1970 camaro troubles

ok, i have a 1970 camaro. about 2 weeks ago i went on vacation and prior to the trip, the car was running fine. during the vaction, i had a friend watch over the house and start the car up every other day for a few minutes because i didnt want it to sit. he tells me that after a few days, the car wouldnt start and he had to jump it. i said the its probably jus the battery. well, i come back and there is absolutely no electrical power going to the car at all. the battery is fine and so in the alternator. fuses are good. when i try to start it i here nothing at all. the radio doesnt turn on and neither do the lights. ive been told that its the starter, ground cable, starter harness wires, ignition switch, etc. but honestly, i dont know.

First of all, starting the car and running it a bit every other day will do more harm than good. Very brief start-ups will only speed up cylinder wall wear, introduce corrosive condensation and hydrocarbons into the oil and coat the exhaust system in corrosive moisture.

Given Modesto is relatively warm and dry, you are better off just to leave it alone for anything up to a month. For longer periods, start the engine and use a storage spray through the carb to fog the cylinder walls and valves with oil, then disconnect the battery. Also, make sure the gas tank is full and add a fuel stabilizer.

I regularly use this method to store my cars for the winter (and sometimes, up to 6 years at a time with no problems.)

As for your problem, how do you know the battery and alternator are good?

I would suggest remove and clean up both battery terminals. If the problem is not fixed, use a digital volt meter to test battery voltage. You should have about 12 volts. Then run the engine (jump it if necessary) and read the battery voltage. It should read between 13.7 - 14.5 volts.

Also, use a test light to test each fuse. Make sure you are getting power to BOTH ends of the fuse. Don't rely on just checking them visually.

If you like, do these steps and let us know your findings.

ok. thanks for the advice!
and we have cleaned both terminals and the battery reads 12.6 volts.
now, as for running the engine, we cant even get a sound out of it. when i turn the key to start there is nothing at all.
and ok, ill test the fuses right now.

BTW, Welcome to the forums. We would love to see some pics of the car if you are able to post them.

Assuming all fuses are good, next, test the wires that go to the starter motor. Make sure the fat wire has 12 volts going to it all the time.

There will also be a much smaller wire going to the starter. Check to see that this wire shows 12 volts only when the ignition key is turned to the start position.

This is a bit intrigueing. Any updates?

I'm thinking the car is shot and you need to sell it to me...cheap of course.:)

I owned a 701/2 Z28 for 10 years and sold her in 2000. Yeah, some days I wish I kept her.:screwy:

have you tried engaging the starter manually, by using a long screwdriver to jump the 2 posts on the starter. If it does not respond, then you don't have power going to the starter.

I had a similar issue with my 86 fiero, turned out that the wire that runs from the ignition switch to the starter solenoid lost its continuity, although I would still get indicator lights when I turned the key.

Sorry for the wait guys. And we figured it out. It was a nasty little ground cable... Not the main one though. I can't believe I didn't check it first. Ahhh!! And I went through soo much time doing tests and what not... O well. Atleast she's running