Hi All,
This is my first post, and it looks like there is all kinds of information on here! I haven't been able to find anything about how to change the ignition switch in my vette. I believe that this is the problem after talking with a few corvette people and reading a few things online. All the electrical in my car is dead. No dash lights, no guages, no headlights, no brakelights, no nothing! When I turn the key, nothing happens. No clicking or anything. From what I have read, it could either be the ignition switch, or the neutral safety switch. Does anyone else agree with that, or have any other ideas about what it could be?

Assuming that it is the igniton switch, how do I get it out of there? Will I have to pull the whole steering column out? Or is there an easier way to get at it?

Thanks!

 

Welcome!

Some circuits are before the ignition switch in the wiring system. Things like headlights, courtesy lights, under-hood light, etc. should work without the key turned on. If they don't, you are disconnecting somewhere between the battery and the fuse panel. Check for burned out fusible links, not sure where they are on a 77 though. Could be near the alternator, could be near the starter, could be right above the fuse panel. On some cars, battery positive goes to the starter hot, and from there to the fuse panel. On others, it goes from the battery directly to the fuse panel, with a seperate line to the starter +.

If it is a fusible link that is bad, they are cheap to buy, and relatively easy to replace. Downside is that a fusible link acts like a big circuit breaker, and something made it break (like a big short somewhere). I've seen them blow from touching a wrench to the frame while working around the starter, alternator, or near other "non-breakered" hot wires.

bill.

 

Yeah, I already changed both of the fusible links down by the starter. I'll check to see if I can see a fusible link comming into the fuse panel. I have a new battery, and I took a battery out of a running vehicle just to see if maybe the battery was the problem. That didn't change anything. The battery connections are clean, with no corrosion and they are tight.

 

Check to make sure you have voltage at the fuse panel's positive in... probably not. If not, work backward to the battery from there. If you do have power at the panel input, then check one of the non-ignition circuits (courtesy lights, etc.) and the big breakers.

bill.

 

I would'nt worry about the ignition switch yet, you should have head, tail, brake, interior lights, horn, and a few other items working with no relation to the ignition switch. Trace the leads from the starter up to the firewall, you'll find a heavy terminal with multiple connections, you should have full battery voltage at this point, trace each lead from that point to locate where your dropping voltage.

 

Yes, that is what I would have thought as well, but after talking with some people that I would consider to be knowlegable (more than I, anyway) they said that the ignition switch would cause that to happen.

Anyway...I'm glad that I asked for ideas here! It had NOTHING to do with the ignition. It was the ground wire from the battery to the frame. I bought a new cable, drilled out a new hole and bolted it on in just an hour or so. MUCH easier than the steering column! Thanks a bunch for the help, guys.

-Nathan