1st Gen dead in the water

[Doc Holiday]

I got in my truck to leave the firehouse this morning turned the key on, heaters cycled turned key and since then it has no power to anything in the truck. Any ideas? This is the third time it is happened I haven't been able to diagnose it due to the difficulty of trying to get it to reproduce at a time when I am trying to figure it out.



FYI it is a 93

 

[Philip]

How does the ing switch feel in the start position? Does it feel different? Does it feel like there is little to no resistance in the start position.



I had a ing lock cylinder break on mine a couple of weeks ago. I had normal run position but no start. I also had a few times where it wouldn't start. Put I played with the switch a few times and it would light off.

 

[GHarman]

My truck did the same to me. It even stopped running while headind down the highway. I had a friend help me figure it out. It was so simple that I was very EMBARRASED (red faced , The whole nine yards). He said that the battery cables were not tight on the posts. An oxide forms between the posts and the cable connectors and acts as a circut breaker. We checked this phenomonon and sure enough, The one post bolt had broken, you couldn't see the break because of the grease that I used to cover the battery posts. We cleaned the posts and the connector bores, replaced that bolt reattached the battery cables and the truck started right off ! GregH

 

[Doc Holiday]

It is a newer battery and cable ends(this summer) I have checked and wiggled as many wires as I can get my hands on on this truck. The ign switch feels the same I guess. I am at home right now and the POS is at work. The thing that gets me is it has no power anywhere would a bad ign switch do that?

 

[JLEONARD]

no power anywhere would a bad ign switch do that

When my ignition switch bit the big one I had power but not to the starter. It wasn't the switch itself but the mechanism broke (craced) and it wouldn't make the switch contacts.



Also when the fusible link burns you'll have no power to anything.

This hasn't happened to my truck yet... but I've experienced it on other Chrysler Corp vehicles (why only Chrysler?).



Hope this helps.

 

[GHarman]

Doc, I would start there. I am not an electrical GURU as you can probably tell from my previous post. Start at the simplest place and work your way up. There are also fuseable links near the battery. They are almost indestinguishable from the other small black wires that are running around the driver side fender. Look for one that bends easily, like a plastic tube with nothing in it? GregH

 

[Philip]

Our ing switchs are very heavy built. My bet is on the ing lock cylinder.

This is the piece you key goes into. It is made out of cast alumn. The bottom breaks off sometimes.



When I went and picked mine up. I was told by the service manager that he has never seen one of our ing switches itself break. It was always the ing tumbler assy.

 

[Don Tanklage]

i thought the abr for ignition was ign...

 

[JLEONARD]

Yes. .

ing is the investment place... LOL

 

[dpuckett]

You're right, Jay about the ING being the investment firm.



It gets hard keeping up with acronyms and abbreviations. Why cant you people just spell it out? :-laf

 

[TSuter]

I agree with the fusible link idea. When mine blew, I lost absolutely everything!



Tom

 

[sdstriper]

When you turn the ignition switch forward look on the left side of the column close to the dash and see if the metal rod is moving downward. If not, with the ign. switch in the on position, use a needle nose plier and push the rod down, it should start then.



Whoops, I see you have no power upon re-reading your original post, I have been of no help...

 

[RedRamAndy]

My wife's car recently had this prob. The battery was much less than a year old. It was, however, the problem. One of the internal conductors broke. I would bridge the battery posts and it would only read 0. 08 volts. Yet it started the car perfectly a few minutes before. Try testing the battery voltage. Mine was happily replaced for free.

 

[dpuckett]

sdstriper- they changed coulmns in 91 to more electrical/ electronic components. No more sliding rod like in your 89 and my 90.



DP