Barry Chan

it happens maybe once a week when i start the car and when i put the key in to turn, all the dash lights are on as i turn to crank, nothing - dash light still on but no crank, i would take the key out, back in and turn - same until a few try then it catches, so you think the switch is going?
Thanks
Barry

WallyP

Possibly - could also be the little metal link between the key lock and the ignition switch. It wears and bends after thousands of operations.

dcrasta

This is what happened to me. Though it was the starter until I used a jumper wire in place of the starter relay in the CE panel.

If the switch in the ignition circuit goes bad, the circuit that energizes the relay can fail, so the starter circuit never gets closed (and the starter doesn't engage).

Try using a jumper wire in the starter relay. ([http://www.landsharkoz.com/tt/tt_relay_bypass.htm]) You will be removing the starter relay (I use a momentary toggle switch) . Once you insert this jumper, if you flip the switch the starter should crank (it will crank with the ignition key off, it will crank if the car is in gear so be careful.. it will start in gear if the key is in the on position).

If this workaround cranks the starter then you either have a bad switch or starter relay.

z driver 88t

Yep - same thing happened to me a couple weeks ago. It was very odd becasue I bought a new ignition switch thinking that was the problem. You can remove the small black plastic panel just below the steering wheel (two philips head screws) and actually unplug the old switch and plug in a new one and start it with a philips head screwdirver to check. When it still wouldn't engage the starter I pulled the relay and put the stock switch back in.

My relay tested fine which got me really confused because the starter is relatively new. You can easily test the relay with a 9V battery. The terminals of a 9V are spaced so that they line up with the posts on the relay and you can hear the internal switch click and complete the circuit. Then you can also measure continuity across that relay which is infinite with no voltage and shows continuity when the 9V batter is applied.

When my relay tested fine and the switch was not the problem I assumed it was the starter until I put a jumper across the CE panel and the car fired right up, no issues. It seems that the problem was related to oxidized corrosion on the CE panel. Which is leading to my upcoming CE panel pull, clean, reinstall project next weekend.

Anyway - long story short, the repair ultimatley did not cost me any money at all, just some time in diagnosis.

Try a jumper across the relay terminal first to see if the car starts, then test the actual relay.

If you end up needing a switch they are not too bad - about $100 or a little less IIRC.

jpitman2

i REPLACED MY SWITCH FOR SIMILAR SYMPTOMS, and a few starts later it failed again - starter relay. Check out that easier, cheaper side first.
jp 83 Euro S AT 54k

Barry Chan

I'll go after the starter relay first then and see what happens, thanks