installing a ignition flopper from scratch. help?

[Conrad17]

okay so heres the scoop
i bought my mx-3 2 years ago and for some reason the previous owner of the guy i bought it from thought he was the best tuner out there
he stripped the ignition module and in its place put a simple switch and a push button a "push button ignition"
heres the problem, ive had to pull it apart numerous times and redo the wiring. it fry's the switches.
i just bought a parts car and it has a fresh module and a key
so im wondering if there is a difference between the 92 atx and 93 mtx ignition modules?
also whats the cable attached to the module on the atx?
thanks guys
and a Merry Christmas to you all!

[Ryan]

The cable is the ATX range switch... so you don't start it in drive. MTX swap guys just zip tie it into the "park" position. You can just remove it for your MTX car, or ignore it.

Aside from that, as far as I know the ignition switches themselves are the same. You need to take a grinder to the bolt heads to make a flat head slot. The fasteners that hold the ignition barrel to the column have clean heads.

[Conrad17]

sweeet thanks
know that ive got some wisdom ill give it a shot in some awesome 20 degree weather lol
thanks
happy holidays

[Conrad17]

hazaa!
it worked no problems
didnt take long either!
now i just have to get used to carrying around keys again.... lol

thanks for the help

[crazycanadian]

You could just wire in a relay or 2 to power what needs to be powered and use your push button system to activate the relays.. I am not totally sure how things have been wired in your car but any high current circuits should be wired threw relays and high enough amped fuses, not just the switches them selves.. most likely the switches you are using aren't able to handle the current loads and thats why they have been burning out...If done right you shouldn't have a problem...

[Conrad17]

i figured such
the guy had done a horrible job wiring all of his ghetto rigs in the car....
now its my "fun" job to go back and redo everything he did lol

[PATDIESEL]

That is exactly right Canadian, They make special high current starter buttons for such applications, but is is easier, cheaper and more reliable to use a relay.
I had to do this in my 94 Celica b/c the park switch died and was like 450 bucks from Toyota or aftermarket. So I fixed it for 25 dollars at AutoZone. It was kinda fun for a few months, but after that it just got annoying to turn the key to the on position and then hit the button.
(posting as a second to fixing the issue and for searches sake)

[Conrad17]

i undertand 100%
at first everyones like
o wow thats super cool
then after 2 months
IT SUCKS!!!!!

[Jutzi420]

Getting used to wiring up relays is essential if you're going to switch a high current stuff in your car. I'm not sure how many I have hooked up in the car or my van these days.

I learned my lesson on that one a few years back when I bought some pos canadian tire foglights for the van on a whim, the kit came with zero instructions and no relay and one of those red illuminated rocker switches. A few months after I installed 'em I smelled burning plastic while I was driving, I traced the smoke to the foglight switch just as the damn thing burst into flames.

So yeah, relays are good.
Fires in your vehicle while your driving are bad.

And that's my public service announcement / noob story for the day. That is all.