Ignition Problem, 1989 328 GTS

This might be simplistic, but how old is your battery? Have you checked for corrosion on the terminals?

Mine exhibited the same symptoms, fortunately it was just a battery.

 

I also think that you have to look at the battery but it might well be as simple as better connect the cables to the battery. Remove the cables, clean and use some vaseline and put the cables on again and tighten them well. Also look at the mass cable if it is well connected without corrosion to the steel body.

Success,
Menno (1988 328 GTS)

 

Tim
Be careful on this, my switch did the same thing and as I tryed to get the key out, almost as if in slow motion I watched the spark travel down to the fuse box and puff..., smoke and fuse box meltdown.

Doug

 

What you're describing sounds to me like what my car suffered and recently another FChatter's 308 suffered. In both our cases it was the white wire (to battery) connection at the ignition switch being loose or otherwise weakly connected. You can check yours by contorting yourself on your back, legs and waist sticking out of the car, torso angled under the dash directly beneath the ignition switch looking up. Check the connection and secure if necessary, see if your issue continues.

It's probably the easiest thing to check.

 

As others have said, check the connections at the battery - also the big red connecor on the earth strap & the earth connection to the body/chassis. Also in that circuit is a similar big red bullet connector under the car. Its hiddin under a plastic cover about 1 foot in front of the engine, you need to undo a couple of 10mm bolts to get to it. Its a "u" shaped plastic thing maybe 10 inches long in line with the chassis rail to the left side.

I had a very similar problem & after going through all the above connections & taking them all off/apart & cleaning & re-assembling (about 2 years ago) I havn't had a problem since.

 

Glad you fixed the problem.

Let's see some pictures of your car. Is it a new car or have you had it awhile? Good to hear from someone nearby, few fchatters in Ventura and SB as well.

Welcome to Fchat.

Jeff

 

That is beautiful!!!!

 

I love that interior combo
Ciao
Eugenio

 

I had the same symptoms few months ago with my Mondial. The battery was one year old. I cleaned the battery contacts and i injected "electrical contact aerosol" in the neimann and since it's ok.