Re: starter relay power from steering column
[Re: Ricky1973]
#1348620
12/09/12 08:45 PM
12/09/12 08:45 PM
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 96,662
On The Boat, On The Lake, Wa. ...
amxautox
Still Retired. Still Posting on Moparts. A Lot.
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Still Retired. Still Posting on Moparts. A Lot.
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 96,662
On The Boat, On The Lake, Wa. ...
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what kind of car? what year of car?
Tom
"Everyone should believe in something; I believe I'll go fishing."
-Henry David Thoreau
Men and fish are alike. They both get into trouble when they open their mouths
author unknown
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Re: starter relay power from steering column
[Re: AAR-B4]
#1348625
12/09/12 10:30 PM
12/09/12 10:30 PM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,168
Vancouver, WA
MoparMarq
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,168
Vancouver, WA
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Quote:
Could be the contacts in the 39 year old ignition switch.
R and R of the switch during the column rebuild probably pulled something loose inside or broke a terminal.
Try a continuity test (while the switch harness is disconnected from the dash harness) of the power wire to the start (isn't that the yellow one?) wire with the switch in the "crank" position. If continuity is zero, switch is bad.
If good continuity, try the bulkhead connector terminals. Disconnect ground wire from start relay. Apply 12V to yellow wire at harness, see if you get 12V at the start relay. If so, relay might be bad. If not, there's an open somewhere between harness plug at column and the start relay - my guess would be bulkhead connector.
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Re: starter relay power from steering column
[Re: Ricky1973]
#1348627
12/10/12 08:59 AM
12/10/12 08:59 AM
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Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,526
North Carolina
cjskotni
pro stock
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pro stock
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,526
North Carolina
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Quote:
yes, it is the yellow wire, are you sugesting testing continuity from the pin connector to where? The switch?
If it's the same switch my '73 Charger uses, the RED pin is what supplies power to the switch from the bulkhead. So when you are trying to crank, should get near zero ohms between the yellow and red pins.
Black pin feeds the accessories (keyed power - should be hot when the key is in the first position), blue pin feeds the ignition circuit in RUN (2nd) position, brown feeds the ignition circuit in the START position (bypass the ballast).
Could be wrong but I am prety sure that is the pin-out for the harness... 
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Re: starter relay power from steering column
[Re: Ricky1973]
#1348628
12/10/12 01:32 PM
12/10/12 01:32 PM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,168
Vancouver, WA
MoparMarq
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,168
Vancouver, WA
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Quote:
yes, it is the yellow wire, are you sugesting testing continuity from the pin connector to where? The switch?
After disconnecting the switch harness from the dash harness, test continuity between the yellow wire pin and the red wire pin on the switch harness with the key/switch in the "crank" or "start" position. (You might need a helper if you don't have any alligator clips to hold the test leads on the pins.) If continuity is bad (resistance anything other than zero), bad switch.
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Re: starter relay power from steering column
[Re: stumpy]
#1348632
12/11/12 02:46 AM
12/11/12 02:46 AM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,168
Vancouver, WA
MoparMarq
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,168
Vancouver, WA
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Quote:
Have you tried grounding the nss terminal on the starter relay?
I'll second that. Grounding the neutral start safety (nss) terminal on the start relay eliminates the nss as a source of trouble. If the starter works then, you know the nss is the source of trouble. If not, either the yellow wire from the dash harness has a problem, the bulkhead connector teminal is shot, or there is a problem from the bulkhead connector to the start relay. If 12V applied to the yellow wire at the dash harness does not result in 12V at the start relay end, you have narrowed it down.
To eliminate the start relay itself as a source of trouble, ground the nss terminal and apply 12V to the yellow wire terminal at the start relay. The starter should engage. If not, the start relay itself is toast.
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Re: starter relay power from steering column
[Re: Ricky1973]
#1348634
12/13/12 12:47 AM
12/13/12 12:47 AM
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,168
Vancouver, WA
MoparMarq
super stock
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super stock
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 1,168
Vancouver, WA
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So, 2 possible problems to resolve.
(1) Neutral safety switch probably not working.
(2) Intermittent open somewhere in circuit from ignition switch to start relay. (My money is on the ignition switch.)
Leave NSS terminal on start relay grounded for now.
Get start (crank, that is) circuit sorted out.
Then figure out what's up with NSS.
After some further thought, might have a test light on the yellow wire at the start relay. If it misbehaves again and the test light is on (which you can see from the cabin by looking under the open hood, right?), you know you're getting power to the start relay yellow wire. It's possible the relay itself is intermittent, OR it's weak, and you're just not getting enough power out to it to engage the relay.
Similar thing happened to my wife's Acura a few summers ago. Started fine cold. Once warmed up, the temperature was just enough to increase the resistance of the coil on the relay to weaken it enough so that it couldn't engage (fuel pump, in that case, but same idea).
Start relay works fine cold, works crappy warm?
Last edited by MoparMarq; 12/13/12 12:56 AM.
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