quote:Originally posted by jb1490:
Daniel,
Not sure about the late cars, but the earlier cars have a splice in the wire loom near the fuse panel. The splice is in the wire that runs from the alternator's battery terminal to the ammeter. There are four pink wires that exit this splice. Two go to the fuse panel, one goes to the headlight switch, and one goes to the ignition switch terminal strip.
John
Correct. There has to be power at the junction block or the pink wire is broken. Bet you a nickle there is and the ignition switch is burned out.
You can also pick up the red wire to the starter solenoid there. Do a continuity check on it from there to the solenoid.
It probably is fine. The wiring in these harnesses is a marine type and the wire insulation is not normally showing breaks in it yet even at 40 years.
If the wire to the solenoid checks good then jump it to the big pink wire on the block. If the starter works, the starter switch is bad.
No one wants to listen about this part. The tendency is to let these cars lay unattended to now for long periods of time. When people come back to start them after a year of forgottenness, they have to jump the battery and generally give the starter switch a heck of a work out.
The original wiring design brings virtually the entire electrical load of the car through the switch on brass contacts too small to handle the load consistantly.
Eventually you will go past burning them. You will melt through them.
Load needs to be rerouted through it. The new design removes over 50% of the unneeded load.
If you don't care you can count on now replacing this switch every couple of years. What is it, $300 now? Just a heads up.
If you loose your ignition switch in the middle of no where on a road trip, better get a week rate from the hotel. It's going to be a while you are waiting to get the car back?
