Ignition Problem

[Guest Steve Allen]

Can anyone help with this one before I start stripping the car apart.

After what seems ages I have finally got the car running well after buting a new distributor at Newark yesterday. Just been out for a ride and the car as never run better, After an hour i returned to the car to find the Ignition on. (strange I got the key in my pocket) The only way I can turn it off is to disconnect the battery.

The only thing I have done is change the standard Dizzy and Amp for a Aldon type with built in amp i.e Black to + on the coil and green to - and the same to the Dizzy.

Is this right or is it a ignition switch problem, short or something. Just starnge to happen when there has been no problems with the wiring.

Ps with the key out nad the dash lit up if i no indicators work etc but the ignition lights go out.

Help Please

Steve

[Big Jim]

Just try pulling the plug out of the alternator, then let us know what happens.

[Guest Steve Allen]

Hi Jim

Pulled the plug and it turned the dash lights off when i re-connected the battery but when i put back in then turned the ignition back on they stayed on again.

You seem to know the Problem?

Ps car runs well though for a change, there is always something hey

Steve

[Big Jim]

OK, lets just get this right.

 

In 'normal mode' when the ignition is switched off, even with the key removed, the ignition warning light is on...............Yes?? When you start the engine, the light goes out as normal?

 

If these are the symptoms, then it's a feed coming back up the warning light wire from the alternater. This can be something simple like the small spade connecter touching one of the bigger ones in the alternater plug (happened to me in France a week ago!) or it's a diode in the alternater that's gone u/s allowing +ive feedback.

Be aware that the thick wires to the alternater are live all the time, they don't go through the ignition.

[Guest Steve Allen]

The problem has got worse now.

There some how is power to other instruments with the key out i.e the fuel pump still goes. I did try to see if i could start the car and it did a few times now there is no spark either. pulled the plug out of the alternator again this time it made no difference and the power stayed on !

Checked all fuses and they are ok and swapped all relays that i could get my arm into without stripping the dash.

also changed the ignition barrel to see if it was that. now and again it will turn off but still nothing getting to the coil allthough i can hear a relay clicking when turning the key (which i think should happen)

This one has really got me stumped

Steve

[Guest Steve Allen]

Something that may help.

If i disconnect the battery and re-connect the ignition goes off, then turn the key to fire up then turn off again, the power stays on. everything seams to be working as before except it will not fire up and the igniton stays live

Does this help

Steve

[Big Jim]

Steve, read my previous post.

 

If everything is OK with the alternater plug disconnected, it's the alternater diodes.

 

If on the other hand, you still get problems, look at the ignition switch and immediate wiring, the contact that takes the heaviest load on the switch can sometimes melt, then touches another pin.

[Longboarder]

Just wondering if somehow you are getting a back feed of power into the system through the distributor wiring. Try undoing the changes you did which were followed by the problems. At its simplest, remove both leads to the coil and insulate them. See what is working/not working. Try ignition in position 1, 2, 3. Obviously it should turn over but not fire. Switch off ignition. Do the lights now go off as they should? This is just to test to see if the new bits were wired up OK or causing the problem. If it all now behaves as it should then it was the new distributor and its wiring that was causing trouble. If you still can't switch off check what you did with the old wiring to the amp plug. Did you take the green, not green/black to neg coil. Black to pos coil. Are there two wires from the distributor to the coil. Connected the right way round. Are the rest of the wires in the old amplifier plug isolated or did the instructions say to do something with them.

If all the Aldon instructions have been done right and you still have a problem I guess its just coincidence and you are in new territory.

 

Nigel

[Guest Steve Allen]

Thanks for the advise and have now solved the problem

comination of two things, hence why i could not pin point the problem.

It was the ignition switch that was playing up (Changed it and one problem gone)

Still no spark, checked every fuse and relay again, tested the coil, cap, rotor arm etc. and whilst i changed the Dizzy the plug that connects to the coil + had come out of it's rubber collar. As Lombadier stated, you change something then that becomes the obvious sorce of the initial problem (trust me to get two in one go) and one of which was so hard to find because there was still live getting to the dizzy via the loop.

Ps car running great again, just need to fix the fuel tank leak then I think I can start to enjoy it.

Steve

[Guest Battery Bill]

Steve

Well done for sorting your problem but...........

As Lombadier stated

Its Longboarder

Get his name right he is a big help with problems like this

(And a nice chap to boot)

[Guest Ant]

This fault sounds suspiciously like one I had on my 2B a few weeks ago. Something which is permanently live is shorting across onto something which is only live when the ignition is on, hence everything on ignition 2 is going live despite the key being in your pocket. Mine was an intermittant fault and took me ages to find! In the end it turned out to be a melted circuit board in the hazard light switch.

 

Anyhow, you've sorted it now so well done. Faults like this are a right git to find and wiring diagrams go blury if you stare at them for too long!

 

Ant