my 68 firebird won't start sometimes
Asked by bobbyp77 May 07, 2017 at 03:00 PM about the 1968 Pontiac Firebird
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
My '68 firebird seems to have an electrical issue. Sometimes it wont start (not even crank) , its like the battery was disconnected. The lights work though and the headlights will slightly dim when the key is turned to the start position.
3 Answers
enginecreator answered 6 years ago
Check your battery terminals & terminal wires for corrosion and if loose or frayed and replace if needed. Check connections at alternator and any fuse links if you have them and ground straps from engine to frame. Check ignition switch wires, may be loose or frayed or just plain old switch may need replaced as contacts wear out. Starter may need a better connection, solenoid may be getting low power from battery and it could be because of a low battery voltage. Starter may have issues too. I would run new terminal wires & terminals from battery if they are older. After time the ground strap wire can become frayed and also frame rusting can loosen those connections and cause too much corrosion between the frame and the ground connection.
I installed a new high torque starter a couple years ago and it has very little use on it but I suppose it could be bad so I will check that out. I just put in a new battery and had recently put new battery connections in so I know that's not the problem. The neutral safety switch could be the problem so I'll check that out too.
Looks like the neutral safety switch on my '68 firebird was the problem of it not starting sometimes. But we're checking out some grounding issues as well that we found. Thanks for the help.
