Some mother's piece of garbage masking itself as a human being stole my pristine all OEM 1986 Cadillac DeVille Coupe.

Now it won't start. I get headlights, but engine doesn't start. Acts like dead battery.

The thief broke a big piece of column plastic near the turn signal handle. I should replace the ignition switch, the rod, the wire, and the key cylinder.

Has anyone ever done this and do you have a step-by-step pictorial? I can't afford the quoted $500 from the dealershipships.

Also, something is draining my new Die Hard battery. No problem before theft. Any ideas what is causing drain?

Sounds like a short in the steering column/ignition to me...

Sounds like a short in the steering column/ignition to me...


That was my initial thought, but wasn't sure.

I replaced the ignition switch last summer on my Bill Blass baby. The guys at the Cadillac dealership service center said the caddy is a ball buster to fix because the ignition is under the stearing column and the rod that connects to the key cylinder gears is 1/4" and in location that requires a contortionist to get at it.


Do you know how difficult it is as compared to the Mark VII? Of course, I did not have to replace the rod and key cylinder.

I'm not too familiar with the 80's Caddy's... From the sounds of it, you might want to drop the column to give yourself a better angle/perspective.