Suddenly wont start "checklist"?

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Any last advice before I go parts shopping?

Yes. The original Sipea (the manufacturer) switch is pretty much long gone, so you will be buying aftermarket replacements. While some might think these aftermarket replacements are OK, some will argue that you can rebuild, or at least refurbish, the original switch.

For the latter, here's how: If you remove the ignition switch entirely, there should be a circlip in the end that holds the electrical contact assembly in place. Remove that circlip, and you can then remove the contact assembly and clean up the contacts with emery paper or the like. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't, but sometimes it's worth a try. How's that for a wishy-washy statement?

Or, do as Steiny suggests and "bin it", and get a new ignition switch. Ask him about electronic ignition vs. points if you really want to see him get spun up.

-Bryan

[SteinOnkel]

try jiggling the wires that go into the back of the ignition switch as you crank it

Holy crap, that worked! Luckily, my car hasn't seen the plastic cover under the dashboard since I've had it, so access to these wires was quite easy. I just put a little pressure on every connector I could see, pulled the rubber boot back from the ignition switch harness and pushed them in a little, too. Next crank, it started up!

So, I guess it's time to replace the ignition switch...

Any last advice before I go parts shopping?

You guys (and every one else who read these) are awesome. Thank you!

Stuart

Yes. Wire in some relays to take as much load off the ignition switch as possible. That would be:

For the lights (you can buy a pre-wired booster harness, but they tend to suck)
The starter solenoid
And one more that I forgot. It's basically the wire that runs everything.

Also check the wire that goes from the ignition switch to the starter. Mine had no less than 6 crimps in it. It's 4 feet long...

After you've done all that, feel free to spend an arm and a leg on an oem switch or buy one for Lada. They are orders of magnitude cheaper. Using them requires some other harness changes, I think. Not sure, mine was already wired Lada-Style.

Cheers
Steiny

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Holy crap, that worked! Luckily, my car hasn't seen the plastic cover under the dashboard since I've had it, so access to these wires was quite easy. I just put a little pressure on every connector I could see, pulled the rubber boot back from the ignition switch harness and pushed them in a little, too. Next crank, it started up!

It still could be a bad ignition switch, but I'd also make sure that the problem wasn't just that one of the spade lug connectors on the rear of the switch was loose. Clean up the contacts, tighten them all up, and see if that helps. If not, yes, time for a new switch. Or try to "rebuild" the original as I mentioned earlier. Your choice.

-Bryan

[SteinOnkel]

Or, do as Steiny suggests and "bin it", and get a new ignition switch. Ask him about electronic ignition vs. points if you really want to see him get spun up.

-Bryan

Have I told you lately how great my programmable EFI is?

[stuartrubin]

I am down the rabbit hole of replacing the switch. Of course, there's no one-to-one connection with the new one. I moved the switch issues to an unrelated post:
http://www.fiatspider.com/f15/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=39533