Technical Ignition switch FAILED!

[rawill]

In the middle of rush hour traffic!!!

The car died, nobody home at all! No dash lights, no cranking, no sparks when I hot wired it, so I had to put another hot wire to the coil.

But when I went to drive home at 1.30 in the morning I had no wipers!!

So anyway I have a spare car, but the switch will not match with the old barrel. It has a different engaging mechanism between the key block and the plastic electrical switch. I did not really want to swap all the door locks.

Can the switch be repaired, oh and this probably explains the occasional strange buzzing sound and failure of the indicators. Also probably explains why sometimes the car would simply stop but would usually start gain straight away.

And also explains what I spent all my money on trying to get an auot sparky to find the intermittent fault that would cause the car to stop when driving (as I said above):bang:

Oh and correction, we do not ever have rush hour in Invercargill

 

[johorridoh]

I know this problem. I just transferred a UNO with a broken ignition switch. I also had a replacement switch which did´t fit.
So I plugged it on the cables without inserting the switch into the lock.
You can start by turning the disc. But be sure tu turn it into the right position and also to turn it back. Otherwise the starter will not disengage. I was curious to find out what was wrong. So I disassembled
the switch. The contacts were dirty and covered with dust from the sparks. There are tiny blocks of plastic and the whole thing is quite complicated. I doubt that people without a high level of contemplation will be able to repair it . I can make pictures if you want.

 

[rawill]

Pictures would be great.

Today my replacement switch locked and would not turn. Something has failed in the barrel section where the key goes.

Then when I took the actual electrical ignition switch out of the back of the barrel, the electrical switch fell apart, metal bits and springs everywhere!!

I think I know how it goes back together, but the barrel has locked anyway, so I am back where I started. :bang:

Challenges I don't need because I am in the middle of house renovations 7 meters of wall is missing from my kitchen, and at times it is only 0 degrees outside at night

 

[alexGS]

Oh dear, sounds pretty desperate I reckon swap the whole steering column from your parts car. Quite easy to do and you can swap the other locks later when you get chance. I know what you mean about not wanting to swap door locks but it's not too bad a job really, compared to the frustration of an uncooperative steering lock. I fought with a Brava for hours in a carpark once, drilling off the lock mounting, and even removed from the column the lock was still jammed. Then eventually there was a click and it started working again - but who would trust it after that?

-Alex

 

[rawill]

Yes alex that is what I did, swapped the whole column, that is how I ended up with two keys. BUT, it was th e swapped in column ignition switch that jammed in the mechanical part of the mechanism, then as I attempted to take the electrical switch part out of the rear of it, the electrical part came apart and fell on the floor!

I was doing this so I could start the car and move it to my shed.
Had to hot wire it again!

The car is doomed!! :bang: