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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Leaving ignition on

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Leaving ignition on -- page: 1 2     flatheadfan 04-09-2010 @ 9:10 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 450 Joined: Oct 2009 Tom- I see what you are referring to. The two cables are the same gauge 1/0 but they come from different manufactures. Tom TomO 04-09-2010 @ 7:56 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7256 Joined: Oct 2009 That is a nice, clean installation of a cutoff switch. It looks like the cable on the right is of a lighter gauge than the one on the left. I would use the next heavier gauge cable, from stock weight, when installing a switch. The extra length of the cable and the switch resistance can lead to excessive voltage drop when starting the car. Tom flatheadfan 04-09-2010 @ 5:32 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 450 Joined: Oct 2009 And another picture.... flatheadfan 04-09-2010 @ 5:30 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 450 Joined: Oct 2009 I have a '35 and have a cut-off switch mounted under the hood. No holes were required, I just used what Henry had available. Another nice thing about this location is the ability to hook-up a battery monitor or if necessary a battery charger without having to deal with the hassle of pulling up the mat to get the cover off and leaving the door open to charge the battery. supereal 04-06-2010 @ 10:35 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Old Fords have a weak point in the ignition switch. The action of the wiper arm causes a groove to be worn in the switch body. If you have never replaced this part, which is not difficult, you are almost guaranteed that it will fail, probably at the farthest place from home. The cost is less than twenty bucks. Never attach any feeds other than the wire to the coil to the "IGN" post. Use the ACC post for the rest. wmsteed 04-06-2010 @ 8:41 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 613 Joined: Oct 2009 In the early 1950's my family was on a fishing trip in the wilds of Idaho. A cousin of mine had just purchased a new 1951 Merc which he drove 65 miles on dirt/gravel roads to where we were camping. The clear cool evenings made for great AM radio reception, so my cousin and I were sitting in his car listening to the radio. In short order my father came to see what we were doing, upon finding us listening to the radio, which required the ignition lock being turned on, my father told us we were going to burn up the ignition... Being smart-ass kids we told the 'old man' that he did not know what he was talking about. When we got ready to head to town at the end of our camp out, my cousins car would not start. Since I have been handy with mechanical issues since I was very young I tried to figure out why the engine would crank, but would not start. When I took off the distributor cap I found that the points were fried. Hmmmmm! the old man was not so dumb after all. I was able to file the points with a fingernail file to clean them up and get some gap... The Merc then started right up and made it to town with no problems. This little mishap taught me to never hook up a radio, or any other accessory to the ignition switch unless the switch had an accessory pole. The early Ford V8 ignition switch's were never intended to handle the current draw of accessories, radios, heaters, etc., therefore hard starting can be a result of poor contact within the switch from burnt contacts. Bill 36 5 win delx cpe johnpoly 04-06-2010 @ 8:00 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 39 Joined: Oct 2009 I have a '36 and am installing a flip switch under the front seat. One hole drilled in the floor pan will do the job. The cables to the battery will be under the pan. Good luck. johnpoly 04-06-2010 @ 8:00 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 39 Joined: Oct 2009 I have a '36 and am installing a flip switch under the front seat. One hole drilled in the floor pan will do the job. The cables to the battery will be under the pan. Good luck. johnpoly 04-06-2010 @ 7:58 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 39 Joined: Oct 2009 I have a '36 and am installing a flip switch under the front seat. One hole drilled in the floor pan will do the job. The cables to the battery will be under the pan. Good luck. TomO 04-06-2010 @ 7:49 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7256 Joined: Oct 2009 Like Jerry Grayson, I am not a fan of the disconnect switches, but they are the best option for a car with the battery under the seat. For under the hood batteries, I just unhook the ground cable when I park the car for the night. For my arthritic hands, it is easier to use a wrench than turn a knob. It does not matter which side of the battery is switched off. The switch must be placed in a spot that is convenient to use. The connections to the switch must be good and use a heavier cable than stock on both sides of the switch, because you are increasing the length of the cable. I prefer switching the ground side because an accidental grounding of the connections will not cause a spark. Tom

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