care of...................time to chill........

 

Glad to hear it is fixed!

 

Glad you got it straightened out. One thing does puzzle me a bit though. You said the battery was showing 11 volts, which was a clear sign of a dead, or at least discharged battery, and yet the new battert didn't start the car??? I guess it is possible that it could have been a combination of problems, and the battery combined with the new ig switch did the trick, but being the cynical person that I am, I am wondering what actually the dealer did. No inference intended, just my thoughts. Anyway Good Luck..

 

Thank goodness it's fix. I don't know about you all, but I get sick to my stomach seeing a fellow Vette owner go through something like this. Glad it worked out.