O.K., Amoxaphobic,.
This additional information is very good. I have access to Mitchell’s Professional Mechanics soft ware and will see what I can sort out using data that I have available. It is unfortunate when something like this happens in that a computer controlled whatsits, automobile or can opener is superior in reliability and performance in many ways than the old days.
Except on those occasions when they do crap out it gets tricky and expensive quickly.
I’ll check back later today.

 

Just FYI, I have edited my previous post to add additional information on WHY I got the steering column. After reviewing the postage, I realized that it may have been a bit difficult to understand why I got a steering column rather than just replacing the ignition lock cylinder, or trying to find out why the car would not start in the first place.

After testing the fuse box, I got these numbers (all three fuses pulled):
Body Computer - Approx 11.67v
Body - 8.36v
Ignition - Dead. I am assuming this is dead now because I cannot get the car into start or run mode. Turning the key did not change anything on this matter.

Again, these are the numbers that I got with the fuses pulled, just checking at the contacts. However, the body fuse voltage dropped to 1.65v when the body computer fuse was inserted. Being the curious guy that I am, I was tempted to jumper across them, but I decided against it because I am not sure what the voltage should be.

I also checked the voltage in the fuse box under the hood. All are dead unless used (i.e. turning on the lights show voltage in the allocated spots). In addition, I checked the voltage on the dome light (or what should be a dome light) just out of curiosity - it has 12v.

I am on my way to the auto part store right now to get that manual.

 

Well, here is a direction to go, don't know where it will take you. If you purchased an adequate service manual there should be some electirical diagrams. Going with the list of things that do not appear to be working when the key is turned on many of your interior functions go through the IGN 1 fuse in the IP/console, as the book refers to it as behind the center of the dashboard. The IGN 1 fuse, a 10 amp fuse live when the key is in run and acc position supplies power to the Body Control Module. The body Control Module drives quite a bit of the other stuff too! So the initial guess would be if there is power at the Ign 1 Fuse and the fuse is good, power should be comming in and going out and the Body Control Module is probably a dead player.
But
If there is no power at the IGN 1 fuse than of course the Body Control Module is dead, there is not power to it, Well duh!
Power should be there when the key is turned on to either run or acc.
Power gets there from the Battery ===> Under Hood Fuse Block (UHFB) to the IGN 1/4 fuse, a 30 Amp fuse and then out a Red wire to the ===> Ignition switch where it gets switched out on a pink wire ===> to the Ignition 1 fuse on the console.
I don't know where this is going to go but at least is a starting point to check things out with.
From you explanation as to how things happened no real reason yet. Car wash = Water and water and electrical stuff never has been happy. But shifiting into gear meant moving something that could catch a wire and short something out. Or truth is just stranger than fiction.
It is easy to get mislead. I just last fall found a vibration that I have been chasing on one of my collector cars for more years than I would like to admidt too. Thought it was tire balance, nope, drive shaft out of balance. Who in blazes would expect that?
Later

 

Sorry for the delay on any response - had some family issues, then I was swamped at work. But never fear, I am still here to give you more mind mysteries.

I have checked all of the fuses and walked through the electrical system diagrams. Unless I am missing something, the car has power where it should. What it seems to be is the switch in ACC. The car does not recognize it no matter what I do. I have tried to jumper the ACC fuse in the IPFB to make it hot, and jumpered the IGN fuses in the UHFB just to eliminate the thought that it might be a bad fuse. Still nothing works.

I am wonder, would the anti-theft system do something to make this happen? It would make sense that if the car or computer got wet, that it would short and think it was being hi-jacked. It would also make sense on why its not working after changing the steering column.

.... of course, so would a bad computer.

Any more thoughts?

 

[QUOTE=Amoxaphobic;19563]Sorry for the delay on any response - had some family issues, then I was swamped at work. But never fear, I am still here to give you more mind mysteries.

I have checked all of the fuses and walked through the electrical system diagrams. Unless I am missing something, the car has power where it should. What it seems to be is the switch in ACC. The car does not recognize it no matter what I do. I have tried to jumper the ACC fuse in the IPFB to make it hot, and jumpered the IGN fuses in the UHFB just to eliminate the thought that it might be a bad fuse. Still nothing works.

I am wonder, would the anti-theft system do something to make this happen? It would make sense that if the car or computer got wet, that it would short and think it was being hi-jacked. It would also make sense on why its not working after changing the steering column.

.... of course, so would a bad computer.

Any more thoughts?[/QUOTE

 

11 year old open-ended post. How uncommon.
Please describe your problem in detail so that we do not make any assumptions about things being exactly the same that are not exactly the same. Please also concisely write up what you have already done for troubleshooting and how. This request is not because we don't think you know what you're doing, it is to cut down on troubleshooting time on everybody's part by not asking questions you've already tackled.

My first question would be have you attached a scanner with the capabilities to read body control module codes and other codes such as chassis and communications codes? I believe this will be key in determining what the car's computer thinks is working and what is not.

We are glad, well I am, to help you try to troubleshoot this provided you can supply as much information up front as possible about what happened, what you've done, and what works and what doesn't as of right now.

