1992 Won't Turn Over

[Col_Klenk]

Hey everybody, I'm new to this forum and new to Corvette's in general. I just picked up a 1992 Z07 6 speed over the winter and have been going through some of the basics. I've already been reading and learning a lot, I can already tell this car will push my mechanical boundaries.

So the issue is that the car is not turning over. (it started and ran when parked 5 months ago) I initially thought VATS, however the security light doesn't stay on. The weird thing that I haven't come across in other posts is that when the key is in the on position none of the gauges light up. The only lights on the dash are security (goes away after i shut the door) and a red led that's flashing. Sound like a bad ground? I did have the radio and door trim off for repairs, is there something I could have broken? I know it's not a lot of detail to go on, here's my quick check list so far.
- Battery is good
- Grounds?
- Starter solenoid
- VATS
- Other?

Anyway, I'll pull the CCM codes and look into things a little deep this week. I just wanted to introduce myself and see if anyone had a good direction to start looking in. Thanks.

 

[Hib Halverson]

Welcome to the CAC Colonel

Do you have a Factory Service Manual for the car?

The red LED which is flashing....where is it located?

What happens when you turn the headlights on?

When you key up, what does the voltmeter do?

 

[Col_Klenk]

Welcome to the CAC Colonel

Do you have a Factory Service Manual for the car?

The red LED which is flashing....where is it located?

What happens when you turn the headlights on?

When you key up, what does the voltmeter do?

Thanks for the help Hib, you seem to have a lot of posts on here!.
I do have the FSM and have been looking through it. The red LED is on the left side of the steering column, blinks 3 times repeatedly. The headlights work when I turn them on, and the gauges turn on. What am I looking for with the voltmeter? I'm checking out fuses and a page in the FSM regarding the CEL not coming on with the key in on position. Another thing is the CEL wont blink when trying to get codes with the ALDL connector.

 

[Toms007]

Col, you have one of our better techs helping you here. Hib, is pretty thorough in helping you through the steps to figure out what is wrong. He's not the only good tech here, but one of the good ones. Follow his advice and he'll have you running before too long.

 

[Col_Klenk]

Well, I got it running this afternoon! I'm not exactly sure what I did :L, but I know it's something under the dash.
I had checked the fuses and the ECM fuse seemed to have a higher resistance so I switched it out, but that didn't do anything.
I started poking around under the dash and all of a sudden everything lit up and the fuel pump turned on. Fired right up after that.

 

[DaveP85C4]

The flashing LED is probably an aftermarket alarm. 3 flashes is a door trigger for a DEI (Viper, Valet, and several other brands). Usually, turning on the ignition cancels the trigger indication. Because yours didn't, I suspect you still have a problem with wiring or something to do with power to the IGN switch, and then to the on in IGN fuses etc. There are a bunch of fuse links behind the battery on a 92. Tug on each one gently, and if you find a "stretchy" one, it is probably blown. Investigate further.
See if you can find a button under the dash for the alarm. Should be black, and about 1/4" in diameter. The wires on the rear of it will be black and grey. If you can find this button, put the system in Valet mode. This will deactivate the alarm, and any starter interrupts etc that may be associated with an alarm trigger.
Find the button.
Doors closed.
Turn key to IGN.
Turn key OFF.
Push button. LED should light solid-ON. If = YES, alarm is in Valet.
(Note. LED will stay on solid for about an hour then go off to conserve the battery. It will stay ON, then time out every time the IGN is turned off).

 

[Col_Klenk]

Thanks for the info Dave. I knew it had an aftermarket alarm but have been wary about messing with it. Now I know what to look for

 

[billd]

since you dont know what you did

It might be the original security system. The connections do get old after a while. I know that in the much older C4's you had to unlock the door with the key to disable it. There might be a ghost in the machine there. Sometimes they have to run back to mama. The old systems used to reset themselves after a time and then everything would work fine.....for a while.

 

[Col_Klenk]

I know this is an old thread, but I wanted to close it out. The no start situation came back a couple weeks ago, it seems to be triggered when I disconnect the battery. I checked the VATS and the key pellet matched the harness with key on. So I decided to tear out the aftermarket alarm (Audiovox). After a few hours of snipping and a roll of electrical tape, everything's back to stock and it fired right up. I'll go in later and solder/heat shrink like I should have done (it was Labor day, so all the stores were closed)

 

[Hib Halverson]

Well, Col. you learned a lesson that many Corvetters have learned about aftermarket alarms installed by retards.

To be honest, I don't know why anyone puts aftermarket alarms on those cars. They at least need to read the Service Manuals as to how the OE security system works. Once they do that, people often decide there is no need for an aftermarket system.

Glad you got that 92 back on the road.