Hello I have a 1987 Delta 88 Royale Brougham.

Here's my problem.The other day after coming out of work I got in my car put the key in the ignition turn it to start and nothing happened.I turned the key back to off and then tried again and again got nothing.No dash light's,no radio,fuel pump didn't try to switch on.I thought maybe I had left a light on and killed the battery,a guy I work with hooked up a jump box and that didn't work.

My headlights work and so do the interior lights.I've tried to switch the key back to axillary to see if anything would happen.The first time I tried the radio came on along with the dash light and the fuel pump when that happened I tried instantly to start the car.I got one very quick click from the starter and then everything died again.The radio and dash lights have come on while in axillary twice after but usually I get nothing.

I've had no issues with this car starting and it has only stalled on me twice.Once right after start up and once while sitting idle in my driveway.Both of those incidence occurred about 2 week before it died.

Any help would be appreciated.

Sounds like a bad ignition switch to me...have you tried banging on the column (tilt it back and forth if it's a tilt column) while trying to start it? See if you can get it to engage. It could even been something as simple as a loose connection.

TOC Admin
Brando

Thanks for the replay.

Someone suggested to me that it might be the ignition switch so I replaced the original.Unfortunately that didn't solve the problem.

Hi Shinigami,

Welcome to TOC

Remove the battery cables, clean the connections with a wire brush, reinstall, and try it again.

Regards, Norm

Ok, considering the switch is new...
Headlights and interior lights have a direct connection to the battery, hot at all times, bypassing the ign switch.
If it was only a starting issue, I would guess transaxle position switch, but since the accessory position doesn't do anything either...

Have you checked for voltage at the ignition switch?
If you don't have the dash apart already, you can do a little testing at the power/ground distribution box.


These are fusible links, the one I am holding in the picture is for the ignition switch. It has an orange/rust colored wire (the fusible link), and then it splits into two solid red wires. Hopefully you have a multimeter, test for voltage on the red wires (one probe on ground/black, the other on either red wire). There is one the splits into solid red and red/white, that's not for the ignition switch. This is all located right by the battery tray, the black cover hides most of this...


If the red wires test ok, test for voltage at the ign switch.

TOC Admin
Brando

I found those wires.The only problem I have is that both of the orange wires go in to the fusable link and come out into two solid red wires,neither has a red/white wire.Any suggestions? Is it fine to check all of them?

Yea, check both of them. Should be voltage on all of them.

TOC Admin
Brando

I've checked the wires.One set of red/red wires was reading 12.5v the other was reading 11.93.I checked both orange wires ahead of the fusible links and they were reading 12.5.

I'm a newbie here, and not terribly knowledgeable, but since we just bought our olds recently, this issue is fresh in my mind.
Ours would not start, and it needed the ignition coil... that is what the guy called it that we bought it from. We got one and installed it, and it starts and runs well now. I don't know if this information will be helpful or not, hopefully you've already solved your problem by now.

I have actually solved the problem.After checking the fusible link wires and seeing the one with the low voltage I decided to use a wire to jump past the fusible link and that fixed everything.Unfortunately I just found out that I have developed a pretty massive fuel leak.

Sorry I didn't reply, glad you found the issue. It would be best to replace the fusible link (with the same size, available at any auto parts store), but I can understand the quick fix. Just note that it is a potential fire hazard if any part of the wire happens to short out.

Is one of the fuel lines broken/cracked? I had to replace all my lines. Used a kit from NAPA auto parts, it was plastic line meant for fuel injected vehicles.
Before all of that, my tank was replaced...the seam was rusted through so that any amount of gas above half tank it would leak out.

TOC Admin
Brando