Ok, so you heard correctly, I installed a set of ARH headers & last night I finally got things wrapped up and turned the key & no luck, heres the details:

The car has been sitting up for 2-3 months (since I work all the time & did little by little), the battery was disconnected the entire time that it was sitting. Optima Red Top battery. Also during the header install, I changed the spark plugs, wires, oil & filter. The car is pretty much stock except for the column bypass (aftermarket unit). The car has never given me any issues in the past, has 36,000 miles on a 2001 Z06.

Issues:
As soon as I reattached the battery cable to the battery, my electric fans on the radiator started to run constantly, which I though was really odd. I then went inside the car and tried to start the car. The car will turn over, so the starter is working but it won't crank. I can't recall how much fuel was in the car when I began the project but it was obvious that it didn't run out of gas when I pulled it in my garage a few months ago. I re-checked all of my spark plug wires and all are secured properly, I also look at all of the connections that had to be unplugged during the install and everything was in order. What I did notice was that the fuel gauge wasn't moving when I turned the key to the on position, but all of the other ones were. The readout on the information center advised "Fuel Low", "Oil pressure psi" & "reduced engine power" or something to that effect.

So I added more gas to it in hopes that for some odd reason it didn't have enough, tried starting it again & it did the same thing. I also noticed that after putting about 2 gallons of gas in the car that the fuel gage didn't move at all. I then hooked up a Jump-it box to the battery hoping that it may help the battery since it hasn't been running in some time, that didn't work. I noticed that when I would turn the ignition key to the On position that the electric fans would turn off. I also noticed that when I removed the keys entirely from the ignition that the fans would turn back on & the instrument panel would still be lit up which was very strange.

If anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

 

I'd start w/the battery first. If it's more than 3-4 yrs old, get a new one. If it is less than 3 yrs old, charge it up completely and make sure that none of the cells are dead. These c/5's do all kinds of wierd things when the battery is low or failing. Once the battery situation is taken care of, you will be ready to go to the next step ie, clear any codes, ground strap, etc. Make sure you all ways use a battery tender on your battery, these c/5's are battery eaters, if not left on tenders. Good luck, & keep us posted.

 

Ok, I am going to take the battery out of the car today and get it tested. Im hoping that this is all, but then again, I put a jump-it-box on the car to "assist" the battery, but no luck. The car is turning over just fine, but seems its lacking Fuel or Spark.

 

well, you need to narrow that down, obviously.. do you smell fuel at all? perhaps checking connections to the coil packs?

 

Seen this one a few times. Did you remove any of the block grounds???? If you removed the ones on the block, go back and look and make sure that the small ground wire wasnt missed on G-106 or G-105. There the ones on the lower rear part of the block above the starter and near the block oil filter housing. There are two or three wires on G-106 and frequently one of the small eyelet ground wires is not reconnected.

Check that and let me know what you find.

BC

 

With your fans coming on as you mentioned,( thats whackey!) seems to think that your in need of a new battery. How old is it, and have you ever kept it on a tender? Bill Curlee, will definely give you the best electrical advise. Good luck.

 

+1 on the ground to block.
check the ground on the driver's side of the engine block. been there done that. racked my frickin brain for 2 days till i figured it out.

 

Just to be clear, "turn over" and "crank" mean the same thing. I think you mean.....the engine will not "fire"....or start.


Sounds like the PCM is not communicating on the class 2 serial bus, based on the high oil pressure, empty fuel, reduced engine power.....and though you didn't mention it, the coolant temp is probably pegged too. That being said, I agree with Bill to check G106 located above the starter. There are two terminals at that ground: one from the negative battery cable, and one that grounds the PCM, MAF, etc.

 

thanks so much for the help guys, I am going to do all of this tomorrow and get back with you all.

 

So I went by my local auto parts store, the battery tested as being "Good", but it only had 25% power in it, so I got them to put it on the charger to bring it back up to 100%. I also noticed the battery was sold in Nov 2007.

I also checked the grounding straps, I only remember taking the one off on the passenger side near the starter, which I verified today that it was connected correctly & I also checked the one on above the oil filter and it looked like it has never been touched.

I am going to go pick up my batter later and hook it up on the car and see what happens. Wish me luck.. any more ideas if this doesn't do it?

 

How many terminals were connected at that ground?

 

If I remember correctly it was at least 2 or 3 on that one strap.

 

Okay, well I got the battery back, its fully charged & put it back in the car & the car will turn over but won't stay on.. I still have the strange weird symptoms where when I attach the battery, the radiator fans turn on, also the temperature gauge maxes out, the fuel gauge doesn't move, the electric windows won't roll down, then when I take the key out of the ignition, my HUD stays on as well as the gauges inside the car. It sounds like something electrical is going on here.. still need some help before I give up and call the tow truck!

 

Should be two. This location is a deal breaker if it is loose, or you have a broken wire on the smaller terminal.

 

Okay, th G106 was the source of my problem, I only had the large grounding strap connected and not the much thinner wire. I accidentally connected that wire to my starter. It was a pain to get to it again, but the car fired right up and runs flawlessly.

Thanks to everyone that pitched in!

 

Cool.......bet you don't make that mistake again....

 

WOW! Putting juice to a normally grounded wire...surprised nothing worst happened! U got lucky there.

 

gotta love these forums. a wealth of knowledge. glad u got it going man!

 

I love it when people report back that they've solved a problem with the help of the people here. Good experience for all, the OP walks away more educated and it really makes this place the great resource that it is!

Good to hear you got her running!