have a C5 1998 Convertible that has sat idle for a few years and neglected. Want to get it going again and on the road. After cleaning all the mouse and rat stuff, a fully charged battery and new FOB battery and relearn the car will not start or turn-over. It seems the accessories (lights, radio and horn, etc,.) are working. No problem with the FOB relearning. The starter will not click. The only thing I noted was some corrosion on the positive cable where it's crimped into the positive lug that connects to the battery + side. Everything else looks good. I even swapped the battery from a know working vehicle and the Vet battery started right up in the donor vehicle and the donor battery behaved the same as the Vet original battery. The car maybe low or completely out of fuel though but that in of itself should not keep the engine from turning over or the solenoid from at least clicking (should it?)
1. Are there any fuses I should check before replacing the positive cable?
2. Is my assumption about zero fuel correct?
3. What else might cause this problem of no turn-over?
4. What is the best way to determine if the positive cable is bad?
5. Is it possible the the starter / solenoid went bad from prolong sitting? (yes, anything is possible...)
Thanks in advance for any constructive assistance. BillyBob aka dofdear

 

Measure voltage between positive cable at starter solenoid, engine fuse box terminal and battery negative terminal to determine if full battery voltage is present, to rule out corrosion on battery cable. I would also examine the wiring under the dash and in the passenger footwell area where the BCM and fuse box are located, rodents do eat the insulation on wires, good luck.