Hello everybody, im new to thirdgen, but have been lurking for a while. I need some help with my 1984 z28.
I went to start it this afternoon to go to walmart. my 84 z28 has had an engine swap and has a 350 in it. back to my problem.. i cranked it, it turned on for a minute and shut off. (normal because it needs a rebuilt carb or a new fuel pump). i went to crank it again to start it and let it warm up and nothing.. no tick no nothing just the brake light came on. i have no idea what's going on. would love some thoughts on what it could be?

 

Welcome to TGO!


When say "Swapped", how much was swapped. What accessories do you still have? Do you have headers? Do you still have the original CC Qjet on the carb? Was anything else but the motor changed? The more information you can give us the more we might be able to give advice.

If you have the original CC Qjet on the car, when you turn the key to the "on" position without turning the car on, can you hear any clicking by the carb (This tells us the MCS is working and getting power)?


Do your headlights, interior lights, radio etc. still work (this tells us that you are still getting power, through the starter relay into the cabin)?


Have you checked the voltage on the battery itself?

 

Yes when i turn the key the lights, radio and every electrical thing works perfectly fine, Sorry about the late reply. the carb looks to be pretty new, it has a new battery a new alternatory, the carburetor is a holley 600. It does need a new header gasket on the driver side though.

Im thinking that either the alternator whent bad, or the battery is dead.

Any idea on what you think it might be?

 

Pull up another car and try and jump start yours. If it starts, it's probably the battery. Or, if you have another car, pull the battery and run it down to the local parts store and have them test it on their machine. If the battery tests good, it could be the alternator. So....bring that with you as well and see if they can test it (Call first and make sure they do test them).

 

Ill give it a try, i have and Advanced Auto Parts store right down the street. I'm sure they test the batteries, i dont know about alternators though. I'll let you know how it all goes, maybe they may not be the problem. Thanks though.

 

If you dont get a click at all you will need to check your stater or starter relay. You got juice from Battery since radio works well enough. You could check for a grounding issue as well. If starter ground is failed then your starter and relay wont power no matter how good the battery is.

 

If everything lights up ok, including the headlights, then it's probably not the battery. A bad alternator wouldn't prevent it from cranking either. When you turn the key to the START position, it supplies 12V to the starter solenoid. The starter solenoid has a large push-button switch in it that supplies 12V from the battery cable to the starter motor.

Since you aren't getting any clicking at all, you need to check and see why the 12V isn't making it from the key to the solenoid. Some (maybe all?) cars have a starter enable relay that acts as a middle man for the power to the solenoid. The key applies 12V to the enable relay which then provides 12V thru heavier wiring to the solenoid.

 

You both are right, i got both my battery tested with my alternator. Both passed, the weather here in Pennsylvania has been non stop rain, so untill the weather clears up i wont try to take it out. Anyone know where the starter Celenoid is? Never changed one, is it a difficult process? tips tricks? What i should and shouldnt do?

 

The starter solenoid is part of the starter. If it's wore out, the rest of the starter isn't far behind. Just change it out.

First, check to make sure that power is reaching the solenoid when you turn the key. Check with a test light or a multimeter at the small terminal with the one purple wire on it. If it has voltage there, it needs a starter. If not, look elsewhere.

A prime suspect would then be the neutral safety switch. Try holding the key in start and moving the shifter around.

 

Ill try it, Not sure if there's a purple wire. The person that swapped this engine in sadly did a shitty job.. he left all the wires from the 305 in it still and it just looks like a mess. ill see how much i can get done with this weather, ill post some pics later on today of the engine bay and the wrest of the car, got quite a few problems. Looks like you guys will be stuck answering quite a few questions considering my lack of experience haha.

 

The solenoid is the smaller unit with the terminals on top of the starter motor
You are looking for the wire than goes to the small terminal on the solenoid

 

Thanks i really appreciate it, ill let you know what i find. I'll take some pictures later on today.

 

Thanks i really appreciate it, will try and get some pictures up later this evening.