86 Coupe DeVille stolen - car won't start

[1986_MarkVII]

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?

 

[Black87LSC]

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

 

[1986_MarkVII]

Difficulty rating on the job

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.

 

[Black87LSC]

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.