i drove my car 2 days ago, park it in my garage, today went to drive it to the gym and the car wont start at all. it wont even crank, the lights are fine and is reading 12amps when i turn it it dont do ANYTHING no sounds, nothing...... but the gauges and lights stay on.

this whole car has been compleatly rebuilt everything is new and i did all the wiring myself, i went from TPI to carbed, no emmisions.

i have me HEI dist, and a igniton box, and a new starter and alt, from summit, it has never done this before. its been running great. i also checked all my fuses

( i remember like a year ago, i took my vats fuse out, because didnt think i needed it hence i dont a ECU and it did the same thing its doing now, but i put the fuse back and it ran perfect again.) - to give u a idea on what its doing.

please help! ( i posted a picture of my engine, so you could understand i dont have any of the factory stuff in there

 

If the starter isn't a hi-$ show starter, knock it a couple times with a rubber mallet.

I've heard there is a way to put a resistor or diode in the VATS,but that was yrs ago.

Summit // Jegs sells a CD ignition tester but IIRC, lots of $.

Stareter or battery wire burn on exhaust?


That is a SWEET engine & bay!!!

 

i tryed that starter trick, its a mini high comp starter...

i did look at my power wire going into the batt from starter, IT is burnt off the rubber, but it DID not burn all the way through....i can see the wire its about 2 Inch long....but i dont understand because, the wire goes from my fuse box, to my starter, then it goes to batt...( the burnt wire)but all my gauges/ lights work, if that wire was toast i wouldnt get nothing turning the key,
(no power to car at all) im getting just the liights on, but no cranking at all. i have a manual fuel pump ii wouldnt hear that anyway. i mean i turn key...i get nothing.


i really think it has to be igniton,,,what about the two metal relays on fuse box???

 

Check ignition coil

 

As the car is a 92 has the starter relay behind the driver kick panel been bypassed.
If the vats was still needed then with the carb this would be the next thing to show up if vats gives a problem. You would still have power to coil. This can be checked with 12V tester. If not cranking then first get it cranking. After that easier to diagnose anything else.
My vats is not working at all and I had to bypass the relay when I went to carburetor.
It is logical if the vats fuse must be in or this same thing happens.

 

i did not bypass the relay, i just hooked up the read and purple wire to starter that came out of the firewall, the car has been driving fine, like i said i was driving it, it park in garage, next day i went to leave and it wont start, no cranking, not ign click, nothing. but the lights go on and gauges. weirddd...i cant figure it out! what colors go in relay? and can i just replace it?

 

http://www.austinthirdgen.org/index.php?pid=38

 

ok here is the deal after my WHOLE LONG DAY with this issue....

in the morning, took out battery and tested it at autozone, ( just incase) it turned out fine. i bought 2 new relays( drivers side near fuse box) , and two silver fuses (just to be on safe side, didnt know what they were for)

- nothing

tested my starter, i put a jumper wire from the Purple (starter switch ) and the power screw, it jumped, so the starter was good, but i had a extra starter at home, so just to be on the safe side, i change it.

- nothing

tested my MSD box, its fine,

i also took apart my center console, to test my "safty park drive switch" on my B&D mega shifter and was fine, if i jumped it from there i could spin my starter, make engine turn, but not start the car.

so i bought a test light. From the starter i tested the purple wire...i didnt get nothing, but how could i spin it from the trans????????

also all my wires light up the checker besides the Purple wire that goes into fuse box. so i thought it was the key ignition, but when i turn the key, and test the PINK wire from the firewall into the engine bay( 12v switched power) i get a signal....... I HAVE NO f***ING CLUE WHAT TO DO, over 14 hours today on this **** and i cant figure it out...
so after all of this, i still turn the key and get NOTHING...

please....help.

 

I would replace the burnt wire its only for the starter from ign. It doesnt power your gauges diff circut its probly arcing or have brocken strands or curoded from being bare where u cant see it (inside insolation) and not supplying the needed voltage to the silonoid on starter

 

so after another whole day of messing with this here is what happend.
i went to autozone, i bought a new key ignition cylinder, a new ignition STARTER switch, and also a new B&M safty lock switch for my shifter.

i got the car started so rules out my hei, msd box, starter, and battery cables)n i used a jumper wire on my trans safty park switch, the car started right up and ran well. so i tested the 4 wires that connect to the safty park switch and they all get power besides the THINK 10/8 gage GREEN WIRE.

so i went under my dash and started testing wires, those thick 10/8 gage wires that comes out of the streering column connects to the IGNITION STARTER SWITCH, i tested all the wires( YELLOW, ORANGE,PINK,BROWN, TWO REDS, GREEN ) they all get power EXCEPT the YELLOW wire. the only time the yellow wire gets power is when i turn the key...does that rule out my IGNITION KEY CYLINDER???? i think it does but i could be wrong.( see picture)

well i followed them wires that go into a relay( i think its the starter relay) and all the wires get power except the thick green wire that i believe goes to the trans safty park switch.....(see picture)

i did not put the ignition key clyinder or the ignition starter switch in yet, because could this have to do with VATS? ( so i can safe money and return the parts i dont need, and the ignition starter switch looks like a B**** and have no clue how to get to it.

keep in mind i dont have a ECU, the car has a 79 chevy engine with a manual fuel pump, hei and msd box....but i got the car started from jumping the trans safty switch, so i dont know.....


the 3 pics attached is
-the yellow wire from steering column that gets power when i turn key
- what i think is the starter relay (please correct me if wrong)(green wire getting now power to it)
- the new ignition starter switch, must be impossible to install.

 

also what is this wire going into the ignition starter switch ( circled in red)
- 2nd one is a relay which i have no clue what it is...( what is it?)


- please help and thank you for your time.
matt

 

hmmmm...so i was reading on this VATS thing, and i decided to look at that taped up relay, the last pic i post, didnt know what it was, well i untaped it, and it looks like the person i bought it from before tampered with it.... i took the tap off, and i noticed now when i turn the key, before it would only say "brake" in red...now it says "security" and stays on..... and if i move it around, with the key out, then it will go back to just saying break...hmmmm..could this be my problem??????? what would i do to fix it....

- here are some more pics of this relay.

 

more

 

bahahaha....i think i found it, i took the starter relay apart, and crank the car over, and connected the relay by hand and it will start....so allllllllllllllllllllllllllll this money and work, and i think its the VATS crap. its 330 am here.....i will connect the Thick green and Thick yellow tomorrow and it should do the trick ( bypass VATS starter relay) and i dont think i should have any problems in the future right.???????

 

Any luck? I'm fighting a similar problem with my 89 Firebird.