My daughter just purchased a 1984 vette about four weeks ago. The car has been running fine but in the last week she said it would sometimes take a little cranking before it would start. Last night she was driving it for a while, parked it and when she was going to leave she turned the key to the start position and the factory security light flashes, the check engine light is on and the parking brake light is on. What should be the first thing to check?
The car came with Viper key fobs so I assume it has that security system also, unless they work in conjunction with eachother.

Assuming the engine is turning over first thing to check would be the gas tank. The Corvette gas gauges are rarely accurate. If it isn't even turning over what is the battery condition and are all the cables tight?

Along with what Andy said above,

Did the engine turn over? Or did just those lights come on and the engine wouldn't turn over?

It sounds a bit like it's the security system. Have you tried it again? If the security system is activated, it won't allow the starter to turn, there is a timer in the system that runs a "no start" condition about 10 minutes and then resets.

If the key has the small black & silver pellet on it, wipe off the silver contacts with alcohol or some other degreaser (I'm not sure the 84's had this).

Some additional info:
http://www.justanswer.com/chevy/3jom5 ... system-not-operating.html

Bill, I don't think the '84s have a VATS system to keep it from starting. Not sure if a Viper security system has a no start function.

Yea, Andy is right, there is no VATS on the 84. Vipers have optional immobilizers. I would make sure that the viper system is disabled, just to be sure. Many times, aftermarket alarms will blow a specific fuse related to starting the car. Check the engine controller or fuel pump fuses.

As for no start, the basics still apply:

1 - Does it crank?
2 - Does it TRY to start?
3 - Does it have spark?
4 - Does it have fuel?

There are easy tests for 3 and 4... #3, take a screw driver, shove it, tip first, into the spark plug boot, ground the shaft to a bracket and whilst cranking, see if there is a spark.

Equally easy for #4, take the air filter off and look at the throttle bodies directly. When trying to start the car, is there fuel spraying in? It would look like a constant stream of very atomized fuel.

Put the battery on a charger... this will kill it over time.

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I wasn't sure on the VATS, but it does have a anti-theft relay with a timer.

Sorry about that, wife had me feeding one of the granddaughters. The only thing that happens is the lights on the dash. No starter. disconnected battery and checked cables, all is good. This happened last night at 7:00. I worked on it about two hours later and then tried to start it this morning and still nothing

No starter?

Ok... check the starter. Also, charge the battery. Make sure it's good and fresh.

These cars will kill a battery if not driven regularly. So I recommend a battery tender if it is going to be parked for days at a time.

As for checking the starter... make sure the connections are CLEAN. Road grime will really mess things up and will add to resistance.

The battery cables are prone to corroding, and that will cause an issue. If you can, pull back the rubber insulation on the leads and see what is what.

I hate to be the bearer of potentially bad news, but you will need to be aware of this sooner than later... 1984 Corvettes are now getting older and as such, they are getting crankier... you are going to be running headlong into situations caused by no maintenance, differed maintenance and flat out bad maintenance.

Electrical gremlins will potentially come fast and furious... and won't stop. Get a good test light, DVM and soldering iron. The wiring harnesses on these cars is suspect from the get-go. In 1990 or so, The SAE changed the composition of the wiring insulation for underhood applications. Why? Cause the old stuff would break, crack, chaff, shrink. All of this due to heat, chemical exposure and what not.

You will be chasing more and more of these bugs and if you are dealing with poorly installed aftermarket parts, more power to ya, brother.

I would first and foremost get rid of the Viper alarm.

Check all fuses, cleaning them off with 600 grit sandpaper.

Check all connectors under the hood. Making sure all are clean. Use a grease - which BillH will recommend, cause I don't remember off hand - to protect the connections inside.

Check wiring around connectors for shrinkage and cracking.

I am a big fan of 3M brand 180c tape. This is a cold fusion tape that can tolerate up to 180 degrees centigrade!

Take your time, be patient. Start under the hood, then work back to the area around the fuel filler - the pump is under there.

Also note, the pump is low pressure, about 15 PSI, for the Crossfire Injection system. Lower, 7 PSI is for carbs, higher, 40PSI is for modern port injection... 15k PSI is used in some of the newest Direct Injected engines.

I wish I could give you a single place to start... I guess the starter is that place. I would even consider dropping it out and having it tested. Find a local auto electrical repair place, not Autozone or other equally crappy places... the local guy will do what you want... if you say "use the best part", he will. So find that guy.

Please keep us posted.

Andy gave good advice.

Do you have a helper with this? Can you test for power at the starter when cranking? If no power, check the starter enable relay which is located in the dashboard behind the DIC (driver information center). You will have to remove the plastic surround area around the radio, etc. I'll get you some more info on that later.

Matthew

Thanks for everything so far. I am very impressed with this forum, from reading other posts it seems that everyone is very helpful and not so arogant about it like some of the other forums. I should have stuck to looking for an early '70s cutlass like her brother has (no electronics), but I am sure I'll learn alot from you guys while working on this car. Thanks again!

Thanks for the props!!

Many of us have come from those more annoying and arrogant sites... this place is far more mature. Sure, we may be a bit naughty and a touch salty, but it's real. No sabre rattling, just good solid information.

