I recently bought my first(and dream) car...a torch red '88 Iroc, but the damned thing won't start...my brother and I have narrowed it down to something electrical, however we have no clue what it is keeping that 350 from coming to life again. If anyone has any suggestions, opinions, helpful hints, etc. I'm all for 'em. Thankyou.

 

your going to have to narrow it down a bit before any logical suggestions are given. wont start? does it turn over? do you have spark? how do you know its electrical?

 

it won't turn over, but we have narrowed it down to an electrical problem, however we don't know what it is in with the electrical system keeping it from starting. if anyone has had this problem, and/or has any ideas as to what exactly could be wrong with it, lemme know. Thanks.
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oh, also, we don't know if there's spark or not. I'm replacing the spark plugs regardless, but we are almost 100% certain its not that. when you try and start the car, the fans turn on, and that's it. nothing else happens.

 

You might have a VATS problem. Does your key have a chip in it? But before ruling everything else out I need to know if your are getting power. If all the warning lights and stuff comes on when you turn the ignition on without starting, then you may have a problem with VATS, the starter, or possibly the ignition switch. Give us more info and it will help you. HTH

 

I'm supposed to be going to do more work on the car today, so I'll post new info on the problem as soon as I get a chance. Thanks for your help so far, everyone.

 

Ditto Andrew89tpi. A VATS failure can be really nasty to track down.
That system has 2 components 1) the key pill sensor in the ign. switch, which generates an input to 2) the VATS control module.
At GM: 1) new key & sensor installed, at least $100 2) new VATS control module, at least $300 installed.
Alternatives: re-program chip to ignore VATS, or replace the VATS C-M with a $15 unit from an ebay vendor in OH. (PM me if thats what you need.)

Good luck,
kk

 

the keys are in great shape; no chips. I'm replacing the spark plugs and distributor coil this evening to see if that helps; and if it doesnt, the thing needs a tune up anyway. oh and we're also changing the oil and replacing the oil filter. I'll let you guys know if any of the warning lights etc come on when i post again.

 

ok, its definately NOT vats; my car doesn't have it(and i hear they didn't use vats until '89). I checked, and all the gauges and service lights come on, the car acts like it wants to turn over, but won't.thays pretty much all i know at this point.

 

When you say dont turn over, do you mean that the starter does nothing? If so then check the starter. If the car cranks but doesnt start check the simple things like fuses, fuel pump, injectors, Distributor, ect. Its been my experience that most of the time its something simple. Give a little more info and maybe i can help narrow it down for you. See if it gets spark, fuel pump runs, and injectors click.

 

he said it doesnt crank, you should get voltage on the little wire going to the starter(when some turns the key). it can be low battery, bad starter feed(big cables, clean and check for corrosion) also check and clean the big ground going from neg. batt. to the engine as well as the one from the head to the firewall on the back.

 

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