rossiz

okay, my bad on the starter solenoid - when i put it back together the first time i didn't have the little actuating arm (that goes down to the starter relay) hooked properly to the plunger rod. got it right, and now when i jump from the positive contact (big red wire on the solenoid) to the small spade connector on the solenoid, the starter engages and cranks the motor. all good there. still no love from the key switch though... are there any typically suspect connections between the key switch and the solenoid, or is the switch the first place to look? i have the covers off the steering column and am stumped about how to get the key switch bracket off the column - of the 4 fasteners that clamp it on, the two diagonal are philips head and the other two are some sort of round, solid head security screw. ??!? do i have to drill these out? seems iffy to me...

Thanks Zed - will try asap.

Hey all, Been lurking for a few months, slowly restoring my new-to-me 78 z and loving it, BUT... I've hit a wall with an electrical problem concerning the starting system. Some background: I replaced the fusible links with maxi-fuse blocks, located in the cabin by the fuse board on the passenger side Moved the relays from the engine bay to inside the cabin, back of firewall under the heater fan Re-made the primary wire loom from the battery to the new maxi-fuse blocks and new 8GA leads to the starter New battery, plenty of juice, lights work fine The car started fine, ran great for several weeks, drove it to work and came out at the end of the day, turned the key and and NO response from the starter. No clicking, solenoid silent. Lots of relays clicking around in the passenger area under the dash, but no love. The accessory functions light up, seat belt buzzer sings, etc. just no starter. Looking at the FSM I identified the "Ignition Relay" and thought this might be the issue - cannot find a replacement part anywhere on this earth. Took apart the unit and while I don't really understand how its supposed to work, both relay solenoids activate and deactivate when I turn the key switch to "ON" and "Start". Further reading/searches seem to indicate this relay actually doesn't even fire the starter solenoid at all... If I arc a screwdriver across the big terminals on the starter solenoid, the starter motor spins up. If I arc from the positive terminal on the starter solenoid to the B/Y small gauge wire (spade connector) on the starter solenoid, I hear a big 'click' and the starter motor spins, but the gear doesn't engage to crank the motor. All my fuses look fine (newly replaced when I bought the car) and I'm totally flummoxed at this point... Could it be the ignition switch itself? Where should I start looking? Thanks in advance, any help would be greatly appreciated