wont start with key!

[Mean 318]

OK guys I gt my car ready to go but it wont start with the key! I can jump it on the fire wall but the key is a now go! Ideas? How to test these ideas... Thanks

[Ghoste]

Neutral safety switch plugged in and working? 

[Mean 318]

plugged in yes... working? how can I test it?

[Ghoste]

It's a fairly simple on/off switch.  You could check it for continuity neutral and then recheck in gear.  How about the starter relay or the ignition switch itself?

[Mean 318]

new switch, never used it yet, I will change the relay out and see

[RAWPWR]

I'm guessing the relay on the firewall. been there done that. also it's the easiest to change

[pandamarie]

If you have a good working neutral safety switch and it still wont start, check for power on the yellow wire at the top of the starter relay with the key in the start position, this is the wire that trip the relay when you start the car if no power trace it back to the firewall bulkhead connector and see if the wires at the connectors are good, most times in an original system they are burnt or corroded real bad, if they are good check the wires from the ignigtion switch back to the bulkhead connector, there is usually a plug those wires go into before going to the bulkhead connector, make sure they are good, if all that is good bypass the wires at your AMP guage, disconnect them and hook them together, preferable solder them and shrink wrap them. Just had the same problem on my 70 challenger and it was a little of all of the above, But my biggest problem was the wires at the Amp guage.
To test the yellow wire at the relay use a multimeter,stick on probe in the yellow connector the other to ground and set it so you can watch the screen and try to start it, if no power thats the problem, if no multimeter use an old bulb socketwith a buld and hook up the wires the same way.

[Mean 318]

replaced the starteer relay and still nuthin... I will also add that nothing in the dash has power!

[pandamarie]

If you have no power to the dash panel then pull  your bulkhead connector apart, your main power feed is probably burnt if its not there its at the fuse block, pull that out too and check the wires on the back of it, you could have good fuses but still have poor connections., check the wires on that amp guage too major source of electrical problems. throwing parts at a wiring problem wont make it go away you need to find the problem. Most of the electrical problems on our old mopars can be traced to the bulkhead connector.

[Mean 318]

I put a wire from the pstv side of the bat to the ballast and nuthin, then I put the wire to the other side of the ballast and the lights in the dash started working and the key would start turn it over, then the ballast started smoking  , Then I was told o run a wire from the pstv side of the bat to the pstv side of the coil and it fired up for a second, all the lights in the dash and the dome light came on brighter then the sun and it died again. It smelled a little like burn carbon under the hood but not real bad o I thought it was just burnt carbon. Then I tried it again thinking I was just seeing things and the dome light didnt come on, Well I tried and all it did was turn over . What did I do, and what should I do. What would I have burnt up? I should also say without a bypass nuithin in the dash works, but with the two different ones it turns over fine! Thoughts?

[pandamarie]

The wires going to your ballast are coming from your ignition switch IGN1, if you have no power there it is usually a bad wire at the bulkhead connector, have you pulled it and checked it yet?? turn the key on and see if you have power at the Alternator battery out, if you do its all in the bulkhead connector, amp guage which is feed from the battery wire from the Alt other side feeds most eveything else. check your fuseable link also, it supplies power to what needs it when the key is off and is also the hot wire in a round about way to the ignition switch. and you guessed it, all thoughs wires run through the bulkhead connector. If your still having troubl get a shop manual for your car and check the wiring diagrams, very confusing as most old mopar diagrams had the engine compartment wiring on a different page then the dash and tail light diagrams.

[lee]

I had the same problem there was nothing when I turned the key and you know what it was the wires came loose off the back of the ignition when I pushed them together it started like a dream it just wasn't connected try that