Radio relay, or ignition switch?
12-22-2004 | 06:42 PM
#1
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From: Granite Falls, Washington
Radio relay, or ignition switch?
Back last spring, I replaced the electrical part of my ignition switch with a new one, in my ‘83 due to the fact that ever since I got the car, when the key was in the ignition tumbler, it would have an intermittant connection to the switched power to the radio. Sometimes it would allow radio to power up, sometimes not, and I’d have to play with the key in/out and such to correct it. So I replaced it with a new one, life was good again…….for a while. After a couple of months, the same intermittant problem started showing back up again, and as time passes, it keeps getting worse. Now, its to the point where I put key in, most the time it will power up radio ok, but when I release the key from the starter engage position, it will drop out the power to the radio, in increasing frequency. If I shut engine off, re-try starting car again, it will act “normal” again (sometimes after a few tries of this).
When my back gets a little better from my Dec. 1st surgery, I’m going to try exchanging the known good radio relay from my ‘85/1 with this one and see if that might correct the problem (it might take a while to know for sure), but I always thought that the relay was pretty much a go or no go type of thing….. not a sometimes maybe, in this application. This would be the quickest and easiest check. If it does not work, then I will try replacing the ignition switch electrical part again. Has anyone experienced getting a bad ignition switch from a vendor, that might explain this? I know this part is pretty cheap. I don’t think the tumbler part, or its plunger is bad, but I may have overlooked something when I had it apart last spring.
Any similar experiences or comments with this intermitant problem? TIA
When my back gets a little better from my Dec. 1st surgery, I’m going to try exchanging the known good radio relay from my ‘85/1 with this one and see if that might correct the problem (it might take a while to know for sure), but I always thought that the relay was pretty much a go or no go type of thing….. not a sometimes maybe, in this application. This would be the quickest and easiest check. If it does not work, then I will try replacing the ignition switch electrical part again. Has anyone experienced getting a bad ignition switch from a vendor, that might explain this? I know this part is pretty cheap. I don’t think the tumbler part, or its plunger is bad, but I may have overlooked something when I had it apart last spring.
Any similar experiences or comments with this intermitant problem? TIA
or speakers for that matter. I'll let you know when I do though...
12-23-2004 | 01:41 AM
#3
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Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 198
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From: South Western CT
If it were a relay then it probably would either work or not. But it is actually a little circuit board stuffed into a relay housing. This same circuit also controls some of the sunroof functions, like putting the proper power to the sunroof switch when the key is in the accessory position to enable the arms to retract and then let you remove the sunroof. It may even control something else on the car also.
On my car an 84 it is located behind a cover above your right shin when sitting with your foot on the gas pedal. Left hand drive car. Thanks to another rennlister for that location trick.
Mine isn’t working properly and I can’t remove the sunroof but the radio circuit works fine. I would love to find someone who has an old one that may not work properly so I can play around with re-soldering it, to see if I can bring it back to life. I don’t want to chance messing up mine since the other functions work fine. I understand this “relay” costs about $130 new.
BTW if I jumper power to the sunroof switch to the proper place with the relay/control circuit out the sunroof can be removed so I know that that part of this works.
On my car an 84 it is located behind a cover above your right shin when sitting with your foot on the gas pedal. Left hand drive car. Thanks to another rennlister for that location trick.
Mine isn’t working properly and I can’t remove the sunroof but the radio circuit works fine. I would love to find someone who has an old one that may not work properly so I can play around with re-soldering it, to see if I can bring it back to life. I don’t want to chance messing up mine since the other functions work fine. I understand this “relay” costs about $130 new.
BTW if I jumper power to the sunroof switch to the proper place with the relay/control circuit out the sunroof can be removed so I know that that part of this works.
