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1995 Mustang Wont turn off

3K views 14 replies 4 participants last post by  CatSkinner 
#1 ·
Hello,

I do apologize as I am not a big fan on making a introduction thread but please know that I have been roaming the forums for some time before I decided too pull the trigger and join but the real issues is listed below.

I have a 1995 3.8 mustang that has been having a persistent issue with not starting for some time. I have been able to resolve most of it but now the car will not turn off when turned over by the ignition lock.

I have replaced the positive/negative/ignition harness, starter relay, Ignition lock, Fuse and starter. I have also pulled the ignition switch out in order to manually check it and too manually kick the car over, therefore the metal pin is still intact and works as intended. The only thing that I can think off is that the contacts within the start are not fully closing the loop when power is kicked as I need to disconnect the battery in order to kill the car. However I have taken the ignition switch apart and noticed that there are burnt indications on the switch itself, so that could also be a issue too.

I have posted pictures below of the hack job that I am dealing with at this time. Trust me, it has not been easy but it is slowly getting there. Any help out be great at this time.
 

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#2 ·
Welcome to the forum .Electrics are not my best subject as we always had auto sparks for that work .If still having problems after fixing ignition switch , I remember some other cars with not switching off fault and it was caused by alternator back feeding .
 
#3 ·
Thank you for your reply. To be honest I haven't even thought of that lol, however I will research that and see if "Hopefully" that is it.
 
#4 ·
Will finally had time too look into the issue and it seems that the alternator has passed. So I am at a lost now. I have made a recording of what's going on
 
#7 ·
Also check that an aftermarket alarm system has never been grafted into the column wiring (ditto at the PCM and BCM and their respective plugs and sockets in the wiring harness); if so resolder all joints and ensure they are insulated from the column; also check that the grommet at the firewall is sound and that the insulation there has worn through and or is shorting on the firewall.
 
#8 ·
I'd also replace the ragged yellow wire in that 3rd picture and use an multimeter to check for good continuity (zero ohms) between those yellow crimp on connectors joining the yellow and grey wires. Ditto with the blue grafting connector.

I assume that mess is all part of some aftermarket alarm or similar so I would then also test without that by rejoining the original white wiring and removing the added red and yellow wires. Do any of those grafted in bits connect to the burnt contacts in your 2nd and 4th pics which shows evidence of a high resistance caused wiring overheating issue? Both the red and mangy yellow wires look like they are of smaller gauge than the wires they are grafted into which would cause the high resistance issue; similarly that ragged yellow wire in that state is almost certainly well below spec for even whatever gauge it is and causing high resistance; its partially melted insulation state is also likely due to a too small a gauge high resistance wire overheating issue.
 
#9 ·
Thank you for your reply and thank you for that thread, however everything that has been stated has already been done lol. My father in law was also attempting to help as he is a professional electrician, so that helps :p. He was saying the same thing in regards too the mess that is under the column and suggested in replacing the whole harness and see if that fixes the issue of it not turning off.
 
#10 ·
Yes; it is possible there is a short somewhere else in the harness as a result of the lower gauge wire used; possibly the insulation has also melted elsewhere creating a short between two wires or an earth. As I said earlier, also check where the wires pass through the firewall as the firewall is a potential earth path.
 
#11 ·
Thank you for the information. I am planing on replacing that particular wiring harness within a week once I am able to locate one. I will update once the part has been replaced.
 
#12 ·
I am here and this thread will be updated as the car is located an hour away from me and i can work on it on the weekends lol. Does any one know where I can get a 3.8 headlight/fuse box wiring harness and the adapter piece that goes into the ignition starter switch as that particular part does not have a model number.
 
#14 ·
yea, I have tried that particular site as I get most of my parts off there lol. However they do not carry the harness. I have checked my local pick a part and they seem to only carry the 97+ models which do not work. Seems that 1995 version of the 3.8 are really hard to come by lol
 
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