Well, its official, my vette is going to behave like my old sedan.  Fix one thing and another goes out.  Now to scream...AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Thanks, thats better.

Been waiting to test the new fuel line.  Recharged the battery, just a clunk.  Jump started from my Mini Cooper, just a clunk.

Jacked up the front and put it on jack stands (again).  Looks like I get to remove the right side headers to get to the starter on the ZZ4!

AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! thanks again, needed to scream but didn't want to scare the little lady.  I'm looking at those reduction gear starters but I don't know..

Any comments??

Jim

I feel your pain. I'm still cringing when I here the word "starter."

I was chasing down a starter issue myself for awhile. I changed out battery cables. Put in a new starter extension harness. Another mini hi torque starter from "Tuff Stuff." After all was said and done I was still having the same problem. Turn the key and Clunk...clunk...clunk. So with some help from Ken Styer, it was narrowed down to the purple wire that comes off of the neutral safety switch above the clutch pedal over to the starter solenoid. Apparently the wire somewhere in the harness had shorted out. So I ran a new wire and that has seemed to have solved the problem. The only time I still have an issue is when the starter get hot.

So if you can...try to jumper the small terminal to the battery terminal on the starter and see if the starter will turn the engine over. If it does, this may be your problem. If it doesn't, pull the starter and bench test it. If it still doesn't work, then I would say it would be a good time to put in a mini starter.

Good luck

Just wanted to add, that when I jumpered the pigtail to rule out the neutral safety switch, (to rule out the neutral safety switch) the jumper wire literally started to glow. Which meant there was a definite short in the harness.

I hate to plug and play, but I figured since the car is 30 yrs. old and things are bound to wear out, I'm going to start replacing switches and wiring anyways for peace of mind since we do a lot of road trips in this car.


|UPDATED|10/19/2011 3:42:56 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|

Mine's an automatic but I'm sure there is a similar safety wwire.  Thanks, I'll check that next.

Correct...the on the automatic, the purple "Start" wire from the starter goes thru the neutral safety switch in the console, next to the shifter itself.
Have you tried starting it in neutral when the problem happens?
It could also be an ignition switch problem. The best way to check for this is to connect a multimeter to the purple wire on the starter solenoid. With the meter on voltage, you should see 12v or dang close to it when turning the key to "Start". If you see anything less than 12 volts while cranking, there is a problem in the "Start" circuit from the ignition switch, going thru the neutral switch, to the starter.


|UPDATED|10/18/2011 7:26:53 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|

Today was the big day.  We (stepson and I) tried all the jumpers suggested but to no avail.  Finally pulled the header and the starter.  Tried to jump the starter in the garage and no success there either, so I took it to Autozone to have it checked out.  It failed their battery of testing.

That's actually a good thing, now I know what it is.

There seems to be three replacements available.
   The original type rebuilt or reproduced.

   The mini ones with a block for mounting or

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SBC-BBC-Chevy-Mini-Starter-3-Hp-3Hp-Extreme-Pro-Series-/200639236320?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item2eb707c8e0

   The mini ones with a nose like the original.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/400220493493?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

I'm thinking I'll go with a mini one with a nose like the original.  Not necessarily one from eBay.  I know these are probably from Asia but the price is so good compared to GM $250.

Any comments before I order it?

Thanks guys and gals.

Jim

   Good afternoon all,I have on my Vette this system and have had for over ten years without one failure of my starter..This will keep the solenoid wire away from the starter and all the heat generated from headers or any exhaust system you have installed OEM etc. I did not buy this set up per se,however had to make the jumper with brass strap metal to connect to solenoid side to the positive post..you can mount the Ford type solenoid either in the engine compartment or bulkhead near evaporator box if you have AC in you car.Couple of hours and your down..  This system is one of the only two things Ford has ever done worth anything,and the second would be they put their distributor in the front of the engine..With the posi wire going to the starter when engine is running you will not have 12 volts to the starter until you need to start the car.This allows the posi cable cool as no current is coursing thru it until you try to start the engine..Hope this helps.. Sal C

         

|UPDATED|10/26/2011 2:41:25 PM (AZT)|/UPDATED|

I had something like this done to a car of mine that had starter problems.  It fixed it just as the mechanic said it would.  That was a lot of years ago and never would have thought of it if it were not for your post.  

I've modified MANY Chebby starter to use the system like nosal shows...it definitely improves the durability, and the functionality of the starting system by leaps and bounds. However...it will not fix a bad starter, or bad starter solenoid. You do have to be careful when buying the Ford style solenoid, too, as most of them need to be bolted to something that is grounded, or you need to run a good ground to whatever you use to mount the solenoid. I spent several hours on a '63 Pro Mod Corvette trying to figure out why it wouldn't crank, only to discover the solenoid wasn't grounded, even tho it appeared to be bolted to a metal panel....which was riveted to the fiberglass firewall ....

Another kewl thing about this conversion is...it helps with big blocks that keep snapping the nose of the starter off. Don't know why, but it has solved that problem on more than one truck for me....