I changed out my ignition switch about a week ago. Now the car is refusing to start again. I noticed when I put the key in the on position and move the wires that go to the ignition switch I can get the car to start. I am thinking the problem is the ignition switch pigtail, but I also think the switch might have burned out again. If the switch was bad would it work by moving the wires around, or will it just not work at all when it's bad?

 

Is the pigtail part number ACDelco part #PT289? The car is a 1996 z28 A4.

 

http://shbox.com/ignsw/ign_switch_repl.html

It is doubtful a switch is going to burn out in a week. The tightness of the connector terminals should have been checked when you replaced the switch (heat can cause them to relax). You can add some spring tension back into the metal terminals with a little finesse.

 

Thanks shoebox; I did not think the switch would be bad again. I am going to try to bend the prongs on the pigtail down wit my test light before I spend money on the new connector. I will let you know how it turns out.

 

I found out my no start problem was not due to the plug it self; but the pigtail is not in good shape and I am going to replace it. My alarm system turned out to be the issue. The alarm guy cut a pink wire that runs the ignition and ran it to the alarm system,the alarm connects the pink wire to create a circuit so the car will fire; its the ignition cut off part of the alarm. The wires were getting hot and causing the no start issue, so I disconnected the alarm from the pink wire and soldered the pink wire back together; the pink wire is no longer heating up. The car starts fine now but the ignition switch plug is not making a good connection; with just a little shake of the wires I loose connection. I tried to fix the pigtail, but it was heated up too much; that pigtail was not cheap I paid $30 for it.

 

I had the same problem a while back, the pig tail is pretty common actually. I ended up snatchin one from an mid 90s astro van in the salvage yard. Some of the wire colors were different, but If you just pay attention to positions on your old plug and wire colors, no big deal. Basically a common GM plug. Even the electrical part of the ignition switch is pretty common GM, I used one from an 80s chevy truck for a little while in my 95 V6 car.

Edit--- Seems you have yours taken care of, just thought Id add to the post for future searches.