Wirebrush Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 My brat is seriously possesed with electrical demons. One day I pulled into the parking lot and shut the motor off, but when I turned the key to the "lock" position it turned the engine over. It did this for a week or so in which I had to just leave the key in the ignition in the "off" position. I then pulled the cover off the stering column to check it out and it stopped doing it. It has since started doing it again and I can't figure it out. It also allows the radio and heater to run when the ignition switch is in the "off" position. Interestingly since I've owned it the headlights go off when the key is turned off which doesn't seem right. Here's the really wierd part, when I pulled the fuse to the radio to keep it from draining the battery the electric cooling fan came on, then promptly went off the instant I reinserted the fuse. I think I need a young priest and an old priest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I think I need a young priest and an old priest. Yeah... maybe. What year brat? Starting in either '83 or '84, the headlights are supposed to go off with the ignition. It bugs me that other cars still haven't implemented this even in the 90's and later.... I punish them by leaving the headlights on till the batteries die (well... okay, it's more just because I'm used to never having to turn my headlights off and I forget). Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wirebrush Posted January 16, 2009 Author Share Posted January 16, 2009 Yeah... maybe. What year brat? Starting in either '83 or '84, the headlights are supposed to go off with the ignition. It bugs me that other cars still haven't implemented this even in the 90's and later.... I punish them by leaving the headlights on till the batteries die (well... okay, it's more just because I'm used to never having to turn my headlights off and I forget). Z It's an '85 so that's good to know. I actually like that feature. I hate it when my wife flips the headlight switch on our '04 Grand Cherokee off of "auto". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heartless Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 seems to me that if all of these "weird" things are happening with regards to the position of the ignition switch - you need a new ignition switch... it is possible that the switch itself is so worn that it is shorting just a possibility...mi9ght want to get a line on those priests tho, just in case... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zyewdall Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 seems to me that if all of these "weird" things are happening with regards to the position of the ignition switch - you need a new ignition switch...it is possible that the switch itself is so worn that it is shorting just a possibility...mi9ght want to get a line on those priests tho, just in case... Yes -- sounds like a new ignition switch is in order. If it still behaves oddly after that, you might try running new grounds to the dash and such -- it kind of sounds like some things are not grounded, and are using other nearby items as their ground return instead of the normal path, perhaps. Z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Look under the dash where the wires come down from the steering col. There you will find a pink, yes pink connector. My bet is you will also see black or brown burn marks on it. Very common point of corrosion. Resitance and electrical current yield heat. The connector melts and all sorts of problems arise. Some people eliminate this connector and wire all the wires separatly. Good luck - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 (edited) Look under the dash where the wires come down from the steering col. There you will find a pink, yes pink connector. My bet is you will also see black or brown burn marks on it. Very common point of corrosion. Resitance and electrical current yield heat. The connector melts and all sorts of problems arise. Some people eliminate this connector and wire all the wires separatly. Good luck - Skip is on the money. That connector can be a problem after all these years. The ignition switch, cable and connector are the same on many years and models of Subaru. Get to a junkyard and find a cable/switch that doesn't have the burn marks and replace it. To give you an example, we once replaced the ignition switch in a '93 Impreza with one out of an early GL wagon. The Impreza was a recovered stolen car where the ignition had been destroy. We plugged in the older GL cable, turned the switch, and drove the Impreza home. Edited January 17, 2009 by edrach Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[HTi]Johnson Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 ....To give you an example, we once replaced the ignition switch in a '93 Impreza with one out of an early GL wagon. The Impreza was a recovered stolen car where the ignition had been destroy. We plugged in the older GL cable, turned the switch, and drove the Impreza home. Was it a recovered stolen vehicle before you got to it with a "new ignition switch"? That's crazy that they interchage that far back. As for the fan going on and off...maybe it was a coincidence? I also say replace the ignition switch and see if the problems still occur. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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