70 Vette

A friend of mine has an '86 Vette and has had trouble, here's what she has said:

"Do you know anything about a ground wire ( not on the engine) that goes back under the seat to somewhere on the back end. We have had trouble right from the beginning with this ground. You go to start it and NOTHING then 10 minutes later it roars to life. No one seems to be able to find out what's wrong and we have spent thousands."

Any ideas out there on what the problem(s) might be?

mustbampeg

i dunno, but it just happened to me about 30min ago at the store. weird. does it happen all of the time?


randy

QuikZilver

Check your CCA's on your battery. C4's with old batteries tend to have all sorts of electrical gremlins.

70 Vette

For mustbampeg - it dosen't happen all the time, but it is frequent.

For QuikZilver - whatv are CCAs?

Midnite 88

Possibly dirty VATS contacts. Try spraying contact cleaner in the ignition as well as on the pellet on the key. Let it evaporate and give it a try.

70 Vette

Thanks for all the suggestions...anymore for anymore?

skateparkdave

A failing starter solienoid will only work "part time" as well as the brushes in the starter. Very aggravating yes. We all wish they would just fail completely when they fail. It would make diagnosis much easier.

Gallstaff

I'm a n00b.

What does VATS stand for anyway and what does it do.

NightFlight

Vehicle Anti-Theft System

jfb

Most likely its the VATS (vehicle antitheft system). First try the spare ignition key as its pellet isn't as worn as the everyday key. (there is a resistor in the ignition key that is measured by the VATS circuit and if it isn't within 5% of the programmed value it will not allow the starter to crank and the injectors to work). Also, after two tries, VATS will make you wait 6 minutes to try again if VATS doesn't see the correct pellet resistance. The contacts in the ignition tumbler that make with the pellet wear and cause an incorrect resistance reading. The tumbler can be replaced and it includes new contacts. Here is how you can tell if the tumbler contacts are defective. Remove the driver hush panel (above drivers feet) and locate the bundle of wires from about midway down the steering column. These wires go to a single line of connectors. The end two wires, orange and brown are the tumbler contacts. Unplug these two wires and measure the resistance across the wires from the column with the ignition key inserted. The resistance should measure the same as the pellet. If over 13k ohms, you need a new tumbler. If ok, when it won't crank, try jumping the clutch safety switch (gear selector switch if automatic). You can temporarily bypass VATS by clipping a fixed resistor the same as the pellet resistance (5% 1/4 watt resistor from Radio Shack) across the wires going to the passenger side (VATS module). Do not do this permanently because 99% of thefts are done by bashing the column and jumping the ignition.

70 Vette

Many thanks everyone, I've passed on responses to my friend, I'll let you know what happens.

Thanks again and save the wave.