intermittent start '76 vette

I am hoping someone will have the pateince to help a relative amareur
along here.

I have the dreaded 'intermittent start' issue on my 1976 corvette
(automatic).

I replaced the starter solenoid just to be sure and it started
numerous times just sitting in the garage, then when I actually went
to take it out, I thought to run the transmission shifter through the
gears and then into park before I took it out to check .... and - no
start. I have moved things around since, but still nada. The lights
come on, etc, but the starter relay is not pulling in at all. BAttery
is good.

I am suspecting the neutral switch, but it could be the ignition
switch too as they are both the originals (or a wire too, but let's
start with the obvious first...).

From what I have read so far, the neutral switch is under the center
console and it is adjustable. It seems to me if I can get at the thing
I should be able to check for voltage running from the ignition to
that switch and out of it to the starter relay.

Can I easily get at that switch by removing the four screws and
lifting that center console cover, and do I correctly understand the
setup?

TIA.

> wrote in message
...
>I am hoping someone will have the pateince to help a relative amareur
> along here.
>
> I have the dreaded 'intermittent start' issue on my 1976 corvette
> (automatic).
>
> I replaced the starter solenoid just to be sure and it started
> numerous times just sitting in the garage, then when I actually went
> to take it out, I thought to run the transmission shifter through the
> gears and then into park before I took it out to check .... and - no
> start. I have moved things around since, but still nada. The lights
> come on, etc, but the starter relay is not pulling in at all. BAttery
> is good.
>
> I am suspecting the neutral switch, but it could be the ignition
> switch too as they are both the originals (or a wire too, but let's
> start with the obvious first...).
>
> From what I have read so far, the neutral switch is under the center
> console and it is adjustable. It seems to me if I can get at the thing
> I should be able to check for voltage running from the ignition to
> that switch and out of it to the starter relay.
>
> Can I easily get at that switch by removing the four screws and
> lifting that center console cover, and do I correctly understand the
> setup?
>
> TIA.

I'd say so. You should be able to test it by jumping the 2 purple wires
together--easiest is to skin them and twist them together FOR THE TEST
ONLY**TAPE THEM GOOD FOR SAFETY. Then test drive, being careful to let no
one else drive it, as you, only, know that it will try to (and sometimes
DOES) start in ANY GEAR= DANGEROUS. If this eliminates the intermittent
no-start condition, you have found it. Replace and adjust. Either way,
un-twist and tape the 'skinned' wires PERMANENTLY when you finish.
Reason to jump them temporarily, as you have found, sometimes it starts
and sometimes you may have to go thru the gears several times to cause it to
malfunction. I'd say chances are greater that this sw. is bad rather than
the ign. sw. HTH, s

Ok - here's t he scoop. I managed to get at that assembly and skiinned
the wires and joined - no go. However, I tested with my DVM and on the
input I get 11.66V and the output side of the switch I get 11.55 or
so, so there is some current draw. When I slip it into park, the
output drops to zero V so to me that switch is ok and my issue is
between that wiring harness and the starter solenoid, OR I have a
lousy ground that is causing it not to draw enough current?

I guess if I shinny underneath and measure that voltage at the
solenoid - it must be a ground wire?

I think there is one ground strap from the frame to the starter, one
from the battery to frame?

Sound reasonable?

TIA.

On Jul 9, 1:26*pm, " > wrote:
> Ok - here's t he scoop. I managed to get at that assembly and skiinned
> the wires and joined - no go. However, I tested with my DVM and on the
> input I get 11.66V and the output side of the switch I get 11.55 or
> so, so there is some current draw. When I slip it into park, the
> output drops to zero V so to me that switch is ok and my issue is
> between that wiring harness and the starter solenoid, OR I have a
> lousy ground that is causing it not to draw enough current?
>
> I guess if I shinny underneath and measure that voltage at the
> solenoid - it must be a ground wire?
>
> I think there is one ground strap from the frame to the starter, one
> from the battery to frame?
>
> Sound reasonable?
>
> TIA.

do you have the solenoid on the starter as is typical with GM or is it
mounted on the inner fender? If the latter, is the solenoid well
grounded?

I'd also go ahead and check for voltage at the solenoid next time it
doesn't start.

Do you have headers on this car? If so, and it uses the typical GM
solenoid on top of the starter, does the starter have a heat shield?

nate

no - the solenoid is on top of the starter and it is stock with no
headers so heat should not be an issue.

I have read elsewhere that the 2 fusible inks in the cable to the
starter solenoid can be an issue...

got problems - still can't get vette going

won't turn over
:
replaced starter/solenoid with new one.

I have tried bypassing all cables - jumpered from battery to starter
connections, then put +B on the Solenoid from the alternator. I hear a
bit of whirring, but that is it
The starter is ot engaging. When I crank it via the key, the battery
drain goes off the map (like more than -40 amps ) as it should....

tried everything I can think of. Gonna pull it back off I guess and
try it out of car - don't know what else I can do

should just hook battery to ground, power on solenoid and then feed
+12 to the S to pull in the solenoid and energize the battery

Sheesh any ideas on this?

Yanked it out - brand new styarter and solenoid assembly.

Used battery cables onto my ford escape which is running just fine.

Then bridged to the S contact with a screwdriver - it spins, but the
gear
does not spin out and it has to in order to engage the flywheel AFAIK?

On Jul 14, 1:37*pm, " > wrote:
> Yanked it out - brand new styarter and solenoid assembly.
>
> Used battery cables onto my ford escape which is running just fine.
>
> Then bridged to the S contact with a screwdriver - it spins, but the
> gear
> does not spin out and it has to in order to engage the flywheel AFAIK?

yes. I believe that this is controlled by the solenoid on a typical
GM starter - there's a fork connected to the solenoid plunger that
positively moves the gear out when the solenoid is engaged. sounds
like something is messed up, is the fork connected to the solenoid
correctly?

nate

> wrote:
>got problems - still can't get vette going
>
>won't turn over
>:
>replaced starter/solenoid with new one.
>
>I have tried bypassing all cables - jumpered from battery to starter
>connections, then put +B on the Solenoid from the alternator. I hear a
>bit of whirring, but that is it
>The starter is ot engaging. When I crank it via the key, the battery
>drain goes off the map (like more than -40 amps ) as it should....
>
>tried everything I can think of. Gonna pull it back off I guess and
>try it out of car - don't know what else I can do
>
>should just hook battery to ground, power on solenoid and then feed
>+12 to the S to pull in the solenoid and energize the battery
>
>Sheesh any ideas on this?

When you had the starter out, did you look at the teeth on the flywheel
by any chance?
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

> wrote:
>Yanked it out - brand new styarter and solenoid assembly.
>
>Used battery cables onto my ford escape which is running just fine.
>
>Then bridged to the S contact with a screwdriver - it spins, but the
>gear
>does not spin out and it has to in order to engage the flywheel AFAIK?

Was this a chain store rebuild by any chance?
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."