turning on the ignition

[Menno van Rij]

Hello all,

 

I discovered something this afternoon, and I'm curious to know if other 3A owners noticed the same:

 

when I turn on the ignition, I can feel that turning the key stops when the key faces about 2 o'clock. When I press the starter button, the engines starts without hesitation. This afternoon however, I pulled away at a friends house. After a bump in the road, the engine died. After turning the ignition on again, the engine ran without any trouble. I returned to his home and we started to investigate the problem, but came up with nothing. So I drove home, with his phone number on the display of my cell phone (He owns a Volvo 245 - strong enough to tow the car home )

 

When I returned home, without a problem, I focussed on the ignition key. I noticed that it's possible to turn the ignition key further to the right, past the 2 o'clock position, to the 3 o'clock position. And again, the engine started on the button! When I turned the engine off, I noticed some 'notch' at 2 o'clock before I was able to pull the key out in the 12 o'clock position. I now think that I hadn't turned the key far enough in the first place and that the key 'bounced off' when I hit the bump, turning the engine off and that the notch at the 2 o'clock position is for preventing the key to bounce back.

 

Are all ignition-key houses like that? What's you experience.

 

Menno

Edited July 6, 2009 by Menno van Rij

[TR 2100]

Isn't this to allow certain circuits to be live, e.g. the radio,

without leaving the ignition turned on?

 

AlanR

[Menno van Rij]

Yes Alan, perhaps you're right! I've dug up a Dutch equivalent of the Haynes manual. However, there's no mention of a 1 or 2 click turn of the ignition.

 

Menno

[BrianC]

I have the original switch in mine - the one with the key number helpfully engraved on the front for the benefit of would-be car-jackers . This has only one 'ON' position at 90 degrees clokwise from the 'OFF'.

 

Later cars (TR4 onwards?) had multi-position switches for accessories. You may have one of these or one of the many similar or repro switches common to most British cars of the period.

Edited July 6, 2009 by BrianC

[Ed Davies]

Hi

 

Like Brian says the original ignition switch would only have on/off positions. The original wiring diagram only shows two contacts, one with a white wire and one brown & blue wire. There wouldn't be much point having another position, unless you want to add some extra function?

 

Cheers Ed.

[Menno van Rij]

The car came with a ignition switch in a box. There was a switch in the car: a TR4 switch (I have 'm on the work bench now). And that switch is different: more positions. That's why installed the one that came with the car in the box. And I think it's some kind of universal type for all kinds of British cars.

 

Having said that, I think that there will be a lot of cars around that are supplied with the type of switch that's currently in my car.

 

Menno

[jean]

Menno, as far as I know the original TR3 switch is not available anymore, A few years ago I ordered a TR3 switch from a Continental supplier and what I received was a TR4 item.

As on my switch the cylinder ( barrel ) pins had more or less disintegrated I just replaced the cylinder. The donor was the barrel for a TR6 boot lock I had in my spare box. It needed some modification to accept the electric element, but it works perfectly since 2006.

Edited July 6, 2009 by jean

[Don Elliott]

Menno - The ignition switch on my 1958 TR3A is the original one. It has one click over towards the right. I think your barrel may have accumulated some dirt or corrosion (not much - just a tiny bit) which was preventing it from going all the way to the right and make contact. If you take out the entire switch and liberally soak the moving bits in a lubricant it will free-up the moving parts inside and your problem will disappear.

[stuart]

I think that you may well have another type of switch, as everybody else has commented original switches are just single position turn with just two contacts on the rear. How many does yours have Menno?

Stuart

[Alec Pringle]

Come on chaps, brains in gear down Memory Lane . . . . what did we all do in the 60s and 70s ?

 

Chucked out the original ignition switch with the single position, and substituted a more modern version with the extra initial accessory position so that we could play the radio without frying the coil. Essential equipment for getting your wicked way with bird of the moment down some dark lane . . . .

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

[Menno van Rij]

with just two contacts on the rear. How many does yours have Menno?

 

Stuart,

 

I thought about that too: how many contacts are there on the back of the switch. That would explain a lot. So, I went to the garage late last night, crawling under the dash. And I can confirm that there are two contacts. So, I think that it's Don's comment is likely to be correct. This week the weather will be TR-unfriendly (t/storms etc) so it's the perfect opportunity to pull the switch out and clean it.

 

Menno