I’m working on a 1963 Mercury Monterey, with a 390 auto. An old timer who worked on it before me put in a completely separate circuit and switch to bypass the original functioning ignition switch to send 12v to the starter relay. I asked him why but I couldn’t really understand his answer. Something about the key or switch. His wiring for the bypass setup was really janky so I took it off and simply put the original wiring connector back on the starter relay and now the car starts and runs as normal with the original key and ignition switch. My question is: Why would he have done this to begin with? Car has original wiring and switches from what I can tell. Everything functions fine now that it’s back to original. I’m a relatively experienced mechanic but my exposure to anything older than the 70s is limited. Just want to make sure I’m not missing something.
Depends on the situation, Been many times in the past maybe lost keys had to hotwire my own vehicle, Many times on big trucks still to this day, Dam keys!! Pain in A$$ on 32 keys locked inside just ask @HOTRODPRIMER
Maybe it was a "performance modification". When the Big Three went to 12 volts in the mid to late '50's, some of them (Ford included, I think), kept using some 6 volt components by running resistors in line with them. With the ignition coil, they discovered that they would get a hotter spark to the plugs by feeding the coil a full 12 volts while starting. They did this by using the solenoid to pass the full 12 volts to the coil while the key was in the "Start" position. As soon as the key was released to the "Run" position, that circuit fell out and the engine continued to run on the lesser voltage. It didn't take long for some "backyard mechanic" to figure out that if he rigged a toggle switch to feed the coil 12 volts any time the switch was on, he'd have a "hotter ignition" on demand. I don't know about the "hotter ignition" part, but it was definitely hard on coils. Even after the Big Three went to 12 volt coils, the kept the circuit as is with a ballast resistor allowing the ignition to run on a lower voltage most of the time to increase component life.
You can do a voltage drop test along the circuit to make sure it's in good condition. Hooking things back up and having it work doesn't mean it always will. Most people are not going to add and change stuff for no reason. It may have been good or misguided, but that's history. Make sure it's good now.
If the car was the POs daily it may have had a heat related issue(thermal failure) or simply the ignition switch is/was sloppy. Drive around lightly once a day, no problems. Use it as a daily getting heat soaked in traffic, it may show you it's ugly side.
I’m using the original Ignition Switch- 1953 Chevy- and it only has -LOCK- OFF- ON- START. No ACCESSORY. So I have a separate switch that energizes the Radio, so a guy can listen to some tunes while inhaling a burger at A&W, slamming down a cold Root Beer, without burning up a set of Fffnn points. A coworker of mine years ago had a Souped up Jet Boat, 455 Olds. He rewired it , did a nice job, but was burning up points like cord wood. It took a couple of years for me to figure out what was happening with him burning up points. One day he was out in front of my house, getting ready for a weekend at the lake. He was sitting behind the wheel of his boat, I watched him jam a smoke between his lips, reach down, turn the key on, then push the cigarette lighter in, he took a deep drag, exhaled, then said, “ Why can’t you figure out what’s going on with this boat burning up points?” I never said a word after that. Dick Head.
It may work for you now but a sloppy ignition switch will bite you in the ass when you least expect it
So was the radio always HOT on the old 53 Chevy. Or you just turned it turned the switch to ON, and fry the points? Or accidentally leave the radio on? Ford bezel- Chevy bezel.
IIRC, every older GM car I have ever seen that did not have an "ACC" position also had the radio "hot". Things were pretty simple. If you didn't want to play it, turn it "off". Turn it "on" if you wanted to play it. I think that back then, people were expected to be a little more responsible than they are these days.
That describes me, 80 years old and still hacking-up old vehicles - However, you have to push beyond your ignorance in order to learn. Russ
I remember hacking up the ignition switch wiring on a car when I was about 14, because we lost the key. Now I know how to make a key, instead.
While I agree wholeheartedly about the replacement crap generally available today, I would recommend pulling out your switch to see what can be done to make it work better, if indeed that was the reason a bypass was installed. I’ve had one switch that the tumbler fell out and spilled its guts on the floor, try finding those tiny fn springs and another that would just cut out randomly, no fun having your car quit in traffic. Most of those old switches are pretty robust and with careful disassembly can be cleaned up and shimmed up with thin stiff plastic, the tumbler part is not so easily fixed, usually just has to be replaced. A big wad of keys hanging is a good way to wear out the ignition switch.
A hidden start button was also a easy, cheap anti theft device. Pop the key cylinder out turn the screw driver and if it doesn't start move on to the next easy target.
Automatic trans? He probably had an issue with the neutral safety switch and bypassed it. Bad motor mounts and NSS's add up to Fomoco no-start. Probably got tired of moving the shifter while turning the key looking for the "sweet spot".
GM's recommendation in later years was that the ignition key only share a key ring with the remote keyless entry transmitter, if so equipped. It was fairly common for a customer with an overloaded key ring to come into our service department to have a new ignition lock cylinder installed. The ignition key's edge would be worn to the point that you could practically shave with it. Sometimes a fresh, properly cut key would fix their problem. But I'd always try to subtly remind them that the key ring was not the proper place to hang bronze baby shoes, a bowling trophy or the keys for everything else that you owned.
Mentioned above, but possibly was trying to fix an issue that was t there, then he or someone found the real issue, just left it as is, because it worked.
I've seen this done many times. Often the reason is the inability to trace wires I have been guilty of this myself Most people can "hotwire" a car ,but few can repair wiring All he did was hotwire it with a switch inline
And that's where they failed. A key ring is commonly used to do just that, hold all of your keys in one place. Maybe not the janitor's set, but if the average household has 2+ cars, house keys and possibly work keys for a start, the tumbler should be designed for normal average use, not barely enough to handle what is supplied. It's often pot metal in a steel shell with no other support that also has the pins and springs in small holes.
Thanks for all the comments! I think it's best I do a voltage drop test to check the wiring and get her out to stretch her legs and make sure the switch isn't acting up.
Your response reminded me of a story from many years ago. There used to be a night club in a local motel way back when that hosted some unusual music acts from time to time. They tended to have a local comic as an opening act for the bands. One of them was from the small town of Kendallville a ways north of here. (The comic referred to his hometown as "Kendall-tucky", so he was alright with us.) I can't remember if he opened for "Weird Al" Yankovic or Leon Redbone, but it doesn't really matter. He explained that he'd recently spent several months in Los Angeles trying to get work in some of the clubs there. A couple of his new L.A. friends were giving him tips about meeting new people there. They said a man wearing a ring of keys on the left side of his belt was indicating that he was straight. A key ring on the right side of his belt meant he was gay. In other words, left was "right" and right was "wrong". This was all new information to him but he told them that in Kendallville, if you had a ring of keys clipped to your belt it just meant that you were a janitor.
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