Faulty Starter Switch(es) ? Options

[euro911]

OK, so I hadn't started the 'BB' for a while, but it was running fine the last time I did. I wanted to make sure everything was in fairly tip-top shape for Bill (Bill1963), prior to him taking custodianship a couple of weeks from now.

I wheeled a very large capacity (255A), heavy (170 lbs), fully-charged battery over to the car and ran heavy-duty jumper cables to the terminals and attempted to start her yesterday ... and nothing. I hear the fuel pump running, lights work, stereo works, etc.

Next, I raise the lift and jumped across the (+) starter cable terminal to the solenoid terminal under the car ... and viola, it cranks just fine. I had my wife turn the key while I checked for voltage on the solenoid terminal, but found no voltage present there.

I found and read a couple of old threads on starter issues, so I did the following: I checked the solenoid wiring from the switch (which is spliced at the bypassed relay box under the passenger seat - it's a '75) and that's fine.

I check the relays on the relay board, burnish the contacts and reinsert - still not activating the starter (IMG:style_emoticons/default/headbang.gif)

I also read that sometimes the tumbler mechanism doesn't turn far enough to fully engage the electrical terminals in the ignition switch, so I crank to the right as hard as I can and the starter finally engaged (for a brief second or so). I tried it again several times afterwards without any success.

The ignition switch was replaced with a new one a couple of years ago and didn't have a ton of starting cycles on it ... so how is it, that just not being used for a period of time, that these 'new' switches seem to be failing?

Where can we purchase a quality made switch these days?

Signed, 'Frustrated' ...

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/popcorn[1].gif)

[marksteinhilber]

For What It Is Worth (FWIW), the socket can be pulled off the back of the switch while it is still mounted in the steering column and a new switch can be plugged in to the loose wire bundle. This will allow you to operate the new switch using a flat blade screw driver to check to see if the new switch will start the car. If the car starts, you can deduce that the old switch still installed in the column is the culprit.

I think what mblizzard says about new cheap switches having thinner plastic may have some merit. Thinner plastic or poor quality may allow contacts to wander off target, have poor clearances, misaligned contacts, and may be more prone to high current arcing as a result. I found there are differences in how some of the key tumblers fit or actuate the center rotating portion of the plastic switch and caused me a problem. The point that a solenoid limits the total current flow through the key switch likely reduces the tendency to arc. Adding the (Ford) starter solenoid will probably make any of the replacement switches work better/longer. I haven't seen one of the European or Porsche OEM replacement switches and am not sure where to purchase except maybe through a dealer or maybe Automotion. I have only seen and tried to use the "cheap" parts and now have about three new and "suspect" spare switches. I put an original OEM part back in the car. It works beautifully with the correct and original matching key tumbler. I had to retrieve them from the PO as he had kept them from this 914 when it was his parts car. This picture shows the insides where the key tumbler actuates the center of the plastic switch.