New Owner....More Problems
 

Hey everybody! My name is Andrew and I am finally a proud ZR1 owner :fahne:. I recently stepped up from my 89 6speed C4 to a 91 ZR1 (turquoise met) ~ 75k.....but not without some problems.

I bought the car knowing there were a few problems I was going to deal with. First, I had 4 injectors bad and she was running but sounded like a snapper from washing the plugs out and then burning the CATS up (glowing). I towed it home and got the intake off and replaced the injectors with some FIC remans and I also put in all new coil packs since one had obviously been replaced. I changed the wires and plugs and I immediately dropped the coolant when I discovered the dreaded orange stuff was in there.

After all that the ol' girl fired right up and ran great. The secondary seems to work fine but the transmission would hang up a little bit coming from reverse to first, and after you got it in to first everything shifted great. I figured I should get the car back up on jackstands and check out the hydraulic clutch system. I had problems on my 89 with the slave/master cylinder so I figured I would try bleeding it. Well the fluid was really low and black and the system wouldn't bleed so I replaced the slave and then the master cylinder. While it was up on jackstands I also changed the thermostat.

......now the car won't crank! You can put the key in and turn it to the "on" position and all the lights and gauges work, but when you go to crank it there is nothing coming from the starter. I figured this was a VATS problem so I checked the wiring harness (2-wire orange/white) under the column and it is reading the correct resistance of my key in all the positions. I also checked that the VATS module is sending 5V to the cylinder. I even tried jumping out the clutch switch to take that out of the equation but still nothing.

I am really stumped on why it won't crank. The starter doesn't seem to be locked up because there isn't a load when the switch is turned it just does nothing. So does anybody have any ideas? I have exhausted the search function on both this site and the corvetteforums.

Thanks in advance!

Re: New Owner....More Problems
 

I believe there is a purple wire that goes to the starter. You can search and confirm that. Once you find the wire that goes to the starter you can determine if you have current to the starter. If you do you can eliminate the VATS and the clutch switch.

If no current on the starter wire, then you have VATS or clutch starter issue. Since you replaced parts related to the clutch, your problem could point to the clutch switch.

You won't know until you determine if you have current to the starter...

Good luck...

Re: New Owner....More Problems
 

First off Welcome and Congrats on the ZR-1, Everyone here is very helpful so you came to the right place. Did this starter issue happen after you pulled the plenum?

Do a search on it here is one there are many more that may help. Also be sure to check the battery just because your lights work does not mean you have enough amps to start.....

http://www.zr1.net/forum/showthread....t=start+issues

Re: New Owner....More Problems
 

Where in sc? I could come help out if needed.

Re: New Owner....More Problems
 

Hey thanks everybody for the quick responses!

Well I will definitely look into seeing if the starter is getting juice. I forgot to mention that I went ahead and replaced the battery. The date on the battery was really old so I figured it couldn't hurt....I would rather keep my electrical system happy due to the location of the alternator and starter. I drove the car for a few days after putting the plenum back together so I'm assuming everything was fine with that. I will check the starter first chance I get and go from there.

Thanks Z06scentair for the offer. I might hit you up on that if I can't get this thing figured out easily. I guess the most recognizable place that is the closest would be Greenville, SC.

I welcome anymore suggestions and I will keep y'all posted.

Re: New Owner....More Problems
 

Welcome!

As it happens, timing is perfect! It just so happens the just released issue of the Heart of the Beast contains an article by Marc Haibeck that focuses exactly on "NO START" issues. If you join the ZR-1 NetRegistry as a member, you'll have access to all the magazines, and a wealth of information.

However, here's a "teaser" from Marc Haibeck's super article (schematic can be found in the FSM, sans the arrows and voltages that Marc included).

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x...ps9170e748.jpg

I gather by your post that you know your way around a schematic and a VOM, so this should help a great deal. "Poke" around and let us know what you find. But, let me ask this, since you bypassed the clutch switch already, probe the big purple wire routed under the rear of the plenum and let us know if you have 12 volts when the starter switch is engaged? And, if so, do you hear a "click" from the starter solenoid when you turn the key? If yes to both, then the main contact posts and "ring" in the starter may need some attention. But, rather than jump around, it is probably best to let you look at the schematic and then we can break it down methodically further, if need be.

Good luck, and again, welcome to the BROTHERHOOD OF THE BEAST!

Three items that will cure most No Starts
 

Three things I do on a ZR1 just for Starters (pun intended) :D

1. Install the tccrab Starter Relay.
2. Clean the Starter Solenoid Contacts.
3. Make sure the ground wire contacts and Battery are in good condition.

Starter Relay, Wiring Harness, and Plugs Tricks

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l...1f498e4d50.jpghttp://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l...9e22f85e0a.jpg

http://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l...T5/Relay-1.jpghttp://i287.photobucket.com/albums/l...arterRelay.jpg

Re: New Owner....More Problems
 

Thanks everyone for your help =D>. I finally got around to trying some new things so here is my updates.

First, I cannot find the purple wire running to the starter so does anyone know where I could find it? I looked over the schematic posted and measured the voltage after the clutch switch (I believe it was a grey/black wire) which was 11.3V. The weird part is if you depress the brake then the voltage goes away. The schematic shows the clutch switch as stand alone but my clutch switch appears to be hooked in series with the brake switch. The starter solenoid appears to be clicking and it is obviously passing voltage to the clutch switch so what gives? I would like to check the wire on the outside of the firewall going to the starter before I start tearing apart for the starter solenoid.

Re: New Owner....More Problems
 

Re: New Owner....More Problems
 

Thanks a million Goldcylon!!!! I just read that post, asked my wife to hold dinner, ran to the garage and fired her up! Wow what a simple fix. Thanks again guys!