Minor ignition question

[91 LTD]

New battery solved everything. Am still glad I replaced the ignition switch too. Thanks for all the help/ advice.

[91 LTD]

Cables look great. Ill check the starter relay, did a general check and everything looked good. My guess is when shes been runnin the battery's topped off and'll start her fine. Cold= less juice. Battery is ancient.

[gadget73]

Yeah, I'd pull and clean the cables and the connections at the starter relay first. If the cables are funky and cracked, you might want to replace them. They're pretty cheap.

[88MercWagon]

Now Im wondering if it isn't the fn battery. Didn't want to start at all, just turned over weakly. Applied the jumper box to the batt. and she started instantly.

That might also be a bad battery cable.

[91 LTD]

Now Im wondering if it isn't the fn battery. Didn't want to start at all, just turned over weakly. Applied the jumper box to the batt. and she started instantly.

[91 LTD]

Not really better

W/ the new switch if you hit the sweet spot turning the key partway she fires right up. Turn too far to the right and nothing. New key cylinder switch? Am gonna clean the contacts some more in there and see what happens.

[91 LTD]

New Switch In, Thanks for Help, Prob. Solved?

Got the new ignition switch in and cleaned the contacts inside the key assemblage. Sorta didnt quite fix the problem at first (cold start), but hot starts are back to normal (instant start). Will see about tomorrow's cold start. Hard to explain but new switch did seem to help things overall, car just ran better (or seemed to me to anyway). Glad I replaced it just on the safety tip. Will update.

Thanks for all the help and advice.

[91 LTD]

Poor mans anti theft system

Does your car use one or two small terminals on the starter relay? If its using both of them, check the I terminal for +12v while the engine is cranking. If its not working, or the connection between that point and the ignition coil is bad, it won't have any fire while cranking the motor over. Not sure if your car uses that setup or not, just a thought.

Haven't had time yet (been working like a mother fucker, one day off in two weeks, 12hr+ days, driving a 5ton all this week) but will follow your advice senor Gadget. Anywho she now has a sweet spot where when you try to start her you must turn the key very precisely to or shell crank but not start/ or act like the batts dead. It's my poor mans anti theft.

[gadget73]

Does your car use one or two small terminals on the starter relay? If its using both of them, check the I terminal for +12v while the engine is cranking. If its not working, or the connection between that point and the ignition coil is bad, it won't have any fire while cranking the motor over. Not sure if your car uses that setup or not, just a thought.

[91 LTD]

Had trouble starting her today. Strange thing was I had to turn the key all the way and kind of hard to get the ignition to catch (starter motor was turning no prob.).

[gadget73]

...the logic fails me at that point. If it was ignition switch it should be completely unrelated to engine temperature, and if it was some electrical problem outside of the ignition switch it should not matter exactly how you turn the key to make it start.

[91 LTD]

Thanks. Now what does it mean if my problem starting completely disappears when the car is warmed up?

[gadget73]

I found it slightly easier to get the lower part of the shroud on and off with the small panel directly below the steering column removed, but no idea how the 90+ column comes apart really. My original screws that held the ignition switch were this completely wierd tamper-proof thing that had just a round head on it. I used one of those sockets designed for removing rounded off bolts to get them out. Tap the socket on, remove with the appropriate sized ratchet. I have a set of torx security bits that I got for $cheap somewhere. I think they were like $5 for the set or something. I used the right one in one of those screwdrivers with the interchangeable bits. The whole process was less than an hour, much of that time spent looking for the aforementioned rounded off bolt socket set.

[Mikeri]

You only have to remove the covers. Also, you will have to have a security torx screw to deal with. When you buy the part, check the screws that come with it and go to a hardware store to find the correct bit; or you can break out the stem and use a plain old torx bit that will fit. A very easy procedure all told.

[91 LTD]

Anyone have any great tips/ hints/ shortcuts? Do I have to remove the dash panel below the steering column or just the column covers?