I have had my 850 wagon for about 9 months now and I love it! Today when i got back from work, shut down the wagon and pulled out the key, it felt hot. I touched the outside of the ignition switch and it was VERY hot. I have not noticed any trouble lights or anything, the car runs real well but obviously i have a voltage drop of some sort in the switch. I thought these cars used relays for any circuit that pulls a large amount of current, so where do i look? tomorrow i will not use the AC or the fan and i will see what happens. Any other suggestions would be very welcome!
Charlie
'94 855
'88 244
'53 Chevy pickup!!

Thank you Klaus! On my drive to work today I turned off my headlights (i keep them on all the time) and AC/fan, and pleasant surprise, switch is cool as a cucumber. I know there is a bulb that illuminates the ignition switch when i first get in the car, but does that not turn off when all the interior lights turn off? I honestly have not paid attention. I will use the AC/fan this afternoon (it gets hot here in Memphis) and check if that ignition light stays on.
Best regards,
Charlie
'94 855
'88 244
'53 Chevy pickup all in pieces!!

OK, you disn't ask for it but I am giving it to you anyway.

Always turn your headlights off when you turn the engine off. Why waste the alternator and dash lights when they are not needed? I seldom drive on 2 lane roads, so I turn off the DRLs to save headlight bulbs and gasoline.

Always dim the dash illumination to about 80%, that way the bulbs will not burn out.

Always leave the blower on. With ECC, keep it in the automatic position. With MCC, keep it at 1 or 2 for normal temps. This keeps fresh air flowing through the cabin at all times which is good for you and the passengers.

If you have ECC, always leave the AC switched on. Let the ECC determine when you need AC so you don't have to fiddle with it.

Remember, hot coolant always flows through the heater core. It is the vents that keep it from coming into the cabin. On older cars, there will be a small amount of leakage at the vent which just might cause the steering column area to get warm. Or the sun shining on the column while parked will retain a lot of heat as well as the engine compartment heating up the metal part of the steering column.

Klaus
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The more I learn, the more I forget. So why learn?

Just turn off the headlights before you sweat to death. There is a bulb at the top of the key to illuminate it which might be your source. At least pull down the dimmer switch to half way.

The electrical portion of the switch is on the opposite side of the steering column.

Klaus
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The more I learn, the more I forget. So why learn?