starter relay power from steering column

Posted By: Ricky1973

starter relay power from steering column - 12/10/12 12:43 AM

I am having issues with the 12 volt power to the starter relay from the ignition switch. I had this steering column completely rebuilt with new turn signal switch etc. I had an automatic column and switched to a manual column. I am not getting 12 volts to the starter relay, I can jumb start it with a jumper wire with 12 volts. I have tested the yellow wire at the 10 pin connector and I am not getting power at that pin. How does 12 volts get to this pin from the switch? Any ideas on what to check?

Posted By: amxautox

Re: starter relay power from steering column - 12/10/12 12:45 AM

what kind of car? what year of car?

Posted By: Ricky1973

Re: starter relay power from steering column - 12/10/12 01:16 AM

1973 Challenger

Posted By: AAR-B4

Re: starter relay power from steering column - 12/10/12 01:18 AM

Could be the contacts in the 39 year old ignition switch.

Posted By: buildanother

Re: starter relay power from steering column - 12/10/12 01:22 AM

The 73 manual(trans) column needed the clutch switch to crank. Do you have it?

Posted By: Ricky1973

Re: starter relay power from steering column - 12/10/12 01:56 AM

no clutch switch, I added the clutch set up with a Keisler 5 speed tranny. It does have a nuetral safety switch Car has been cranking fine until recently. You can put the car in nuetral, turn the key on and jump 12 volts to the starter relay and it will crank fine.

Posted By: MoparMarq

Re: starter relay power from steering column - 12/10/12 02:30 AM

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.

Posted By: Ricky1973

Re: starter relay power from steering column - 12/10/12 04:11 AM

yes, it is the yellow wire, are you sugesting testing continuity from the pin connector to where? The switch?

Posted By: cjskotni

Re: starter relay power from steering column - 12/10/12 12:59 PM

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...

Posted By: MoparMarq

Re: starter relay power from steering column - 12/10/12 05:32 PM

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.

Posted By: Ricky1973

Re: starter relay power from steering column - 12/10/12 07:10 PM

OK, I see what you are suggesting, I will try that this afternoon. Thanks

Posted By: Ricky1973

Re: starter relay power from steering column - 12/11/12 04:27 AM

checked continuity from red to yellow, continuity good in start position. This indicates that the switch is functioning correctly. I will check the lead to the relay tomorrow.

Posted By: stumpy

Re: starter relay power from steering column - 12/11/12 05:33 AM

Have you tried grounding the nss terminal on the starter relay?

Posted By: MoparMarq

Re: starter relay power from steering column - 12/11/12 06:46 AM

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.

Posted By: Ricky1973

Re: starter relay power from steering column - 12/13/12 03:36 AM

OK, I grounded the relay and it cranked the first time. I then cut the engine off and it would not start back until I jumped 12 volts to the yellow wire and it started. I then started checking back to the fuse block and steering column 10 pin connector. all of a sudden everything started working OK. Must be a short or bad connection that comes and goes.

Posted By: MoparMarq

Re: starter relay power from steering column - 12/13/12 04:47 AM

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?

Posted By: Yancy Derringer

Re: starter relay power from steering column - 12/15/12 06:27 PM

Something no one (unless I missed) has mentioned is the BULKHEAD CONNECTOR

If you have narrowed to to probably losing power at the yellow start wire, it's a simple one - wire circuit:

Start Relay -- yellow wire -- bulkhead connector -- ign switch column connector -- to the switch.