Darkhorse

I own a 1985 Camaro. I want to install a push button starter. SO when they say "Gentlemen start your engines" all I need to do is hit the button. How do I do this? I will still use the key to lock my steering wheel.

AlkyIROC

For a track only car, rip out all the factory wiring and start from scratch. For a street legal car, keep starting it with the key.

I can't even begin to tell you how to wire your car. I have a master switch at the rear which will kill everything when turned off including the engine. The dash has about 8 switches. There's a main power switch to power everything up. A start button to just crank the engine over. An ignition switch to turn the power to the ignition box on or off. This lets me crank the engine over to prime it with fuel and oil then hit the ignition switch while it's cranking to fire it up. Other switches control lights, fans, pumps etc. Stuff that has a large amp draw such as fuel pump, rad fan etc, are controlled by relays.

IHI

iTrader: (1)

Keep the key unless it's a gutted race car...seems goofy to go through all this work if the ignition you currently have is fubared and your too lazy to replace the cylinder.

Either way, you'll need a toggle switch to supply 12V to the electrical system to activate dizzy/coil, then easiest way I can think of is installoing a ford solenoid, run a jumper on your starter from the battery terminal to the solnoid. then run the battery cable from the hot post on the starter to the start side of the ford solenoid. run one wire from a ign hot to one side of the pushbutton and the other side of the push button to the ign post on the ford solenoid....very easy, but again, pointless if what you have works or are having severe hot start problems.

1320_Guy

iTrader: (3)

If it is a street car leave it how it is. When i got my car the wireing was all cut up so i wired it like a race car. After about 2 weeks i was fed up with it. Redid most of it and the only thing i kept was the push buton starter. If i ever mess with it again i am going to take that out. Might put a starter button in the engine bay so i dont have to get in to crank it.

IHI

iTrader: (1)

That's funny...you dont know how many times I tell myself I'm going to get some cheap mechanical guages as well as a bump start button under the hood...would make working on the engine sooo much easier since your not running back and forth looking at the in car guages to verify.

I still think the bump switch you get at any parts store is the way to go thought for checking lash since you can take the switch with you to the other side of the car...and it's cheap/easier to use LOL!!

rx7speed

simple way to do it would be take the wire from the selenoid on the starter and run it inside the car to one terminal on the push buttong then take the other terminal on the push button and run it down to a positive wire (Fused of course). that way you push the button the car will start spinning the starter. this doesn't serve much point though if you still have your key ignition hooked up though as you still need to the turn the key to the on position or your car wont' start. sure the starter will spin and spin. my honda is push button starter cause I'm too cheap to replace a $40 key ignition switch and I have done that one before wondering why it won't start. or you will need to wire everyting from the ignition switch to a flip switch to turn the power on. then reach over and push your button.

waste of time unless it is required or somethings really broken.

Night rider327

iTrader: (13)

When I bought my car, the PO's had the wiring all messed up, cut, splided, bare wires, etc..

So I pretty much re wired most of it..

I put a push button in cause the stock wiring was shot.

Wire from button to little post on starter (closest one to the block), then a wire from big post on starter to other side of push button.

Done like this, the starter will spin anytime you push the button, but will only crank/fire up when the key is turned to the run postion (cuts the coil on)

This can also help to keep your car from getting stolen, that is if you just put a norm black button and not the big red one with "start" wrote on it.

Most crooks will jump in your car, break the key switch, and turn it with a screw driver.. With the push buttom wired up like I said.. Turning the key will not cause the starter to spin, so more than likly they wouldnt waste timing trying to figure out when it aint cranking over.

rx7speed

for it to prevent the car from starting he would have to disconnect the wiring from the ignition switch as well. if he left it there he would be able to start it either way.

iamtheantirice

we had to do this to my buddy's 91RS when the starter wire broke off of the lock cylinder, and he didn't want to have to change out the cylinder. i think we were pressed for time and he had to have it running ASAP. make sure that the wire on the cylinder responsible for activating the starter is disconnected, otherwise you don't need the button at all (not sure what, if any complications havign this wire still hooked up would cause. possibly none). but wiring it this way, you'd put the key in, turn to on (not start) and then hit the button. make sure your switch, wire and fuse will carry the amperage needed to activate the solenoid, or you'll burn stuff up.

and as far as mounting it goes, he was worried about it being stolen so he mounted his under the driver's seat, near the front. definetly out of sight, but not out of reach if you knew what's up.

autozone is where he got his... it was silver and was actually made for this specific purpose.

good luck
-Chris

AlkyIROC

I have a remote button mounted on the cowl so I can bump the engine over when I'm setting the valves. I can reach it from both sides. Since the ignition switch isn't turned on, the engine won't start while I'm bumping it over. I use a Ford type starter relay mounted inside the car to control the starter.

Simply wiring a button straight to the solenoid, although it sounds simple, is not track legal. You still need to wire it through a neutral start switch if you have an automatic transmission.

rx7speed

good point. didn't think of that part was thinking more of quick simple and easy way to do it.
one other simple way to do so would be to find the wire that activates the selenoid on the ignition switch on one side of the push button the other side hook up to the positive feed that goes to the ignition switch.
wouldn't tht still run with the neutral switch or no? don't know where the nuetral switch is in relation to the wiring harness.

IHI

iTrader: (1)

The neutral safety switch is a black half moon looking thing mounted near/on your stock console shifter by the linkage (it's been a long time since I converted mine so I can remember with 100% certainty) but it should have a thick guage (10ga) purple wire...or yellow wire...I want to say mine was purple that I tapped into with my aftermarket shifter micro switch for the neutral safety. But regardless it's down by the shifter area.

rx7speed

does it go from the selenoid activation wire on the ignition down through the neutral safty switch?

yeud619

I checked I put a new tumbler, new battery, ignition switch dimmer, new Starter, checked my MSD, and coil, fusible link not torn, key wire to msd is good, wire to alternator good, wires to starter hot with key on and off return to small stud on solenoid, any advice? It's manual stock 350 stock wirring.

rx7speed

dude...…. this is over 10 years old. my last reply to this was over 10 years ago. dude