Hi all,

Tried to start the car as normal today and turned the ignition to lights stage, normal, then turned the key to start the engine and heard a loud click from the engine bay, then no power at all from anywhere and the engine did not start or even try to. No lights, horn, nothing at all.

Battery voltage is good.

Is it likely to be a relay or a fuse and can anyone tell me where to check and what it looks like as the owners booklet was less than helpful.

98 Z28

Thanks very much

Alex

 

Check and clean your positive and negative battery terminal connections, as well as the connections on the other ends of those cables. Sometimes a connection can be marginal, work ok with low draw accessories, but then a high amp draw like the starter can push the poor connection over the edge.

 

Hiya,

OK interesting, so where do the ends of the cables go if yo know please?

Thanks

 

Any ideas on the loud click I heard?

 

All you gotta do is trace the cable from one end to the other.
Pretend it's a trail that's gonna lead you to an ice cold beer in the fridge!
The loud click may have been the starter solenoid not having enough juice to activate.

 

OK I have an update,

Went out to the car, got my dad to turn the key and I heard a loud click from around the drivers side headlight area,

I had the fuse box lids open to hear if there was anything going on with them but I don't think the sound came from there.

Then we turned the key off and pulled it out, put it back in and the lights were immediately back, tried to turn on again and it fired up immediately as normal.

Turned it on twice more, all normal,

 

Was the security light in the dash lit when you had the no start?

 

Yes! It was, sorry I missed that point out.

 

Yeah, that would have been helpful!
Could be you had some schmootz on the key, or could be some crud in the tumbler assembly, causing the resistor in the key to not be read.
Probably wouldn't hurt to get a spray can of electrical contact cleaner, and spray it into the ignition key slot. Your issue may have been a simple case of some needed housecleaning.

 

My thoughts exactly, I have been carefully cleaning the key and I will look at the assembly tomorrow,

I found this post which gives a good explanation

4th Gen LT1 F-Body Tech-PassKey/VATS

Thanks very much for all your help again,