Ignition Switch Wiring

[SpiderGuy]

I'll order a new Ignition Switch and tinker around a little bit more to see if I can get some spark and fire out of the old Spider.

But if I can't I may have to tow it to somebody who is a much more competent mechanic than I am. I'm sure they could use the Service Manuals and Electrics Book I bought better than I could

Sure am hoping the old classic can get going again.

Anyone have any recomendations for a shop near Colorado Springs Colorado ?

[SpiderGuy]

oops miss post edit delete

[SpiderGuy]

one way or the other well get em going

[SpiderGuy]

adds to the confusion when Putin in Russia is making weirdly wired switches for Italian Fiats

Thanx for your help and patience fellow Fiat Friends, I'm easily confused when there are more colors involved than just Black and White. start adding stripes on wires and I start getting dizzy

[SpiderGuy]

I found and ordered this Russian made Ignition Switch at Midwest Bayless

Not known for "reliability" but might work for a little while..haha

[SpiderGuy]

Looks like the wires on the switch made by Putin do connect to different positions than on the original switch, just to make it more confusing.
Red #50
Brown #30
Black #30/1
Blue AND Pink #15 (both wires to #15)

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Keep asking questions, Spiderguy; we'll help you figure it out.

I'll keep channeling Master Yoda or Master Po, depending on your preference.

The wiring is fairly simple: Two sources of +12V to the ignition switch, and (depending on the position of the ignition switch), three different outcomes for the +12V: starter motor, ignition circuit, and all the other electrical functions in the car (lights, gauges, wipers, etc.)

-Bryan

[spider2081]

One of the issues with older cars is they are sometimes represented as a year that is incorrect.
Have you verified the date of manufacture from the white tag on the driver side door pillar?
I think your wire color diagram is correct for the original Sipea ignition switch but not correct for the aftermarket switch.
If you check for voltage at the ignition coil small posts do you measure full battery voltage on one of them, with the key in the run position.
Does your distributor still have ignition points installed and is there one set or two?
The wire diagram I have for a 1978 Spider does not show an electric fuel pump. If you car has an electric fuel pump do you think its original or something some one stuck in the car.
Factory installed electric fuel pumps usually have a green/black wire at the ignition switch. And these ignition switches are unique in that they have a terminal 16 that the rest do not.
The mechanical fuel pump is located on the driver side of the engine block below the intake manifold. engines with electric pumps have a flat conve plate covering the block opening.
my personal opinion is to put the car back to its original wiring configuration so future troubleshooting can be done with the original wire diagrams. The photo showing the yellow butt splice connections also shows improper wire sizes and poorly made crimps.
Used Sipea ignition switches should be available post in parts wanted. I think Fun import Auto & toys has some in Vernon CT. 860-871-1990
The original electric fuel pump circuit included a relay that turned off the fuel pump when there was no oil pressure.

[Spider951]

I have an '81 Spider with the aftermarket Russian (Lada?) ignition switch. Pictured below is what works for my car.

Going clockwise from the Red (50 spade connector pin), Black (30/1), Pink & Blue together (15, i think it is), brown (looks more like black in my photo) (30). Nothing plugged into double spaded pin(s). [ this arrangement appears to be the same as the diagram you received from Midwest(?)].

[Dahlstan]

Oh my lord! I just bought a 1978 Spider and I've been having issues with the car starting. It just so happens that my car has the same ignition switch that is wired to the engine coil. I have the Lada type ignition switch as well, do you have any suggestions on how I can diagnose if it the kill switch or the ignition switch that is the problem? When I directly wired the ignition coil to the car battery it started perfectly, but without the two connected it just turns and turns. thank you!

I don't have a wiring diagram for a '78 spider, but I'm guessing it's similar to earlier years. If that's the case, there should be a light blue/black wire connected to terminal 15 on the back of the ignition switch. When the key is in the RUN or START position, terminal 15 (and thus the light blue/black wire) should have 12V on it. This is the power for the ignition coil, so check to make sure you're getting power there. Safety tip: Make sure the car is in neutral before turning to START while you're working on it.

If terminal 15 has power in RUN and START, then the problem lies between there and the B+ terminal on the ignition coil. Make sure it has power in both RUN and START, not just one or the other. Could be a break in the wiring, someone installed a kill switch, bad connection, etc.

If terminal 15 does not have power in RUN or START, then check the power at terminal 30/1 which should have a large black wire attached to it. If terminal 30/1 has power (but terminal 15 doesn't), then you have an internal problem with the ignition switch. If terminal 30/1 does not have power, since this large black wire connects directly to the alternator output, then there's an issue somewhere with that wire. Note that terminal 30/1 (and the large black wire) will have +12V all the time, that is, it doesn't matter which position the key is in.

-Bryan

Hello again, sorry
It appears that the pink and blue/black chord are wired into the BAT switch so I checked for voltage on the black wire on the ignition switch itself and it’s getting power but when I check for voltage on the pink and blue/black wires at the plastic terminal where the wired connect from the internal ones in the car to ones on the switch there was no power getting to them. Do you think this would be an issue with the connecting wires, the BAT switch or the wires that run directly from the car to the connecting terminal. Thank you for you help once again, I’m just at a loss.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

OK, so you have power on the black wire at the back of the ignition switch. That's good.

Here's my understanding of how it's wired in a '78. This black wire should connect to terminal 30/1 on the back of the ignition switch. When the key is in RUN or START, power should then be at terminal 15 (sometimes labeled as 15/54) on the ignition switch. This connects to a large pink wire to a connector, where it goes to two places: a light blue/black wire to the + side of the ignition coil, and another light blue/black wire to Fuse #1. This fuse powers the stop lights and some other items. Note that I've also heard of the pink wire at terminal 15 also connected at the terminal to the blue/black wire, but the effect is the same.

Do your stop lights work (ignition in RUN or START)? If so, then the ignition switch is working in terms of connecting power to terminal 15, and Fuse 1 is OK.

If the stop lights don't work, then check to see if there is power at terminal 15 (15/54) when the ignition is in the RUN position. If there's no power there, then the ignition switch looks to be bad.

-Bryan

[SpiderGuy]

I installed the new Russian made Ignition Switch I bought from Mid West Bayless and wired it up just like the instructions said. Car starts and Runs like it should. It's wired a little bit different than the original switch.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

I installed the new Russian made Ignition Switch I bought from Mid West Bayless and wired it up just like the instructions said. Car starts and Runs like it should.

Good work! So the problem was a bad ignition switch?

-Bryan

[SpiderGuy]

I installed the new Russian made Ignition Switch I bought from Mid West Bayless and wired it up just like the instructions said. Car starts and Runs like it should.

Good work! So the problem was a bad ignition switch?

New Ignition switch works fine but it only started and ran briefly with fuel squirted (transfused) into spark plug holes or Air intake ..so I still have a fuel supply problem. Fuel getting up to the fuel rail but not thru the injectors to the cylinders


-Bryan

[SpiderGuy]

I installed the new Russian made Ignition Switch I bought from Mid West Bayless and wired it up just like the instructions said. Car starts and Runs like it should.

Good work! So the problem was a bad ignition switch?
-Bryan

My post was meant to say that the New Ignition Switch works fine as wired like the wiring instructions say....but it only started and ran briefly with fuel squirted (transfused) into spark plug holes or Air intake ..so I still have a fuel supply problem. Fuel getting up to the fuel rail but not thru the injectors to the cylinders. so now trying to figure what other parts are faulty, Pressure regulator? Mass Air flow?