weird ignition set up?

[steviewright]

Hey volks
Greatful for any suggestions why my 1986 1.9dg has been modified by previous owner? OK so the ignition seems to have been bypassed ? On the steering column cowling an after market orange switch has been fitted to turn ignition on and then a black starter button under that ? It did work last week.in starting the van but the ignition barrels only function now is steering lock Is this a cheap by pass to get around some hideously expensive ignition system fault? And is that why also in the engine bay the red lead coming off the engine casing is now not in use? Yet the van starts (or did start last week) I wanna put it back proper but wondered if anyone knee why this modification

[steviewright]

Has been done ?
Thanks in advance guys I wanna upload pics of my van but photo bucket nit playing on my mobile!!

[itchyfeet]

Ignition switches do fail commonly they are cheap and easy to fit but you have to take the steering wheel off and its possible somebody just had the switches and was being tight or lazy

anotger possability is ignition wires got shorted and fried so were bypasses, unbelieveably vw didnt fit a fuse at all to the ignitiin circuit and the wires run over a hot moving engine, how more havent fried wiring i dont know ( i have fitted fuses to black box)

so yes you need to get pics up of the ignition switch loom and how its been modified and black box with connectors pulled out so we can see and coil area, this will tell if rear has been modded. A pic of fusebox wiring would also help to check if ignition wiring has been modified there too.

proper ignition sw wiring

[ghost123uk]

And is that why also in the engine bay the red lead coming off the engine casing is now not in use?

Just popped in to say there should not be any red wires going to the engine casing. Red wires are "live" and the engine case is "earth". Mind you, some twit might have used some red wire to earth summat, if that is all they had