Hi - I have a strange problem with my six conversion that's popped up.

My ignition key got stuck/melted in the "On" position. Was driving the car, everything was fine, started to smell something funny (thought it was under the dash, but turned out to be the white plastic thing the key plugs into that the wiring loom then plugs into), pulled over, and couldn't turn off the car. Key is stuck. I stalled the car to stop it. Couldn't start the car or switch it off.

Brought it home, checked things out, removed the key/ignition switch. Nothing seems wrong except that white ignition switch module melted! Everything works fine, and I haven't changed anything in 2,000+ miles, no fuses are blown, and as far as I can tell I have no shorts in the electrical system.

To test things, I pulled the module and then just ran a wire between two terminals in the switch to "hot wire" the car. Starts and runs fine, but the new "hot wire" gets really hot when driving!

Question: Why would there be too much current being pulled through the ignition switch all of a sudden?

Any suggestions on where to start to diagnose?

-Steve

The ignition circuit isn't fused, which is common practice. What gauge of wire did you use to hot wire the car?

Did you recently change the coil? Did you add any other electrical devices that use switched power? Since you probably did some rewiring when stuffing in the Six, what do you have coming off the switched power line? Any relays in the circuit?

> Did you recently change the coil?

Nope, why? Still stock dual coils (3.6 engine).

> Did you add any other electrical devices that use switched power?

Nope, been like this for 2 years now...

> Since you probably did some rewiring when stuffing in the Six, what do you have coming off the switched power line? Any relays in the circuit?

I was pretty careful about adding relay where necessary. I'll have to big through it this weekend to see what's up. I've just never heard of this before and came up out of nowhere...

-Steve

look towards the end of my progress thread.
same thing happened to me.

ended up being a short at the harness where it comes through the firewall in the engine compartment.

several wires in a 914 are not fused as i found later. be careful or you could cook your car!!!

the result of the ground caused the wires going into my ignition switch to catch on fire and i had to blast it with an extinguisher. thank goodness i was just pulling into my garage...

now i've decided to re-wire most of the car while the winter is here.
mines a '74 and, after much inspection, some more wiring was dried out and needs replacing anyways.

hope this helps.

roger

Sounds like your switch turned from a "switch", to a "load". This is usually caused by resistance at that component from corrosion, or poor contact.....kind of like kinking a garden hose. I'd give all of the connections, fusebox and everything, a good once over. Then coat them with amlgard, or some other corrosion inhibitor made specifically for electronics.

I had this yard car once......from a guy whose project bought.
I was stripping wires out of it .....color codes & all,when I found the "brunt up wires in the loom" trick in the big bundle
just ahead of the center of the engine. It was the fuel pump
wire....and it took out a bunch of others.

I suspect this is relativly common....with guys wiring their fuel pumps off the coil cause that's the only way they can get power to the pump, but don't know why....one of them mechanic's tricks to get em' on the road.

I'm not putting this out here as the cause of your problem....tho it's possible. Just kinda general info.