Can the ign switch or tumbler affect charging too?

[Moes8]

Hey guys,i have a problem:

last week my gauges cut out on me intermittently for a few minutes, tach/speedo,fuel and instrument lights, the message center continued working.

It lasted a little, then it was good for days, then Friday they went out completely, fuel gauge and temp stayed where they were the moment before they cut out, tach and speedo read zero

i figured it was either the tumbler or ignition switch since both have 266K miles on them, here is my new problem: dead battery , i discovered when the gauges go out the charging system stops too, charged the battery last night so i could drive 4 miles to work today (ignition switch is on order) when i started this morning the gauges came on for 5 minutes,and the car was charging,the moment the gauges cut out , the charging stopped (blower fan slowed a touch,which made me realize this)

so can the ignition switch or the tumbler cause this while still letting the car start and run normal otherwise?

besides loose wires what other component failure could be at fault?

battery is new, alt is new,plus i have a spare good alt i tried

anyone have this?

 

[aimone]

what year? seems more computer related or the gauge cluster plug is coming loose. the fact that its not charging and the fan changed speeds makes me lean towards computer since they are both controlled by it. my gen 1 works fine without an ignition even in it but gen 2 ignitions trigger antitheft and wont start if theres ignition issues

 

[Moes8]

gen 1 95.

fan speed change was beacuse the rear defroster was on, the headlights were on (both low hids, and high beams) and the heater was on full blast, when the alternator stopped pumping 14 volts, and the battery was powering the system with 12.7 volts i noticed the fan speed change sound/speed, and i thought,hmmm the gauges just went off.....charging must have stopped at the same time, i hit the power window down and it went real slow,this confirmed it for me,so i turnedrear def. off, lower fan speed manually, turned off hi beams, and drove to work ,trying to save the battery for when it was time to come home.

i should have the new ignition switch today/tomorrow,i'll swap that and go from there.

anyone else ever have this issue exactly?

thanks

 

[Moes8]

ok, to answer my own question:

a defective ignition switch can allow the car to start,but still kill the I/P and charging system

got the new switch today ( i love Amazon Prime) popped it in, and all is well

thanks guys.

 

[aimone]

thats good to know