I had a guy rewire my 55 plymouth and I am regoing through what he did. At this point when I try to start the car (74 ply column) I can start it but as soon as I release the key and it springs back as it is suppose to the engine stops. Evidently there is a wire not hooked up right or my key ignition has messed up. I would like to temporarily hotwire the column. Using these wires (ignition switch power, ign sw ign, and ign sw start) which wires have to be hooked together, and which wire touches them to start the vehicle? I would like to put in a push button start switch. What are your comments?

 

74 Ply had a ballast resistor in the ign circuit, that is where I would start looking

 

Are you talking about the white 4 prong ballast? If so that is hooked up but maybe not correctly. I have the 4 prong ballast. I also have the electronic ignition but it is the 4 pin not the 5 pin.

 

These problems are terrible to diagnose "by remote" because we have no way of knowing how closely you followed the original (74) wiring. However, a look at the diagram should give you a clue

Over at "My Mopar" are some diagrams

http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=18

'74 stuff on this page:

http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=28

(these sometimes do not follow the factory wiring all that well)

The basic original wire colors are:


Big Red is power coming from battery
Black is out from key "accessory" feeding to fuse panel

Blue is "igniton run." Goes to ignition resistor. "ignition 1" in Chrysler parlance

Brown is "ignition2" or resistor bypass--rub directly to coil positive with stock points or Mopar ECU. If you run a system not using a ballast, this brown and the blue are hooked together

Yellow is the start signal which originall fired the start relay. The other end of the start relay coil is grounded for older stick cars, through the neutral safety switch on automatics, or grounded through the clutch safety switch on newer cars.

There may be some other small wires (orange, etc) which operate stuff like the key illumination lamp if equipped.

So the way the original circuit worked, whether with points distributor or Mopar ECU, is:

You turn the key and BOTH brown and yellow are hot. Brown feeds power directly to coil positive, to give a hot spark in start, and yellow fires the start relay, which fires the starter solenoid

When you drop back to "run" the accessory lead is hot and feeds to the fuse panel which of course takes off for heater, wipers, etc

The blue "run" also becomes hot, and normally feeds power to the ignition resistor, so the coil gets "dropped voltage" in run.

 

I'm with 440 road! If WE were there, and a case of beer, and BBQ at the end of the day...the car would be fixed by now!! I'm an electrician, and it is SOOOO hard to help someone trouble-shoot electrical online!

 

If it dies when you let off the key then it's the ballast resistor...it's bad or not wired correctly..try this on for size...the colors won't be right for yours but this is for a 4 pin box also...

 

im havin a problem and if u guys have any ideas plzzz let me know i have brake lights but i have no parking lights the dimmer switch is broke do u guys think that could be the reason

 

Hy, "bird" you really should start a new thread. The parking lights don't go through the dimmer. They come from the headlight switch, through the bulkhead connector, and out to the lamps

You have a wiring diagram?

 

no i dont have one but i can probably find one somewhere thanks 440

 

What year is your car?

You can download "alternative" diagrams here:

http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=31

(Click "wiring/ electrical" and then look for "Mopar wiring diagrams")

http://www.mymopar.com/index.php?pid=18

There are a few factory shop manuals you can dowload for free at this link:

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/...al%2C+download