Ignition switch troubles.

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ScubaSteve

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Hello guys, last week i had taken the dart out for a car meet with a bunch of friends, car wouldn't start after the meet, couldn't get it to crank..no power etc..

Today rolls around, i finally had time to tackle the job, get the old switch out, replace it with a new BWD one..
Get it all in, before putting steering wheel back in i tested it to make sure it worked, plugged in battery, started up first try no problem.. didn't even have to pump the gas.
took battery out, finished everything, get steering wheel back on, plug battery in. test it again.. no power.. nothing works no lights no radio nothing..

Whats going on here? faulty switch?

Ive seen pictures on how your guys switches are set up.. but mines completely different, wires spliced and everything, well i spliced the new one just like the old one was, fired up one time. that's it.


Car background.

74 dart swinger 318 original car.


Here is how my switch is setup, can anyone tell me why there is a jumper wire from the blue to brown.. and the red wire from the starter relay spliced into the yellow wire from the ignition switch?
 

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Corroded battery terminal loosing connection. Could be ground connection to block but more likely the battery end.
A service disconnect at the fusible link can cause the same condition but not so intermittently. You hadn't disturbed it.
 
Actually, after having more coffee, the wire splicing suggests to me that someone ( previous owner ) was trying to cure what they thought was a failed ignition switch.
Is this a 74 model car ?
 
As above download the latest manual which is 73. I doubt there are many differences in 74. There are actually two sections, the chassis and body.

Start on page 8-152 which is the index for the Dart wiring Notice where it says "connector charts," "CI" - Instrument Panel, page 167. This will show all the connectors under the dash

Now go right down below, that same page, and in the "switches" find "Ignition switch" at B-10. These are like map coordinates, on page 8-156, top left

The diagram is not quite true to form. They show 12y and 12BR as using the same contact in the switch but this is NOT true. These are separate contacts

J1-12R is hot battery feed TO the switch and should be hot at all times

12Y is start signal to the start relay

12BR is the coil resistor bypass circuit and is also hot "in start" and feeds hot ignition voltage to the coil and ignition

12DBL is the "ignition run and feeds all "switched" 12V power to the instrument cluster, and out through the bulkhead to the ignition and voltage regulator

12BK comes on in "run" or "accessory" and feeds power TO the fuse box switched buss

Did you have the cluster out? The ammeter unhooked? Did you "spark" something and blow a fuse link?
 

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RedFish said:
Corroded battery terminal loosing connection. Could be ground connection to block but more likely the battery end.
A service disconnect at the fusible link can cause the same condition but not so intermittently. You hadn't disturbed it.
Click to expand...

The battery is new, like a few days old.


The dash isnt out, im just trying to find my problem all this wiring under here, theres alot more than stock. aftermarket radio.. alarm etc..

alarm has been unplugged for the past 6 months so thats not the problem.

i did notice before the switch died out, that i was driving and the radio would turn on then off immediately in a repeated cycle.
i was also having trouble with my lights.
 
ScubaSteve said:
i was also having trouble with my lights.
Click to expand...

Which lights? park? head? all?

Headlights are not fused. They come through the main power and break off what is called the 'welded splice' and go direct to the light switch, which has a breaker in the switch

If the headlights and all power goes out, this looks more like a main power problem

Read this article:

http://www.madelectrical.com/electricaltech/amp-gauges.shtml

It gives you insight into the problem

Look at this diagram which is in that article:

This is a simplified look at the primary power distribution in these cars. Follow along. Power comes off the starter relay, through a fuse link, THROUGH THE bulkhead connector (firewall) and to the ammeter

Through the ammeter, that "welded splice" is a splice up under the dash, in the black ammeter wire, and breaks off to feed several things. It is rare, but these have failed

ANY of the points in this diagram are a "fail" point...............the fuse link, the bulkhead connector, the ammeter. You have to check for power, wiggle things, and backtrack.

amp-ga18.jpg
 
just wiggled some wires under the dash behind the cluster left side.. heard the blinker relay click.. i got power..
turned the car over.. bam fired up.. what wires are these left side?
 
Also i noticed on the harness from the car.. the brown and blue wire from the car flipped around on the ignition switch..

what do the brown and blue wire feed power too?
 
It is definitely not a competent repair, given the exposed copper and simple electrical tape wrap. Seems you are going to have to trace the wires out on the electrical diagram yourself to find where they go. Report back and we will speculate on why and what it might have tried to fix. One guess is that 1974 had the seat-belt ignition interlock (I think) and those often failed. Many posts on bypassing that here. Yellow is usually the "crank" signal to the starter relay's coil, though 12 awg seems large for that.

Simple to trace a wire - stick pencil on diagram and follow the line, recording every component and junction in the path.
 
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