engine shuts off

[eLyk2k1]

Well I've come in to a problem and when it comes to electrical dealings with vehicles I'm a complete retard. here's the story...

 

I have a 4.0L in my 87 Comanche (swapped a '91 HO motor out of a wrecked Cherokee fyi) and lately it has been having a problem starting. [Also, the key is stuck in the ignition and won't come out.] I would turn the key, the usual lights would come on, i could hear the EFI but the starter wouldn't kick at all. So I replaced the starter with an old one I had lying around in my spare parts shed and bought a brand new starter selanoid and installed everything. Went to the girlfriend's house last night with no problems, went to school this morning and heard a new ticking sound from the column and this sound that reminds me of an empty spray paint can rattling around which sounds like its coming from right around the starter somewhere. It's very faint, and road noise and the hum from my swampers drowns it out while on the road. Well anyway, I am driving home from school and the engine just turns off. I still have power to everything, I just start it right back up and keep going. Get in to my neighborhood and it does it again. Start it up and drive in to my driveway and it dies right as i hit the driveway. I have no clue what can be causing this. any suggestions?

[Kenosha Warrior]

Get down near the bell housing on the drivers side and unplug the CPS, plug it back and and see what happens.

 

Oh, more info like auto or stick?

[ifixit8]

sounds like a bad ignition switch, possibly the main ignition harness. I would check to make sure you have voltage at all the wires and in the right mode. like key back being acc, and key forward one click being ignition, etc

[Wildman]

2X on the ignition switch.

 

You said the key is stuck in the switch?? could be causing your problem.

 

Start the truck, and "jiggle" the key / switch around to see if it shuts off.

 

If it's just bad enough, you hit a bump in the road, and that causes the switch to move, causing the "run" position to skip out of place.

 

The key switch is actually connected to a rod that slides down the steering column to the bottom where the ignition switch is located, check the movement of the rod, and the plug connector at that switch.

[Eagle]

Keep in mind that the key part in the steering column is just the key part. The actual ignition *SWITCH* is located at the base of the steering column. There's an operating rod connecting the key to the switch. Your problem could be in the key cylinder, the operating rod, or the switch itself.

 

Or it could be the CPS, but that would not cause the starter to not function.

[Geonovast]

It could also being something as stupidly simple as a bad battery terminal. Check your battery cables and terminals, make sure they're not loose or corroding.

[Car RamRod]

Keep in mind that the key part in the steering column is just the key part. The actual ignition *SWITCH* is located at the base of the steering column. There's an operating rod connecting the key to the switch. Your problem could be in the key cylinder, the operating rod, or the switch itself.

 

I agree. I think it could be a loose linkage rod.

[eLyk2k1]

thanks for all your suggestions fellas. I started reading them and just decided that, hey... I got an extra steering column in the shed, I might as well just throw that in and see what happens. So in she went and so far so good. Lost my ability to have a tilt column, but oh well.

[Eagle]

Tilt columns are over-rated. I have yet to see one that wasn't most comfortable in the straight position, for everyone from about 5'-6" to well over 6' tall.

[A-man930]

Does it die immeditately? or does it slowly drop down to nothing and finally die?