On some of the other forums, they look down on the "uncollectable" Corvettes. And that is a shame. They are no less worthy of our care; if anything, more so!

I sure hope the above suggestions lead to a satisfactory conclusion.

The Corvette is basically a reliable car. With the 84, age and neglect have taken their tolls. Don't be afraid to try fixes in big chunks. Nibbling away at one of these will exhaust you, take a big project and do it to it!

Oh, and if you liked us before, wait until you open your PM inbox.

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That's kind of a puzzler Andy.

What is? I thought I was rather clear.

There're several Corvette owner types:

1. The NCRS Snob
2. The Collector
3. The Enthusiast Owner
4. The Newest is the Bestest
5. The Top of the Line, COPO only for me, cause I am important

The thing is, 1, 2, 4 and 5 will all snob down on the 74-90 or Non-Callaway or Non-ZR1 as being somehow inferior. God forbid you buy a less than collectible Corvette only to modify the bejeebus out of it.

I remember back in 1992, at my local cruise in, this dude pulls in driving a brand new black ZR1. I wanted to ask him some qx, but all he wanted to do was show it off to his Corvette buddies... They were all about the bling, yo.

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Well, you said it was certain forums, not certain people on certain forums.

I don't know of any forum where everyone is like that.

Sorry MyvettedadsPTjob for highjacking your post.

yea, sorry for the highjack... but some forums are more focused on newer cars... and perhaps everyone ISN'T that way, but enough are to create a negative perception.

On this site, I don't know anyone who would be that way towards any Corvette owner. They own a Vette, they are welcome.

There have been some custom jobs that have left me speechless, but that's another story.

No problem with the highjack, lets me know a little more about who you are. I did search around the net a little and read posts from a few different forums and different subjects and this forum seemed to stand out with the way questions were answered that is why I joined this one.

Cool! I am glad that you found us and found us to your liking!

Enjoy your stay and hopefully, together, we can make that Corvette run like new!

No time to work on the vette this weekend, to much going on. Hopefully we can get to it sometime this week. My daughter is getting kind of anxious about getting back on the road, can't say i blame her.

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Whereabouts are you in MI? There are some CG members throughout the state who might be willing to lend a hand if they can.

Matthew

Grand Rapids area.

Corvetteron is out there and I know there are some active clubs in the area. I bet you could find some friendly folks to give you a hand. Send Ron a message, he knows a lot of corvette people there.

Matthew

I am not exactly sure where in MI Ron is... But send him a note... his handle is corvetteronw - Matthew, you missed the "w" a the end.

And I still owe you that CD.

Thanks Guys, appreciate the information.

OK, there is power going to the starter with the key in the start position. We will take care of that later. I was working on some of the wiring for the horns cleaning them up and putting some silicone lube on the connections. The drivers side horn had a resistor wired in on the ground side. ? I went to NAPA to get some more waterproof wire connectors and asked them about the resistor and they told me to eleminate it. I put it all back to original and tested the horn (that worked before i messed with everything) and it didn't work at all. I checked the fuse and the fuse was blown. There was a 20 amp fuse in it instead of a 15 so obviously there has been some issues with it in the past. I wired the resistor back in and when i put the fuse back in the horn blows constantly not intermitently like the alarm

I don't know of any resistor that should be in the wiring for the horn.

If it's blowing constantly that could be a sign that there is a problem with the security circuit grounding out or something along those lines. It's hard to say 100%, I'm a better hands on troubleshooter.

The fuse went only when the resistor was not wired in. Once I put the resistor back in the fuse would not blow. I think I'll try to unplug the horns and put my meter on the wires to see if there is any power there, if there is the problems further back if not then the horn is probably bad. I would like to get it running for her this week sometime, it is supposed to nice weather. Hopefully the rain is done for a while.

I doubt it's the horn itself causing the problem. You need a factory service manual with the wiring schematic section to trace this. A paper version will run you around 75-100 dollars, they now have cd versions on ebay for like 25-35 dollars.

Matthew

Matthew - a service manual is on it's way to him... I just need to mail it.

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Where's mine?

I don't have one for an 89.

Any update on your problem?

Turned out to be the starter. I have never had a starter do that before. It didn't even click when you turned the key. The horn turned out to be something on the steering wheel, we wiggled it a little and the horn quit. Still wondering about the resistor on the horn, definitely not done at the factory. Without the resistor the fuse will blow. Last guy had a 20 amp fuse in the slot instead of the required 15 amp and it blew that to. Wired the resistor in and the fuse is fine. Is there possibly something wrong with the wireing somewhere that they needed to put in the resistor?

Glad you figured it out! Starter is a relatively easy fix so that's a good thing.

As far as the horn problem, there should be no resistor in there. You should see if something is backfeeding in there. I would test the circuit and see if there is any power in there without the horn depressed.

Matthew

I'll check it out some more. Could there be something wrong with the horn or would be something else?

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Disconnect the horn. Put the probe end of a test light in the hot side of the connector after removing the resistor (check your FSM for the correct color but it is probably green).

Ground the test light wire. Push the horn button, did the fuse blow? If it did, it's not the horn. If that's so, you're going to have to inspect all the wiring to the relay and from the relay to the steering column button for shorts.