Ignition switch

[chief1ton]

Hey. I have run into a snag with my 79 Cherokee. My ignition switch has gone out again. "third time since i have owned it" since it's mostly a trail rig i want to convert it to a simple switch panel. toggle push button start. i know how to do it. however once i pulled the actuator switch down from the column to start rerouting the wires. i realized it appears all of the accessory wiring runs through it. right to the big splice. This seems like too much power to run through a simple toggle switch. Am i right? does anyone know just how much amperage runs through that switch?

[davpratt]

Someone did a simular thing to my J-10 Truck.
They bought an external key switch box assy. They cut all the wires and tied them together pigtailed them to the switch. It was a mess to get it back the way it belonged. While repairing the wiring I believe several of the circuits were split among several contacts. one set of contacts is the ingnition. Another was for the radio and any accessories added to the truck. Still another set of contacts is for the door locks and power windows.
There's a schematic of the connector on the "Tom 'oljeep'" web page.

[Ryan]

just like dave suggested, before you do that swap, I'd personally go to oljeep.com and read through the alternator theory and big splice mods to remove full power from the cab, and only have 12v feeders coming in.

[chief1ton]

I have already done the ammeter mod. and upgraded to modern alt. removing all that big power from circulating the cab. i'm just referring to the ignition box itself. the one on top of the lower part of the column. that actuates the starter.

[Ryan]

not sure about how much amperage runs through that spot

[davpratt]

You're talking about the switch that is operated by a stiff wire from the key lock. Everything that requires the key to be on or in the accessories posistion is powered through that switch.

If you just want to kick the starter over there is one wire the same color as on the selenoid.
Light blue comes to mind.
Apply 12VDC and the starter will turn over till you remove the voltage. A good 2 Amp momentary swith should work fine.

If you find the Safety Switch Jumper, you could remove the jumper and connect your switch to the correct connector and not have to cut any wires.

The yellow wires are hot all the time.
The red is fused.
The black is a ground to turn on the Brake light on the dash if the parking brake is on.
Red with a white tracer is power to the fuse box and the engine coil/ignition control box.
Two other red wires are either fused or come from the alternator.

[chief1ton]

Thanks for the input guys. i went ahead and dove into the project. The heavy duty momentary toggle switches i found are rated at 20 amp. i bypassed and hooked it all up. Put a fuseable link. With a blade type fuse. on the load side of the main wires i was concerned about. Then started and ran the truck with a 10 amp fuse installed just to test it. No pro! Since my switches are rated 20 amp. i'll just run a 15 amp. And call it good. Thanks again.

[davpratt]

Although everything is working the fuse should be based on the wire size your using.