Many people, when faced with trying to seek help for something complicated do not realize the importance of seemingly unrelated behaviors or issues with the car. Please share them. There is nothing more frustrating for us then to get 85% of the information, then Sprint down the wrong path because of the missing 15%. No one does it on purpose but it can be consciously avoided to a great extent.

That being said, bring it on

 

21 years, derf? I count that as 11, but I'm an old, brain damaged hillbilly. What do I know? Anyway, to Amoxaphobic, I'd try replacing the ignition lock cylinder assembly.

 

Damn sharp, Rube.
Corrected.

I'm not quite sure what "I have the exact same problem" means so I did not make this suggestion.

And you're only as hillbilly as your brain damage tells you you are.

 

UPDATE::: I have moved the car into the garage and it's still only 6 degrees in here.. I would now have to push it back outside where it's 0 degrees to light it on fire.. I cant afford to hit the pick and pull to try replacing the whole steering column so im looking at new ways to skin this cat.. This bitch *** ignition shall not defeat me.. Maybe

Thanks for the add. Tonight I may light my 97 SL1 on fire.. Changing the ignition lock cylinder.. It was locked up wouldn't turn to acc to release it. Got the key code had a new key made.. the old ones were about 25 years old little worn. Didnt work. Chisel and mallet didn't work. Drilled it out cleaned it up put new one in.. Nothing.. Got ahold of the little doohickie down in the housing and it just spun. popped off the gear shift release and got the doohickie out and its snapped. which im guessing what was the problem in the first place not the lock cylinder.. All that out I dremeled a make shift screw driver key. At least I could get it started. WRONG. the fan for the heater came on. no dash lights no turnsignals no chime.. No start.. Went thru all the fuses both inside and under the hood.. The chime was the only one blown. replaced that.. Got my ding ding ding. dash lights windshield wipers came on.. No start Not even a click.. Im on day 3 in this **** Missouri cold over something that should the 10 minutes and im gonna about to lose my **** crack a bottle and watch the bitch burn..

 

I would think the ignition SWITCH, not the cylinder, might be the issue. Passlock security did not visit the S series until 1999. Cars locked with the fob engaged a starter disable. If the alarm were somehow enabled, the horn should be honking and the lights flashing for about 2 minutes.

If the key is not turning, clearly there is a problem with cylinder not turning properly. The question is whether the cylinder is messed or the ignition switch from which the wires run to and from the battery, starter, etc, is bad, or both. Or if one went bad and took out the other along with it.

For as long as I have driven s cars, which is 1992, I have never had the joy of replacing an ignition. However, since there is no special transponder or passlock hall effect sensor BS, I'm assuming the innards of the ignition switch and its interface to the ignition cylinder is probably pretty simple, of course if that is what you are showing the broken part of. The ignition switch should be generic as far as combining it with any compatible ignition cylinder for nonpass lock ignitions, but if the contacts on the switch were damaged during the drill out or anything else, the new cylinder will not make correct contact necessarily with the ignition switch contacts. Therefore leading to seemingly dead almost everything on key turn.

Sounds like you have an automatic, and you pulled off this shifter console to find something broken. Was the gear shifter moving around too freely? I ask because if the vehicle thinks it is not in park or neutral, or if it actually is not in park or neutral, I believe all power to the ignition switch is cut to keep you from starting it in gear. I know that turning it to crank position certainly does nothing as that part of the circuit has been inhibited under said conditions. Don't remember what happens to accessory position in gear. I would think it remains on.

So I would make sure that the gear position sensor is correctly aligned with whatever it is monitoring to determine the gear position. It sounds like the plastic broken thing that you found in there may have been holding that in place. Now it's kind of moving around and therefore, the car is interpreting that it is likely in reverse or drive instead of Park or neutral.
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I assume you hear no sound of the fuel pump priming in the on position?

The dude above had a vehicle with passlock. Usually what happens with those is that the special magnetic sensor inside the lock switch gets misaligned or just literally stops working and does not properly recognize the key. The body control module therefore never sends a message to the PCM to enable the fuel injectors, etc.

None of that applies in your case.

It's the wiring in the car, the battery, the ignition switch, and more likely than not some insidious broken or poor ground. With so many things sharing the same power source I.e the battery and alternator, losing a ground on one circuit may have a bizarre effect on a connected yet unrelated circuit.

This is not meant to be an insulting question. How clean are your battery terminals, are your battery cables intact as in not crunchy if you cut the insulation back a few inches? Finally, do you have a solid corrosion free ground at the body, not the paint, on the other end of the neg battery cable?

How old is your battery?

Now that you have a rotating key, have you tried jump starting the vehicle?

Just because you are seeing 12 volts in various places does not mean the required current can be supplied if the wiring is highly corroded and therefore provides significant electrical resistance.

What is the battery voltage at rest? What does the voltage dip to when you turn the key to start? Does it change?

Worry not, I enjoy wild goose chases through S car wiring. There's always something new to be learned, like what the **** is wrong with your vehicle for example