OK well I was installing a new head unit and amp in my 87 TA i just got today and now the ignition won't crank, the key just turns, nothing whatsoever happens. Not sure how it would effect the car starting but stranger things happen. It's an 87 TA 350 TPI, the car ran great all day started perfectly every time now nothing. Confused as heck. thanks for help in advance. New battery etc and all the lights come on etc so I know most of the elec. system is good.

 

I assume the car is an automatic? If so, you might check your neutral safety switch. Also go through the fuse box and see if anything is blown.

 

yes it's an automatic, and sorry to sound noobish but how do I check the neutral safety switch? Already checked all the fuses as well. Just fyi I ran a fusable link from the battery to my new amp in the trunk and messed with the wires behind the head unit just so you know. Basically I just disconnested the current aftermarket radio and attached my new head unit to the same wires so I couldn't have messed with too much.

 

Take the screws out from the plate that surrounds your shifter. Pull the plate up and you'll see it on the passenger side of the shifter. It is probably 2 or 3 inches long and has a wiring pigtail. There should be a tang on the drivers side of the switch that engages in the shifter mechanism. This is what moves the switch. If it has worked out of the shifter or broken off, the switch will be stuck in drive (or reverse) whichever gear you were last in. If this is the case, it wont start until the switch is back in neutral or park. If the switch is bad, they are readily available at your local auto parts store and probably 15 to 20 bucks. The Haynes manual gives a pretty good picture and instructions for replacing or adjusting it too.

 

LOL I figured it out, 1st owner decided to put 2 toggle switches under the dash to prevent theft I assume and the guy I bought it from was totally clueless. Would only start in a certain order on them. Here I am with my multimeter tearing apart the shifter console, checking battery starter etc when all I had to do was get the right order on the switches. Thank you for helping me locate the issue though cause the toggle was in fact, at the point of the 2 wires, thick 10 GA purple and yellow, that lead from the batt back to the starter solenoid, under the dash inside near the fuse panel.

 

Glad you figured it out. Sorry to send you on a wild goose chase though.