Dear Fellow Brickboarders,

Hope you're well. Symptoms: all electrical items dead except clock: no flashers, parking lights, dome light, etc. When key is turned to start, nothing happens: no instrument cluster warning lights come on. Key cannot be removed from ignition switch.

New alternator installed. Known good battery in place. Jump start produces no response at all, i.e., not even a flicker on the instrument cluster warning lights.

Onset of problem. Driving in-town, car hesitated to accelerate for a couple of seconds, then moved normally. After the second of these, everything shut-down. I coasted into a parking lot and was towed home by AAA. AAA technician used meter to show me that alternator was putting 15+volts into battery. I thought alternator's (Nippon Denso) regulator had failed, so swapped-in a new alternator.

The car ran fine for a short, in-town trip. Five hours later, needing to do another short trip, car failed to start. Same symptoms: total electrical failure.

I plan to check and clean all engine bay grounds.

Could the ignition switch be the culprit?

Thanks in advance for suggestions.

Yours faithfully,

Spook