Your opinion appreciated: My 68 fires quickly, but dies immediately upon release of the ignition switch from the start position. Could this be anything other than a faulty switch? Thanks.
It is in the harness under the dash. It's pink with a softer insulation.
It's purpose is to drop the voltage to the coil to 6-9V so the points last longer. The solenoid bypasses this circuit while cranking and provides the full 12 volts for starting. That is why it runs while cranking and then dies when you let the key back to RUN position.
Before digging into the harness, check the voltage at the switch.
Well I replaced the starter solenoid about 6 months ago and it has run fine. I am going to swap in a good ignition switch tomorrow since I had taken it all apart anyway. Then if that doen't do it, I'll try Tim65GT's idea relating to a resisor. But, I spent time looking for it. I don't see any pink wires or insulatin, so this may take some digging.
I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that it's the switch. As mentioned, it could be the resistor wire/ballast resistor, or simply the wiring from the switch to the ignition switch.
This should be an easy one to track down with a wiring schematic and a voltmeter.
put your ignition switch in the "on" positon and check the voltage at the coil with a voltmeter. that will show you quickly if you have voltage to the coil. If the voltage is "0", then trace back to the pink with at the switch. if no voltage, pull the connector off the back of the switch and check voltage on the actual terminals. I've actually had the experience (on a 66) that the connector on the back of the switch was not mating correctly with the switch and therefore the connection allowed an open circuit on the coil