During my days of apprenticeship, I had always wanted to bypass Chevy ignition switches like my boss because he was one of the best. But I always felt it was beyond my reach because it looked like a skill only the experts knew.
However, I later learned that knowing how to bypass the Chevy ignition switch was not much of a big deal and I became proficient after a few trials.
In this article, I shared a complete guide on how to bypass Chevy ignition switch.
How to Bypass Chevy Ignition Switch
Follow these steps to Bypass Chevy Ignition Switch:
- Take off the plastic cover of the steering column and use a screwdriver to unscrew the screws below the steering wheel. In this area, you will find the ignition switch wire harness connection.
- Short the wires linking the connector to the ignition switch by either cutting the wires or taking out the connector. The connector is located behind the ignition switch.
- Inspect the wires of the ignition switch to identify each one of them, and look out for any signs of damage to the wires.
- Connect the wires; before starting the wire connection, you need to know that the positive battery wires are usually red, the ignition cables are brown, and the starter wires are usually yellow. Check out this ignition switch wiring diagram chevy, to help you understand the wiring.
- Get the ignition and battery wires, and twist them together with a plier to strengthen the connection. When the connection of both wires creates a spark, it indicates that the ignition is active.
- With the ignition still on, connect the battery and starter cables. The vehicle will start functioning at this point.
- If you wish to turn off the vehicle, you can achieve that by disconnecting the cables.
Check out the Chevy Silverado ignition switch wiring diagram to get a better idea of this fix as it will help you get an idea of the ignition’s wiring.
Chevy Truck Ignition Switch Problems
These are the top 11 Chevy Truck Ignition Switch Problems:
- Rapid loss and low production of power from the engine.
- Chevy truck stalls.
- Failure of the engine.
- Rapid dissipation of the vehicle’s battery life.
- Insufficient distribution of power to other parts of the vehicle.
- Damage or failure of the ignition coil.
- Faulty spark plug, or spark plug wires.
- Failure of the crank position sensor.
- Malfunction of the cam position sensor.
- Failure of the ignition module.
- Failure of the distribution pick-up coil.
How to Start a Chevy With a Broken Ignition?
This segment explains how to bypass Chevy ignition switch using the jumper cable method.
Please, follow my step-by-step guide:
- Open the hood of the vehicle.
- Join the battery’s positive terminal to the positive region of the ignition coil with a jumper cable to create a connection.
- Connect the starter solenoid to the positive terminal of the battery, and disconnect the wiring connection of the ignition switch to the solenoid.
- Shorten the positive terminal of the solenoid to the area where the ignition switch is connected to it. After successfully performing this, the solenoid should start functioning along with the vehicle.
3 Wire Ignition Switch Bypass for Chevy Trucks: How To
Trucks look massive and when they become faulty, we subconsciously think their fixes will be a huge problem, but that’s never the case.
These nine easy-to-follow steps perfectly illustrate the wire ignition switch bypass for Chevy trucks:
- Insert a screwdriver in the ignition tumbler ( the keyhole of the ignition system) and twist it like you would while trying to start the vehicle with a key.
- Unscrew the screws holding the steering column cover with the appropriate screwdriver and remove the cover. Now that the steering column cover is out of the way, you’ll clearly see the access panels.
- Pull out the access panels to get a view of the wires of the ignition system.
- Observe the wires individually, and identify the specific wire connected to the ignition system and the battery, respectively. The battery wires are usually identified by their red color. You can identify the wires by their red color.
- Reveal the wire ends by cutting off the insulation at their ends using a wire stripper. Join the exposed ends and twist them together. The radio, lights, and ignition should start functioning now.
- Cut off the insulation at the end of the wire connecting the starter motor. Attach this exposed end to the ends of the previously twisted wires. Avoid making physical contact with the wires, to prevent electrocution.
- After connecting the three wires, coat the ends of the naked wires with an insulator like electrical.
- Rev the engine several times, to avoid experiencing stalling issues with the vehicle.
- If you want to turn off the car, disconnect the three wires.
How to Bypass Ignition Switch with Push Button, or Toggle Switch on a Chevy
Follow the steps below to to Bypass Ignition Switch with Push Button:
- Please remember to disconnect the terminals of the battery when at work to avoid any fire or electrocution accidents.
- Take out the nut on the positive stud of the starter solenoid with a wrench or socket.
- Take off the insulation at the end of the wire, place an eyelet connector above the solenoid’s positive stud, and fasten it. Then, replace the nut on the positive stud of the starter solenoid.
- Pass the wire through the vehicle’s passenger side, and make sure that it doesn’t touch any hot or sharp parts of the engine. Then, trim off the excesses of the wire.
- Cut off the insulation at the wire’s end and place a crimp connector that will suitably fit a side of the push button switch.
- Take out the screw on the rear of the push button switch, and connect the connector and the switch.
- Remove about ¼ inch of the insulation on the remaining wire and attach a crimp connector. Then take out the screw on the push button switch’s second side, and make a connection between the switch and the connector.
- Pass the wire to the positive region of the vehicle’s battery, while ensuring that it steers clear of any hot or sharp components.
- Reconnect the positive and negative terminals of the battery.
- To start the car, rotate the car key to the ‘turn on’ direction and push the push button switch.
How Do You Turn an Ignition Switch On Without a Key in a Chevy Truck?
These four steps will teach you how to turn a Chevy ignition switch on even when you don’t have a key:
Take out the screws holding the plastic rim in place with a screwdriver, and remove the plastic rim.
- With the plastic rim out of the way, the ignition switch will come into view. To unlock the steering wheel, remove the bolts holding the ignition switch.
- Detach the screws holding the mechanical and electrical parts of the ignition switch in place.
- Slide a flathead screwdriver into the ignition tumbler and rotate it as you do with a key while starting the vehicle. The vehicle should start after this final step.
How Do You Wire a Chevy Ignition Switch?
Now that you know how to bypass Chevy ignition switch, you must also know the safest way to wire it.
Here’s a guide on how to wire a Chevy ignition switch:
- Examine and identify the different terminals of the battery, ignition, accessories, and start function.
- Break the connection of the battery’s negative terminal.
- Take off the trims of the steering wheel.
- Use a steer wheel puller to remove the steering wheel.
- Use a screwdriver to release the hooks holding the ignition module cover in place, and remove the cover. This will give you access to the ignition switch.
- Slide the car key or a flathead screwdriver into the ignition and rotate it to the accessory position. This is done to release the pins securing the ignition switch.
- Having released the pin, take it out of its position.
- Inspect the ignition switch for any faults or signs of damage.
- Locate the positive power lead wire, and join it with the battery (BATT) terminal of the car’s ignition switch. Then, connect the accessory lead wire to the accessory (ACC) terminal, the wire of the starter relay to the starter (ST) terminal, and the ignition wire to the ignition (IGN) terminal of the ignition switch.
- Replace the currently rewired ignition switch in the steering column.
- To test the success rate of this operation, reconnect the negative terminal of the battery, and turn on the ignition. The car will start if you properly followed the above steps.
- After confirming a successful rewiring, turn off the car and reassemble other parts removed earlier.
Conclusion
Following this ‘how to bypass Chevy ignition switch’ guide may look like a chore, but it’s an easy, fun way to DIY. The key to learning is simply following the guidelines. I hope that the detailed guide on how to bypass Chevy ignition switch will help you much, and like me, you’ll be teaching it to others soon enough. For help with other issues like the Chevy 350 throttle body problems and fixes, don’t hesitate to check my blog.
