No start from turning the key

I have a 70 Maverick, recently it stopped cranking by turning the key. I am able to turn the key on and just the solenoid and it will crank. I took a test light and put it on the red/blue wire and had some one turn the key to crank, there was no power.

Would this lead me to believe that the ignition switch on the column is bad or is there a fuse link somewhere in the system that I am unaware of or can someone point me in the right direction?

 

On the steering column down low near brake pedal is a contact block where the main power wires go to it is operated by a rod that is connected to the key mechanism and sometimes they go bad or get out of adjustment

 

Is your car one of the early ones with the ignition switch on the dash?

A neutral safety switch can also cause this. Mine did it intermittently years ago. Took me years to figure out what the problem was.

Micah

 

No, mine is on the column. I have been researching about this and from what I have read, there is either just a switch to make sure the reverse lights come on when it is in reverse and nothing on the transmission or there is something under the dash that I have not located yet. This all started pretty much after lowering the steering column while taking the dash apart. It would do fine until I went to load it up on the trailer to take it to the body shop and then poof, nothing. Since I have the ability to jump the solenoid with the key on tells me that the ignition switch is in alignment but maybe just that specific contact is not aligned or these is either a fuseable link somewhere or the safety switch is outta whack.

 

The neutral safety switch should be at the bottom of the column just before the firewall. If I recall correctly, it should have a four-pin plug. One of the wires should match the color code on the solenoid. See if your back up lights work. Either way, I would check this circuit.

Micah

 

Thanks, I will check for that!

 

They can also be on the transmission. Where it was on my parts '71 Comet GT with floor shift.



My '72 with column shift has it at base of column.

 

If the neutral safety switch is bad, the starter won't crank at all. If there is no power when turning the key on, the ignition switch may be bad, or perhaps the rod got out of adjustment when you dropped the column down...

 

You mentioned you “jumped the solenoid”. You can check the function of the solenoid by connecting the positive from the battery cable to the solenoid with the “s” terminal of the solenoid. If it cranks the solenoid is OK.

 

We have been using a screwdriver to crank by going from the positive to the S terminal

 

There is power when the key is on, there is no power going to the "s" terminal on the solenoid when the key is turned all the way to the start position.

 

Thank you for the picture, gives me something to work off of.

 

Are you saying there is power to the s terminal with the key on?

 

No, I am saying everything else has power as it should be to allow the car to run once the solenoid is jumped. Only thing that doesn't have power when I try to start the car with the key is the s terminal.

 

Got it. I would agree with the earlier suggestion of checking the neutral safety switch.