Hey guys, i have an '86 Iroc-Z, With a stock 305 and a 700R4 trans. i have been working on it for almost 2 years just when i have time off work in the summer...(im only almost 22)... and i have run into a problem and i dont know what it is and i pray some one can help...
I replaced the shifter with a new Hurst automatic shifter (the T-bar with the pull up hammer) while doing this i had the whole center console apart (duh) and after i got the shifter in i tried starting it and... nothing. after hours of tinkering well into the night i found a small relay that was a clear box very small..(1" cube about) and i opened the clear top and looked at it. i saw how the connectors were supposed to drop and touch a few points and they were not doing that when i turned the key. but when i hold down the connectors to the points it will start. Any ideas? I know i am not that good at explaining but i hope that someone can help me, thanks alot..

 

Where is this relay located? In the center console? Is it a factory relay, or did it come with the new shifter? How many wires does it have coming off of it?

 

It is a stock relay as far as i can tell. it didnt come with the shifter and yes it is in the center console.. and i have to double check, (car has been packed in the garage for the winter) but i believe it is 6 maybe 7 wires comeing off the bottom... one thing i forgot to mention was that when i thought the relay was bad, i found an EXACT copy of it at an electonics store and put that one on and it still doesnt work.. i checked all my fuses and nothing was blown so... idk.

 

That sounds like the gear selector switch to me. I've never seen one before, though. It has a bunch of wires coming from it. The only thing is that I thought the switch was pretty big. According to the diagram, there is a dark green and a purple wire coming from the switch. If you connect those wires, and then try to start the car, it should work. I'm not sure that the gear selector switch is what you got there, though. I'm just going by what my wiring diagram says.

Here's another thread with a similar problem. https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/elec...cal-error.html
And here is the diagram I'm looking at. Look down by the bottom. http://www.austinthirdgen.org/mkport...stribution.jpg

 

Post some pictures of the relay in question. By your description, it's NOT a factory relay (Cheby never put in this ***** clear see-through neon-lit stuff).
Also, there is no relay in the center console that controls the starting circuit. And if it was the VATS Starter Enable relay (not sure, '86 is the borderline year for VATS), it would be behind the driver side kick panel and not a 1" cube (it's bigger).

So it sounds like an aftermarket addition, such as an alarm, anti-theft system, remote-start device, anything. I'd follow the connections from this relay and make sure that nothing got accidentaly pulled out and disconnected which would prevent the car from starting.

Hope this helps.
Lou