Friday a buddy dropped off my other buddy's mom's old 1967 Valiant Signet (it's a nice 'beater')....

Definately needs a carb kit (cute little Holley 1920), the oil is so thin it's mostly gas so carb and possible fuel pump problem (that's an easy fix)...

I tech'ed down the electrical problem but I'm kinda 'freaked out'...

The car will start if you attach the positive battery cable to the positive battery terminal. Buddy's mom indicated it had a short/ smelled some wiring cooking when she last drove it and stopped driving it after it arced back on the negative battery cable. My buddy replaced all the usual components (alternator, starter, ballast resistor, starter switch, ignition solenoid, voltage regulator is now a solid state replacement for the old 'buzz box)...

So I check out the wiring with a 1971 schematic (didn't have a '67, but the colors are all the same and the wiring is almost the same... after a few minutes of unplug and play I found:

Car will start with key off and pos. terminal tapped on pos. cable.

Tech'd it down further and it seems...it starts and functions normally if you use a remote starter on the ignition solenoid and you unplug the neutral safety switch...BUT... with the switch unplugged from the relay, you can't start the car using the regular ignition switch.

I'll replace the tranny switch and see what happens....

Anybody else have this happen?????

The schematic is 'vague' about what else is on the safety switch circuit, anyone with a 67-70 have any pointers?

thanks,

-D.Idiot

Somewhere the solenoid wire or the relay coil wire is shorted to +12v - thats the only way the starter will turn just by connecting battery cable to +12v with no other action (assuming the starter solenoid or starter relay isn't stuck closed of course)

Check the ring terminals at the starter relay - if those are positioned just right they can short to each other. I was scratching my head for a few minutes on that one when I replaced my starter relay. Same goes for terminals on starter itself.