Electrical Question (from An Electrician)

Last weekend I drove the Jeep to help Liam work on his Toyota, gotta get it ready to haul taco night grub and extra beer on the Rubicon! When I went to start the Jeep when I was leaving, it started and the ignition started smoking, turned it off and messed with the wires a bit and same thing. Noticed that the Start wire was the only hot terminal on the back of the ignition so I disconnected it and no more smoke. So I tapped the start wire on the ignition and started it and I was able to drive home. Now I disconnected the start wire and it is clear of any shorts to the starter. When I check continuity from the start terminal on the starter to the starter case it has continuity, so does that mean the solenoid is bad?

 

Quick guess, as I picture your description, I think the small "start" terminal activates the solenoid when powered from the key switch - therefore it must have continuity to ground, through the solenoid coil. The starter "case" obviously is also grounded. So, no?

But the "start" terminal on the switch should only be energized if you are twisting the key.

Therefore, ispso facto dipsy doodle, the key switch is bad?

 

Thank you both! I ordered a switch from Kaiser Willys earlier this week because, well, smoke and all. I just wasn’t sure about the starter and how that should be with continuity. Wire is clear to the starter!

 

Ahhh... I thought you meant 'hot' as in electrically energized, stuck "on." If it was heat-hot, Howard is more likely correct - that the switch was shorted or resistive.

 

I agree, the switch, or at least take it out of the equation, maybe by hot wiring, and see if it's clear. And very cool Liam is hauling the grub. We will all have incentive to keep that thing upright.

 

He is hell bent on having it ready, putting a lot of time and money into it to make it happen! A lot better than other things he could be doing as a teen! We’ll have to give him a break for not being in a CJ

 

Sounds like a bad key switch to me.
Cheap enough to find out.

 

New one should be here tomorrow!

 

Things got hot? Might check for a short while you have the switch out and then again after installing the switch.

 

New ignition switch is installed and all is good! Downside is I had to get rid of the ignition I’ve been starting this Jeep with since I was, I don’t know, 6 years old? Plus side is I have a spare
Briggs and Stratton key now.