Help 02 vert will not start!
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Joined: Apr 2009
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Help 02 vert will not start!
A week ago i got married and was planning on taking the vette from the wedding to the reception center. On saturday morning i pulled it out of the garage and spent a good 2 hours waxing and washing it listening to the radio. with an hour and a half to get to the church i go to start it up but all i get is clicking. The lights all turn on but it wont crank. I figure i just ran the battery out (odd tho as i have spent longer listening to the radio cleaning in the past) so i pull up my other car to jump it. Hook them both up and still nothing but clicking. Checked a couple fuses for the starter and ignition system and all tested as not blown. Now when i tried jumping it one last time after i turn the key off i get a weird electrical sizzle from down near the fuse compartment in the passenger footwell. It only stopped when i pulled the battery cable off...... didnt have time to pull codes and such as i had to get to my wedding. I just got back from the honey moon and am going to dedicate my day after work tomorrow to working on it. Any one have any ideas before i get over there to pull codes?
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,449
Likes: 1,155
From: Dyer, IN
A week ago i got married and was planning on taking the vette from the wedding to the reception center. On saturday morning i pulled it out of the garage and spent a good 2 hours waxing and washing it listening to the radio. with an hour and a half to get to the church i go to start it up but all i get is clicking. The lights all turn on but it wont crank. I figure i just ran the battery out (odd tho as i have spent longer listening to the radio cleaning in the past) so i pull up my other car to jump it. Hook them both up and still nothing but clicking. Checked a couple fuses for the starter and ignition system and all tested as not blown. Now when i tried jumping it one last time after i turn the key off i get a weird electrical sizzle from down near the fuse compartment in the passenger footwell. It only stopped when i pulled the battery cable off...... didnt have time to pull codes and such as i had to get to my wedding. I just got back from the honey moon and am going to dedicate my day after work tomorrow to working on it. Any one have any ideas before i get over there to pull codes?
http://www.c5forum.com/ayc/dtcdic.php
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Joined: Apr 2009
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battery is not particularly old, got new one with the purchase of the vehicle 2 years ago, this was my first thought. And is going to be where i start. Also the terminals are clean. not sure what you mean by security......
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 32,910
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From: Anthony TX
CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
Correct battery terminal bolt torque for 97-2003 C5s are 11 ft/lbs. If you can move the cables/terminals,,, they are NOT properly torqued or damaged.
4th Gear
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4
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From: Denham Springs Louisiana
Sounds exactly like mine
I was wondering if you found out what the issue was. I had what sounds like the exact same thing happen to me last night. Haven't driven the vette in a couple years, and unhhoked the battery to charge it. When I hooked it back up, loud hissing from under the passenger footwell. Lot's of smoke as well. Stopped only after unhhoking the battery.
It is clear that there is a short somewhere. I inspected the starter and found what looks like burnt wires (hence the hissing sound and smoke). They are not the main battery positive cable as I had hoped and figured. The main positive looks to be fine. Shouldn't the other small wires from ignition be fused to insure this doesn't happen if it shorts??
Anyway if you fixed your issue and it was related to mine any insight would be great.
It is clear that there is a short somewhere. I inspected the starter and found what looks like burnt wires (hence the hissing sound and smoke). They are not the main battery positive cable as I had hoped and figured. The main positive looks to be fine. Shouldn't the other small wires from ignition be fused to insure this doesn't happen if it shorts??
Anyway if you fixed your issue and it was related to mine any insight would be great.
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