Starting Problems

[Brian Jasinski]

I have had my 82 Red Vette for a few months now and love it except for one thing...The starting of the car occurs sporadically. Sometimes I will get in it and it starts right up. Sometimes it doesn't start at all and I must wait a certain period of time until it starts up again, usually 10 to 20 minutes and then it will start. When the car doesn't start and you turn the key all you hear is silence. It doesn't try to turn over or anything.

My mechanic whom I bought the car from thought it was the battery and so she replaced the battery twice and she also replaced the starter thinking that was it.

However if you jump start the car, it will always start...which leads me to believe that it is the battery again.

We also replaced the starter wiring harness as we noticed there were some frayed wires but that wasn't it either.

A friend of mine came over who knows cars and said the battery looked undersized for the type of car it is in and that is where he would start looking. The battery currently in the car does look small and it is a Interstate Mega Tron II with 650 CCA and 850 CA.

Does my problem sound like the battery or something else

Any help is appreciated in advance

Brian

 

[Hib Halverson]

First, your problem is not the battery. It's been replaced several times and when you problem occurs, you get nothing. If you had a bad battery, you'd get a click or slow cranking.

Second, 650CCA is the rating for a stock 82's battery.

You've replaced the starter and the starter harness, so as long as the new parts were not faulty and they were properly installed you can rule that out.

Here are some things to check.

Battery cables, especially the ground connection on the frame under the battery box and from the engine to the frame.
Ignition switch, wiring and connections.
Fusable links, fuses and circut breakers in the starter wiring.

 

[bill81vette]

Brian...1st of all
Welcome to CAC!!!!
we hope you enjoy the forums!!!!
now on to your problem....
with out going out and looking at my battery in my'81,I'm not sure of the size...
I would start with checking ALL of your grounds...I'll bet one of the is either loose or dirty/corroded..
get the vette up on jack stands,take the bolts out and clean them with a wire bruch or emery cloth,put a little dielectric grease on them and put them back on...
There is a ground on the frame on the front left of the frame down below the master cyl...
there is another under the battery box on the frame.
I'm sure there are more but I would start with those 2

one of the things you should invest in if you dont have them already...an AIM...
Assembly Instruction Manual...these are the bible to our vettes and shows us how they were built,and were we can find different components and adjustments..also a Factory service manual.these are the guides to repairing our vettes.they can be obtained from any of the vendors on the left side if the pages...
Good Luck
and if you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask!!!!!!

 

[JohnZ]

A friend of mine came over who knows cars and said the battery looked undersized for the type of car it is in and that is where he would start looking. The battery currently in the car does look small and it is a Interstate Mega Tron II with 650 CCA and 850 CA.

Does my problem sound like the battery or something else

Any help is appreciated in advance

Brian

You have plenty of battery. Make sure BOTH ends of BOTH the positive and negative battery cable connections are clean and shiny, the cables themselves aren't corroded under the insulation, the connections at the starter solenoid are secure, and the neutral safety switch is properly adjusted.

 

[LLC5]

I have had my 82 Red Vette for a few months now and love it except for one thing...The starting of the car occurs sporadically. Sometimes I will get in it and it starts right up. Sometimes it doesn't start at all and I must wait a certain period of time until it starts up again, usually 10 to 20 minutes and then it will start. When the car doesn't start and you turn the key all you hear is silence. It doesn't try to turn over or anything.

My mechanic whom I bought the car from thought it was the battery and so she replaced the battery twice and she also replaced the starter thinking that was it.

However if you jump start the car, it will always start...which leads me to believe that it is the battery again.

We also replaced the starter wiring harness as we noticed there were some frayed wires but that wasn't it either.

A friend of mine came over who knows cars and said the battery looked undersized for the type of car it is in and that is where he would start looking. The battery currently in the car does look small and it is a Interstate Mega Tron II with 650 CCA and 850 CA.

Does my problem sound like the battery or something else

Any help is appreciated in advance

Brian

If it always starts good with a jumper battery, I would be looking at a charging system problem or a parastic battery drain. This is of couse assuming that the battery has already load tested properly and passes, remember that new battery's can be bad. Good luck with it.

 

[Brian Jasinski]

Thanks for your fast responses...I will be checking all the grounds very soon...I will keep you guys updated...

Thanks
Again
Brian