Date: Wed, 08 Aug 2001 08:22:48 GMT From: Benjamin Grossmann <bennopsam.com> Subject: Re: Saab Ignition - Can I replace the switch with a generic switch
The same thing happened to me in my 83 900S and I was in the middle of Northern Alaska with no convenient access to OEM repair parts. I robbed two toggle switches from the cockpit of a wrecked DC-9 and a "momentary" switch and had the whole operation functional in about 30 minutes. (Although it took me another hour and a trip to NAPA to make it all pretty) All in all, I preferred the new method of starting to the method of using a key by far. (As anyone who's ever dropped tapioca between the front seats of their car can attest, the key can be diffucult to turn. Particularly at -50 degrees below zero) Of course, it would seem that not using a key would reduce the security of your car, but when I moved to downtown Los Angeles and my car was broken into, the would-be thief couldn't figure out how to start the car and left me with a only broken window. If you don't really know what to look for, two toggle switches and a push-button don't seem too intuitive. When you take the plastic shroud from around the shifter & ignition, There'll be a bundle of wires connected to spades on the metal frame just above the keyhole. With a little bit of deduction, you'll be able to figure out what does what and wire it to the switches (one for Accessory Power and one for Main Power, the Momentary Switch is obviously for the starter) I just went ahead and mounted them on the center console and I haven't had a single problem with them except that the red bulb that made the "missile launch" Main Power switch glow red burned out once and I had to replace it. It's handy to also wire little lights to tell you that the circuit is being completed in case you need to troubleshoot. TIP: Use a wire rated approximately the same as the wires you're jumping to! Don't get the little tiny wires, go for the proper gauge. Incidentally, if you were really concerned about security, I started working out how to use an old Palm Pilot to make you have to enter a password before it would turn the car on. I figured out that it would be pretty easy before I decided it was overkill. Have fun with it! It'll make you sooooo much more in love with your car when you've customized it like that (Plus it impresses mechanics if you ever have to drop it off) Ben (83 900s, 87 SPG)
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