Hey guys... OK I've got a problem. Here is some background; 1988 IROC 305HO (I think) with 160,000 kms, manual trans. and t-tops (lov'em) I've had this car for about two weeks now and it has run flawlessly (other then it smells really rich, I'll takle that at another time). The car has been parked since '95 but the guy tried to take care of it by starting it once per month and letting it get upto operating temp & then driving it around the block before removing the battery again. He insured the car for three months in '02 and did some repair work; new starter, alternator, battery, fuel pump, radiator, plugs&wires, cap&rotor, front and rear brake shoes, exhaust repair (still stock), all fluids changed and replaced (tanny, rear end, oil, coolant).

I've done a few repairs since I purchased it, nothing serious. Replaced the battery (battery failed load test) hood struts, rear power trunk repair, weather stripping, oil&filter change, fuel filter, air filters, etc and I've got an appointment to have the rear wheel bearings changed first thing Monday morning however I need to drop the car off at the shop by tomorrow. Since I already had a busy day planned tomorrow I was going to drop the car off today. Until today the car ran flawlessly and it never had a problem starting or operating.

I jumped into the car this evening and turned the key, nothing. Ok, the interior light is on - the guages work, I opend the drivers window. I mashed the clutch to the floor and tried to turn the key again, nothing - not even a click or attempt to turn over. The volt guage showed very low so I went over and got my other Zed to jump start it (Z24). I let it charge for quite a while with jumpers, still nothing. I put a battery charger onto the battery and got it to full capacity, nothing. Checked fuses under dash, visual inspection of wiring, peeked under and around the clutch - everything seems normal. So I pulled the battery from my Z24 and installed it into the IROC and I know that battery is good - still nothing.

I've never owned an F-body before and I don't know where to start looking. The starter was replaced (see above) and the car has only got 7,000 kms since it was changed (the previous owner kept great repair logs) so I wouldn't assume that is the problem, perhaps the solenoid? At this point I'll assume that the starter is only accessable from underneath the car like it is on my other, other Zed, a Z-71 (hum... perhaps I'm a Chevy guy? lol - I just realized that I now have 3 Zed's in my driveway; Z-24, Z-71, and newly acquired IROC-Z28)

Ok, so what else can be the culprit? Clutch switch to enable the ignition to fire.. I don't have a clue where to begin looking for that. A faulty ignition, perhaps in the steering column or elsewhere? There is an inline fuseable link near the starter if I recall but it was alreaday too dark to get underneath and do a thorough inspection but I can't see any obvious wire hanging down or melted anywhere. Its also been hotter then heck out the last couple of days and I drove the car for a few hours, perhaps thats a clue - fried out stater? How can I nail it down, short out the starter with a screw driver and see if it turns? Also it has been hotter then heck out and my temp guage in the dash is non-functional, the rads been replaced and I don't know where to look for the temp sending unit/wire. All other dash guages appear to work properly - perhaps somone can point me in the right direction?

Please help guys, I'm half-assed mechanically abled with a fair amount of tools I just don't know where to begin with these cars. Ok its getting long winded, any and all help appreciated. Thanks!

 

try giving the starter a good couple wacks with a hammer. hot starters sometimes need persuasion

you can also try it while having someone crank it...this has worked on many many cars of all makes for me.

Might be really simple, cross your fingers

 

sonnds like the v.a.t.s vehicle auto theft system .do you have the key with a resistor on it [ignition key] ? if so i bet that is what it is ..if so youll have to change your ignition.[lock and tumbler. ihad the same problem good luck...

 

when you turn the key does the security light stay on and the temperature fly all the way to 260?

 

No security light present, I don't believe I have the VATS system... the key just seems like a normal key, identical to my Chevy truck key which doesn't have a security system. My temp guage is totally dead and has been since I bought the car.

I don't or cannot hear the starter solinoid click when I turn the key, plus it didn't turn over when I jumped the connections on the starter. Hitting the starter with a hammer produced no results aswell.

I got the car bump-started, it runs fine. I dropped it off at the shop today for they are doing the rear wheel bearings in the morning and I've left them a note stating that I believe the starter is dead. They can repair it while the car is on the hoist.

Thanks for the advice guys, hopefully this will be an easy fix.