I'm stumped here. I've got a new battery, battery cables and starter on the car. I've got 12.7 volts at the battery, same at the starter, but only 9 or so on the volt gauge when the ignition is on. If you hit the key it will engage the starter but will not turn the engine all the way over, just barely crank it. I think the switch or wiring is fried, but I replaced the switch a couple years ago. Car was doing all the same things the last time it ran as it did when I replaced the switch the first time, but the first time the switch fried it just completely stopped powering on anything.

I guess my question is this. If it is the switch again, how or why would I be getting 12.7 at the starter, yet the starter can't turn the motor over? Could a dying switch or burned wiring cause that? I did smell some burning wire insulation type smells the last time it ran and it was showing low volts even when running?

Any and all ideas welcome. I'm unfortunately having to depend on the ole car for transportation again.

 

Do you have 12.7 Volts at the starter WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO CRANK IT? Sounds like you might not.

 

No I'm guessing I don't. But why would that be?

 

High resistance between the battery and the starter. With no current draw you'll get 12.7 volts all over the system. Once current starts to flow you will see the voltage drop.

Or, the starter is drawing excessive current.

 

Is it possible for an ignition switch or burned wiring coming from the switch to cause something like this? When I stopped driving it a few months ago, it shut off on me on the highway once. Before that the tach or speedo went bonkers while driving, and the last time I drove it, I smelled burning wire insulation smells from inside the cabin while observing a low volt meter. These same things happened when the switch failed a few years ago. But when it failed, it failed completely and never let me power it back on. I'm pretty certain I can eliminate the battery cables as it does the same thing with the old ones and the brand new ones.

 

The power to the starter does not go through the ignition switch. The switch eventually sends a12V signal through the PASS-Key system to a relay that powers the starter. That's why you need to measure the voltage at the starter when trying to crank it.

On the other hand, if the ignition switch was burned you might not be getting full voltage to the relay, or the relay could be bad.

 

When I have the ignition in the on position, I'm showing maybe 8 volts on the gauge. I know I'm getting voltage at the starter because it will engage and try to turn the engine over. If I'm getting low voltage at the starter (I'm assuming you mean from the large power cable) where would you start diagnosing, knowing about the burned smell in the cabin/reading low volts on gauge?

 

New development. I was able to get my fingers on the connector to the switch and manipulate it a little. Cluster went dead, moved it around a little more and volt gauge started reading more. Still not enough to turn the engine all the way over. Burnt connector I'm guessing? Could that cause low voltage at the starter by not getting full voltage to the relay? I would think if it had enough power to the relay to switch over it would hit the starter with full voltage?

 

Use a jumper cable and attach it to the alt bracket and the other side to the ground stud on the fender well, make sure you have a really good connection, my 95 formula did the same thing, had a bad engine block ground,

 

Ugh... I had to break out the melted blue connector from the old switch. Got a new switch and wiring, didn't make not of what wires go to which pin on the switch. I can't find it anywhere on the net. Does anyone know where I could find this?

 

Shoebox has the ignition switch wiring diagram on his website. Look at the eletrical section.

 

There are pictures of the electrical connectors in the ignition switch R&R on my website.

 

Thank you so much guys. One more question. It looks like the red and yellow wire are going to the same post in that pic? Or is it red in the middle yellow on the bottom? I'm pretty sure mine only had the double pinks on one post before but who knows what had been done to it before.

 

This is correct.

 

Well, that did it. I guess I had thrown too many parts in the mix over the last few hundred miles. Starter had been dying for a while a few months ago. Replaced it and was good for a while. Then the burning smell/low volts thing happened and it wouldn't crank all the way over. I thought the switch may have been dying but also thought if I was getting power to the starter the switch was doing it's part for the moment. Replaced the battery cables since they were originals. Sill no dice. Put another new switch in along with new pigtails and it's good.

There was some heat damage I remember from the first time I replaced the switch, but nothing like this. Did the high resistance on the red wire fry my new switch last time? Can I expect to be doing this again relatively soon? Is there anything that can be done to prolong the life of the switch?