71 challenger ignition question

[pimp2303]

I am just about finished my 71 challenger but can't not seem to figure out why the car will not start with the key. just a few insights on the car. It has a 340 mounted to an a518. I can turn the key and get nothing, if the key is in the on position and I start it with the start solenoid it will run but will not start with the key. If i recall correctly from the wiring diagram i have, the yellow wire is the wire that should be go hot when I turn the key to the start position. If that is correct, I am not getting anything from that wire when i go to the start position. Where you should I start looking to fix this problem. any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[soundcontrol]

Maybe the neutal safety switch on the transmission. I dont know the A518, but does it have the same switch as a 727?

[Strawdawg]

yeah, sounds like it is not seeing the switch.  Go to the starter relay and connect a jumper from the ground side of the switch to the battery ground...see if that makes it start...caution it will start in any gear instead of park and neutral.

Believe the ground terminal should have a brown or brown/yellow wire on it.  It's the vertical terminal at the bottom of the relay next to the yellow wire which should be hot when you turn the key to start.

Nothing will happen if the relay is not grounded via the park/neutral switch or the jumper I just told you to install as the relay needs a ground to activate.

[soundcontrol]

And if that dosne't help, measure if you have 12V on the yellow wire when you turn the key, if you do, change the starter relay, if you don't there is a problem with the ignition switch or the wiring from it, to the relay.

[dfrazz]

If you have an MSD ignition the Small red MSD trigger wire has to connect to both the blue & brown wire at the ballast , there is a pigtail included with the MSD or you can solder them together.

[dodj]

Does it turn over with the key? Like is it turning over and not firing? Or does it do nothing?

[pimp2303]

Does nothing with the key. I can jump the solenoid and run the car. Just will not start with the key. I don't have the NSS switch hooked up. Is there a way I can bypass it if so how can u do that.

[dodj]

I don't have the NSS switch hooked up. Is there a way I can bypass it if so how can u do that.

That would do it all right.
Look at the post by strawdawg, and do that.

[pimp2303]

I just done that and now it will click only when I put it to the run position once.

[dodj]

It should only 'click' in the start position. Not the run.
I would take apart the bulkhead connector and the column connector and make sure they are clean and making good contact.
If all the connections are good, and you grounded the relay like strawdawg said, you are looking at a new ign switch.

[Strawdawg]

If you put a jumper from the battery plus to the post on the relay that the yellow wire connects to and then momentarily ground the the post on the relay that the brown wire goes to, the car should start cranking if the battery is sufficiently charged.  Again remember it will start in any gear doing so.

If the starter engages and cranks, doing this, go back to where soundcontrol told you to check the yellow wire for 12 volts on the yellow wire when the key is held in the start position.   If it does not have 12 volts, or close, then go under the dash and see if the yellow wire has power when in Start at that point.  If nothing there, it would appear to be in the ignition switch as dodj said  altho I would check the red wire carrying power to the switch as well.

If you have power in yellow with the key in Start under the dash, then the bulkhead connector is the likely culprit as dodj said.

If you had power at the relay from the yellow wire with the key in Start, then the relay is probably bad as soundcontrol said earlier.

I am assuming you have the wires connected to the relay as shown in the manual.  If you are not sure, or need a picture, we can post one.

[pimp2303]

So after doing some things and looking over the wiring diagram I found online this is what I have come up with.

The yellow wire immediately goes hot when the key is turn to the run position. So if the key is on, the yellow wire is hot. I used a jumper wire ran from a ground and when i turn the key it would only click. I didn't have a multimeter to test for voltage but i used my test light and as soon as the key was in the on position on the ignition it was hot. If i would take a wire from the positive side of the battery to the connecter where the yellow wire is(the yellow wire still being hook up) it was turn over and wouldn't stop until i turned they key off.

I will check the bulk head connectors and clean them up because that hasn't been done. I will also get another relay and install it today just to eliminate the possibility of that being bad which will help me leave me with the switch either not getting enough voltage or being bad overall. It is a new ignition switch so that makes me believe if it isn't the relay that it is something with connection points of the wires.

Any other things I can possibly try to help fix this issue?

[soundcontrol]

At least you are narrowing down the problem now, the fact that it will turn over when you connect the battery direct to the yellow could indicate that there is not enough power on the yellow wire when you turn the key (due to a bad connection point maybe), or in a rare case the relay could be funky. It takes a little more power to engage the relay than for it to hold, thats probably why it keeps turning over even if you remove the jumper from the battery. So if you are changing the realy anyways, and it still dosen't work, check the connection points, bulkhead connector, connector to ignition switch etc.

[Strawdawg]

the yellow wire should only be "hot" when the key is turned to the START position.  When the key is in the Run position, it should not be hot.  I think I would start by finding out why the yellow wire has power on it when the key is the normal run position

[soundcontrol]

I assumed he was holding the key in the start position all the time while the yellow wire was hot.