On Sat, 8 Apr 1995, Mark Hamilton wrote:

> I was driving home the other night and my '73 Bus started backfiring and
> lurching forward instead of accelerating smoothly.  I stopped immediately
> (of course) and checked the engine compartment to find wires attached to the
> coil smoking and sparking.  I found one wire that had fallen off the coil
> and replaced it.  I went to re-start the Bus and the key wouldn't even turn
> in the ignition.  

Ummmm...
Damn, I was about to try to reply to this, but I just shot down both of 
the suggestions I was contemplating...
I think you have me stumped...
Is it possible that the coil windings are shorting out to the pos. side?
Is it possible that the ignition current has backtracked all the way
thru the wires, arced across the relay and fried your ignition switch???
Or just fried your relay, grounding it, thereby allowing the ign. switch to
fry itself?
Those seem a little far fetched to me... What am I overlooking...
Sorry Mark, I'm stumped.

> 
> I replaced all the wires running to the coil and tried starting it
> again......still couldn't turn the key in the ignition.

You can take the harness off of the back of the ign. switch, and stick
little jumpers (paperclips) in and try to start it that way just to
see if it will start. Do it in the right order, hot to ignition, then to
starter, then pull the starter one once it's cranked.  Careful, the starter
paperclip may warm up a bit.

> 
> I couldn't find any in-line fuses from the coil to the ignition but I
> checked the fusebox fuse and it was fine.  
> 
> What do you think my problem is?  Is it the coil, the electric part of the
> ignition cylinder on the stering wheel, or something else.

When it started backfiring madly did you freak out and maybe jerk the 
key out violently?
maybe damaging the lock cylinder?
It's hard for me to beleive that just a melted switch could prevent you
from turning the key.

> 
> Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!! ;-)

I'm sorry... I tried.   :)
But I think all I succeeded at was rambling on a bit.

> 
> Peace,

Peach

> 
> Mark

Cheers

<sstones@io.org>
SStones             Toronto,  Ontario.