Expert: Brad Sears - 10/23/2009

Question
Several days ago I drove my '86 Chevy Blazer to and from school without a problem. However, an hour after returning home I went to run some erands, turned the key to start the car, and nothing happened.  Everything is gone.  No starter, no guages, no choke light, no power windows, no head lights...nothing.  I have used a volt/resistence meter to check my battery and fuses and everything seems OK there.  I poked around on the web for a bit and decided that the ignition switch might be to blame.  Since ignition switches only cost $10, I thought it was worth a try before paying for someone to test the electrical system.  Following the steps in my Haynes repair manual, I got to the point were I detached the base of the steering shaft from the flexible coupling and removed the transission shifter rod from the steering column under the hood.  But, after removing the bolts that attach the steering column to the dash, I can't get the column to hinge down away from the dash enough for me to get into the ignition switch.  I think the problem is that the steering shaft isn't detaching from the flexible coupling enough.  What is the best way to get the steering shaft to move sufficiently so I can get in there?

Also, a I've pondered this issue more, I've started to think that the ignition switch likely isn't the problem.  Can you confirm whether the ignition switch could be the cuplrit and what, if anything, else might be causing my problem.

Thanks.

Answer
The clue here is the headlights. The headlights are on a  circuit from the ignition switch so it would tend to eliminate the ignition switch as the problem. My gut feeling is that there is a bad battery connection on either the live or the ground side. Or the battery could be defective. There could be enough voltage left in it to make the voltmeter work but not enough to support a load. Disconnect the battery and check the voltage across the battery terminals. The volt meter should read 12.7 volts for a fully charged battery and 12.1 or below for a dead battery. Then clean the terminals and reconnect the battery. Now check the voltage at the battery cables with the headlights on. The voltage should be 12.5 to 12.7 and the lights should be on. If they are not on start moving the voltmeter + connection down the circuit checking for voltage all along the way. The next connection would be at the starter solenoid terminal. If there is voltage there then check for voltage at the fuse panel. If you still do not have the culprit, let me now and we will go further.
Brad