Midas Cars Forum - www.midascarsforum.com

Just done an 80 mile test run prior to going to Shepton Mallett tomorrow - and discovered that the ignition switch was very hot at the end of the run!!
Before I rush off in auto I wondered if anyone had come across this before and worked out why it was happening?
Regards
Dave

I was told some years ago by an AA man that some Vauxhalls used to catch fire when the ignition switch got hot...the one in my Nova turned out to be full of black carbonised grease which was why it sometimes failed to work...

Yes Geoff, that is what worries me right now !!

I think I might have sussed out the problem though. During my test run, I connected one of those 12V cooler boxes. It took quite a bit of power, dropping the voltage by 1V. Because my 12V power socket is connected to the ACC point on the ignition switch, this large power draw might have stressed - or even damaged - the internal terminals !!

I have fitted a relay now (I can hear the horse galloping away!) which should relieve the situation, but I reckon I will replace the ignition switch as well - once I can locate a replacement !!

Ah, the joys of plastic car electrics !!

That sounds a lot like the ignition issue I had getting to Stoneleigh a few years back. That was caused by the cooling fan starting to seize up, having been wired in by a previous owner without a fuse.

There were about three different types of ignition switch fitted to Metros, the important difference being in the plug to the main loom. So it would be worth taking the column shroud off, or at least taking the lower half off, and taking a few photos of the switch itself and the plug so that you get the right one.

I found it easier to track down an ignition switch and steering lock assembly - there are a couple on ebay at the moment - and then remove the switch from the assembly (just two screws) swapping it for the damaged one. That saved having to drill out the security screws on the back of the steering lock/barrel.

In my car, the original steering column lock and ignition switch only operates to lock the steering !
The ignition switch is one of these: https://www.carbuildersolutions.com/uk/ ... ion-switch

Now that the whole centre dashboard is fed via a fused relay from the ACC terminal of the ignition switch, things seem to have settled down - phew !!

David