Ignition Switch May Be Bad

[cloby]

I know this is going to sound stupid for many people but I am young and know not much of old Chrysler electrical and ignition systems. I have a 1972 Dodge Coronet that I drive daily for work. I'm getting no spark and after determining everything under the hood was sound I'm now turning my attention to the ignition switch. The last time I drove the car it would randomly stall out and have no spark then suddenly get spark and then it started taking forever to start shortly after that, it would just crank until I assume I got lucky and it fired. Has anyone had this problem and if so what was it.

 

[PurpleBeeper]

You may be correct, but i warn you not to assume all your tests under the hood are correct. It's extremely hard to know that since you have no power, so don't rule out issues under the hood just yet. It's pretty common to get a "borderline connection" at the firewall disconnect plugs under the hood.

To confirm your suspicions, I suggest you "hot wire" your own car. You need to get 12V to the "inlet" side of the ballast resistor where the brown & blue wires connect. Brown is hot while the key is in "crank/start" position and Blue is hot when the key is in "run" position. You can also wire a remote, momentary on push button starter button and wire that into the starter relay. You'd need 2 temporary circuits with a fuse in each one. Turn a toggle switch to "on" and push your remote starter button to start the car. You could do this so you can drive it every day until you figure out the problem.

Good places to look are 1. connections at firewall disconnect 2. Connections at/near the big multi-prong "flat" electrical plugs at the bottom of your steering column. 3. The ignition switch as you mentioned. I've seen where the contacts inside the ignition switch get burnt, so if the key is wiggled a little one direction the car runs, but wiggle it a little the other direction and the car cuts off. When it cuts out, look for exactly "where" you lose power while it's happening.

 

[R413]

What ignition system does it have? Stock modified, GM or MSD BS parts?

Oh boy! You admittedly don't know much about Chrysler electric but you tested everything and it's good? That is lucky!

 

[R413]

Chances of the ignition switch being the problem are pretty low. We don't know what you have and what you have done so it almost impossible to help you at this time.

Points?
Electronic?
Aftermarket?
Dual ballast?
Single ballast?

 

[cloby]

Chances of the ignition switch being the problem are pretty low. We don't know what you have and what you have done so it almost impossible to help you at this time.

Points?
Electronic?
Aftermarket?
Dual ballast?
Single ballast?

It's an electronic with a dual ballast. Stock Chrysler system. When I turn the key on the brake light and oil light come on and dim when it's cranking like normal. It just has no spark at all. I replaced pretty much everything concerning ignition and pulled all my bulkhead connectors and checked for any burns or bad connections and there wasn't anything too concerning there.

 

[cloby]

Ok so I did a little digging and found the distributor was bad. It had a crack right in the metal casing and the pick up coil was bad...again. I put a new distributor in it and it runs now but my problem is now it will run fine for like 10 to 30 seconds then it will run poorly for about 5 seconds then it will shut off. Is there any way I can get it to run consistently enough to time it? This was the second time I've ever installed a distributor in a car but the first time I've encountered a problem where I can't properly time it.

 

[Ron H]

As mentioned above, make for darn sure ALL your wiring/connections are tight, they may look like it; but they may not be. This includes a finger test at the connections for loose contact and looking for indication of overheated connections. Poor connections can cause overheating there and the loose connection can get - looser. Riveted connectors may have come loose. Not knowing the condition of your ride, some added wiring may have been done or ‘fixed’ using electrical tape rather than spade or pin connections. Tape gets old and separates. Check ground connections. I got another lesson a few years ago at my BH connection where the new harness I installed would vibrate loose and sag under its weight causing a stall out. If not, then comes the testing of components – ballast, ECU, ignition switch, coil, relay…etc., & etc. As for the dist, assume you gapped the reluctor?

 

[cloby]

As mentioned above, make for darn sure ALL your wiring/connections are tight, they may look like it; but they may not be. This includes a finger test at the connections for loose contact and looking for indication of overheated connections. Poor connections can cause overheating there and the loose connection can get - looser. Riveted connectors may have come loose. Not knowing the condition of your ride, some added wiring may have been done or ‘fixed’ using electrical tape rather than spade or pin connections. Tape gets old and separates. Check ground connections. I got another lesson a few years ago at my BH connection where the new harness I installed would vibrate loose and sag under its weight causing a stall out. If not, then comes the testing of components – ballast, ECU, ignition switch, coil, relay…etc., & etc. As for the dist, assume you gapped the reluctor?

Yes I got the dist gapped at 0.008. Right at what it should be. I'll probably pop the cap and check it once more to make sure. I went through all my connections and those are fine I even pulled the bulkhead connectors once more to check those out. It will run super smooth then poorly then not at all. Could it be my itnitial timing? I'm just throwing around ideas I might think it is but I figure it never hurts to ask. I really appreciate you and everyone else for the help. I don't think I would have learned all these tips and tricks were it not for the kind folks on here.

 

[Ron H]

Does it start and run smoothly each time you do this after start up before stalling? Just tossing out a few things, elementary, but is the new dist snugged down as not to be moving when it’s running? Are you getting any misses or back-fires when it’s stalling out…or just stall-out? With a helper you could try starting it and rotating the dist slightly CW-CCW to see if will stay running. If it runs smoothly, you have the plug wires correct. You double-check the dist install directions since this isn’t something you’ve not done much? Basic, yes, but things to verify before moving on. Hmm, just leaving the dist alone and it starts every time with a smooth run before stalling out sounds like another electrical gremlin or even fuel related. On the latter, check the choke, closing it if it is open and VV to see if this makes any difference in keeping it from stalling. Check the carb with motor off to see if you’re getting a nice stream of gas moving the throttle cable. Something as simple as a bad fuel filter can cause this. Hard to say from afar; but the smooth run before dying every time might be non-electrical to verify..

Hey, just saying a couple things I’d be trying out on the hunt and I could be off the mark..

 

[Dave6T4]

Coil?

 

[Black_Sheep]

When the ignition switch started failing in my GTX the engine developed a misfire in the upper rpm range and the charging system started overcharging. I think both were the result of low voltage. The misfire from low voltage to the coil and the overcharging from low voltage to the voltage regulator with the ignition switch in the run position. It never stalled but it’s feasible that it could if the run circuit drops out entirely.