1971 C3 Start/no start-crank condition

[darkstar]

Automatics with floor shift have a cable- looks like a park brake cable. And if you still have the pre 77 cars with the "lock in park" there's another cable there.

1968-1976 Corvette Auto Transmission Shifter Control Cable | Zip Corvette Parts

Thanks for clarifying. It totally slipped my mind. I have always had sticks and this one did have an automatic . The 71 I was helping on in this case. Was so caught up in the electrical, never would have thought of it.

 

[darkstar]

Its not only Vettes, but all automatics that utilize a shift cable....noticeable whenever a car produces symptom of hard starting or slow cranking...The starter most always gets the blame in this situations and probably 75% of the time it was not the starter...We sold one of the best starters in the Nation. However selling the best don't always satisfy a customer when they can buy the 'lifetime' down the street...Depends on whose life its measured by...In Detroit its not very long...Anyway broken shifter cables with a white corrosion on the broken ends show that the engine is seeking ground wherever it can find it. These can be anything including emergency cables, shifter, and even brake lines. This happens when the primary grounds are corroded and over time the get thin and break from carrying the starter load...and its not the battery either but the ground that needs the attention...This so called 'heat soak is a incorrect diagnosis as everything gets hot and every time too, They didn`t crank hard when new...clean the grounds and especially the one right under the battery attached to the cross member...no one does however

You are talking about chassis ground to engine and other primary grounds from the battery. Still learning and I thought I was thorough. Appreciate the inputs.

 

[TimAT]

Like wally pointed out- the real primary grounds are a continuing problem- the battery ground cable is short- from the battery to the frame nearly directly under the battery box. That connection to the frame there is easy to overlook- and then the right side motor mount frame to the block. Clean them all up to bare shiny metal, get some good star washers and put it back together. If you can find them, there are some star washers that have teeth on both the inside and outside.