1982 Collector will not start
 

Posted to the wrong place. Reposted to C3 forum.

I'm no expert in these things - but have fought my way through it a few times. The basics hold true...you need fuel, spark and air to get it to fire. I start one by one to see if I have those things...usually find the problem. Pull the fuel line off and put a rag under it...crank it over and see if you get fuel coming out. Take a spark plug out and hold it against the block somewhere to ground it and crank it over...see if you are getting sparks.

Found the issue to be a poor connection on the fuel pump. It would prime the injectors but would then quit. Repaired the connections and all is working now.

Post up some pix of the car.....CE owners want to see!

Unkahal

Pics as requested. Hope they show up OK
 

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...ab49ac00f8.jpg
This is my baby. I have owned it since new, purchased Dec 31, 1982. It is as close to original as I could do. Interior is like new as is the exterior. Original paint and decals too.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...3c8f519aaf.jpg
Pulled it out of garage to get a good shot and it promply started snowing. So much for spring in Alberta!
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...6fe56986c6.jpg
This is the interior showing the replacement stereo unit. It is a perfect fit, no mods required and gives me all the features in modern radios including bluetooth connectivity!

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...87d4e3112f.jpg
One more that shows the full dash and console. Hope everyone likes the pics. I am very proud of this machine and still love driving it after all these years.

say it with flowers......
 

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...311930d472.jpg
Super machine...one of about 1500 left in existence in this Condition. (frankly I'm tired of trashed CE's)
Mine has 18,600 miles....how about you.

BTW back on track with this tread...when you turn the key to the first 'run' stop, you should hear the fuel pump spooling up. I just do this ANYWAY to pressurize the system.
This is a 'trick' I learned from my Bosch Equipped 78 Scirocco Fuelie.......BZZZZZT! START.

Lovely!

Unkahal

Ps That's snow eh! Mines a SW car and 'never seen snow'....EVER! LOL. Thought that was just fuzz on the lens!

I too am tired of seeing trashed CE's. Yours looks to be in great condition as well. There was another nice one around the city (small city) for a while driven by a guy older than I am. I think he passed and the car has not been seen since. There are 6 Vette's on my street of varying ages. The guy across the street from me has a 73 that hasn't been out of the garage in 15 years! There is a huge car show here every summer and the older Vette's are always a hit. The club is called Street Wheelers and we get cars from all over coming here for the show which is usually the first weekend of July.

I learned that trick with the priming some time ago as well. I always let it pressurize before attempting to start. The last few years has been a challenge keeping it in shape as at its age things are just wearing out. I did new suspension last year as well as power windows switches, replacing the rad with an original (sourced from Florida) and the stereo from Retrosound since the original radio/cassette quit working completely. I keep the original parts in case someone really wants them should it ever get sold. I want it to be as close to original as possible. It is always a hit when I drive around the city with it. People just stop and look at it.
The snow is actually very light and melting quickly. A week ago the snow was 2-3 feet deep in the yard and almost a foot on the road. I NEVER drive mine in the winter. It gets to stay in the garage where it is safe. I do most of the work myself but that too is getting harder as my age increases. I had to hire someone to do the suspension.