This is weird, please comment.

[stoner]

I started the Bomber today, 85' 635Csi, and it ran great as usual. After 30 seconds or so I climbed in, put it in 1st gear, engaged the clutch and started moving out of the barn. I drove maybe 10', the clutch wasn't even fully engaged yet and the car died, kind of freaked me out. I turned the key to start it once more but silence was all I heard. No lights or accessories came on and there was no power to the ignition as far as I could tell. I jumped the #11 & #14 pins on the trouble code plug and it cranked over but did not start. I tried it again with the same result but all of a sudden I heard my fan come on and the door chime. I looked inside and sure enough all of my idiot lights were on. I turned the key and it started right up. Obviously something is loose, warn or coroded. What should I look at first and has anyone had this happen to them. I'm leaning toward ignition switch right now because I don't know of anything else that would cause these symptoms except for maybe a dead ECU. Thanks in advance.
Regards,

Dwight

[86GT635]

maybe a funky si board?

[Bert Poliakoff]

grounds.

[JRanmann]

grounds.

Coffee?

[Layne]

The ECU is in no way related to any of the accesory stuff. Ignition switch is a likely suspect, but verify first because they are expensive and hard to change. Could be something at the fusebox or the connections under the dash. Basically anywhere before the accesory power branches in 100 directions.

[Bert Poliakoff]

Coffee?

Certainly!!

[pldlnr]

You have to start simple with this issue and work toward the more complex. Start by carefully cleaning all of the battery cables, ground straps, etc. Make sure they are all good and tight.

[rem83]

Yeah, I think I had similar issues with my E30 when I had just put the battery cable back on and not tightened it down.

[JRanmann]

Certainly!! Before I serve the coffee Bert, I will certainly change the grounds and re-brew!

lol!

[Bert Poliakoff]

Before I serve the coffee Bert, I will certainly change the grounds and re-brew!

lol!

That would be very nice as i keep rebrewing the old one's

[stoner]

You have to start simple with this issue and work toward the more complex. Start by carefully cleaning all of the battery cables, ground straps, etc. Make sure they are all good and tight.

Pulled and cleaned cables and reinstalled them after a tune up. They were all tight and pretty clean since I had replaced the batthery about 3 months ago. I haven't had the problem since it started up the first time and it is running and driving good. Hopefully the problem won't come back but I think I will have to suspect the ignition if it does.
Regards,

Dwight

[JRanmann]

Great it's not come back Dwight...as stated above start simple as that's the rule with electricity...it's on or it's off!

From your description, I wonder if you have had the ignition key re-cut recently and if not, perhaps check to see if your battery is securely fastened down (corrosion can loosen the holddowns until they fail) If not secured the battery's (mass/weight being significant) is subject to normal inertial forces while turning during normal driving...a battery moving in it's carrier tray can severely stress the battery cables (on both + and _ sides) in a way that's very difficult to even see initially and remedy without replacing them all... and that's no challenge is it?

Usually the braided negative ground is open for inspection and easily checked but the large (*multi-stranded) positive cable(s) can strectch severly and some of the strands then pull off their anchors without notice or effect until ... the effect being that in cold temperatures, when the battery is working the hardest to meet it's minimum demand at the starter's commutator/etc can't quite do it as the strands remaining are insufficient (at least temporarily) to carry enough current to overcome the inherited resistance therein. This can also cause relays and fuses to begin to act in a strange (and as you say) weird way too.

It's worth a shot anyway, as the next time this happens it might not clear up so readily, happen in the most inconvenitent of places (the market, in a rainstorm without your AAA card in your wallet?) and IIRC, replacing the ignition switch is no walk in the park anyway!

Cheers!

Ran