Just need guidance.

I have a 91 Camaro RS with a couple of mods...

Started it up the other night to go get gas, and it wouldn't crank back up after I gassed her up with Premium... (What a waste right!)

All electronics come on, fuel pump starts, fan DOESN'T turn on, starter doesn't make a sound (not that I've ever heard a sound from it anyway....)

After pushing my car back to my house, i checked my fuses, looked around for anything that could of came undone.

Everything checked out visually. So i looked for answers.

When I go to crank it, you hear nothing but the fuel pump, and the beeping from the VATS

I lifted my car onto stands and ran a wire from my starter to my battery while my car was on, and I got more sound out of it than i have just using the key, Sounded like it would turn on but something was stopping it.

Any ideas? I'm thinking its a connection problem but not entirely sure from what to what.

 

Does the starter make any sounds? Does it engage? Or at least try?

Your positive its not VATS realated?

Maybe try Ohming the ign switch..? Im not really to sure to be honest, but to me it doesnt sound like there could be that many options.

 

No point in running premium unless you have advanced timing.

 

Sounds like a VATS issue.

 

With just a key turn, no the starter doesn't make any noise.
But when I ran the wire from the starter to batt. it started whinning like it was spinning or whatever a starter does....


No, I'm not positive, nor do I know how to check. I know that VATS is controlled by a resistance placed in the key, but I've had the same key the whole time.

I could try my 89 Firebirds key but as similar as the cars are, i don't think I'll be that lucky.

Ignition Switch... Location? I can find anything if it is described in detail.

 

Why would you run a wire from starter to battery? You already have one of those, it is called a positive battery cable. You wanna try and start it at the starter itself.

 

How else would you test a starter,
I read in another post to do it the way I had tried.

 

jump the starter with a screwdriver. Touch the big nut that the positive cable goes to and the little nut (purple wire ) right above it . Car should start.

 

Becareful, make sure your car is in park. Put on the emergency brake and turn the key into the "on" position. Then go underneath.

 

Are u getting any noise or cranking at all? If not it may be VATS. Check for a code 46

 

I will be trying this tomorrow morning, need more light.

Also, the PO i got my car from did a engine swap, so the ECM in there now is pretty much useless. Not sure how accurate the codes are when theres a lot of things different then the normal.

 

Not sure what that means. Do you have a carburator on it now or something? Is your car running the original fuel injection? If your car is fuel injected still, and it's running , the chances are that everything is hooked up correctly and functioning.

 

Ok, i see you have a carb now. You used to be TBI then cause you have an RS Camaro. Ok.

 

Yea it has been switched to a carb 350. So a lot of the previous 305 wires are not hooked up.

 

Tried this... And nothing happened. A **** ton of sparks flew out if i touched the bolt next to where the Pos. cable was going. But nothing when I touched the one above.

When i touched the one next to it, it would spin or something, like I said previously.

 

Make sure your cables are good. This happened to me yesterday. I spend all day in 20 degree weather on the ground in front of a Starbucks fixing it! Turns out ,I had a bad Positive battery cable which was causing resistance in the system. I am pretty sure i got it fixed now, unless my starter is going bad too. I doubt it cause it is only a year old. We will see.

 

Also, you will probably need a jumpstart too.

 

Sorry for the late updates...

My car in now in the shop and has been for 4 days.
Was told my starter was good, my + cable to the starter was fine (even though I really don't think they changed it) and that the only thing they could find was that the ign. Switch had a few tattered wires .. they changed my ign. Switch (where you turn the key) and it still won't crank the car.

Any ideas that I could shoot at them?

Also they said they got the car to turn on, by bypassing something...i just didn't get detail on how, but they offered to put in a push to start button but i want my car to start by the key like its ment to.

 

I really am thinking its a VATS issue now, and I'm hoping this shop understands what they are dealing with.

 

if it is a vats issue,then you only one of two things could be bad. if you try the resistor trick by the ignition switch with the two small white wires and that doesnt work,then the vats module itself is bad and it is almost impossible to get to. dash needs to come out. Do you have a code 46? that would signal vats issue.Now,if it is a vats issue,you may be able to order a module on ebay for bypassing it.

 

Like I said the car is in the shop now, but I will run this by them as a suggestion.


Will the ECM still throw codes for it even if different engine? Only reason I don't check the codes is because I assumed there would be a lot of errors with the larger engine and mods.