I have a 94 with an ignition switch issue, though it may not be the ignition switch.

• Switch turned to ACC
  • accessories have power
    • May require moving key around (separate issue, second ignition switch with the same problem)
    • 13.3V on the center contact off the ignition switch
    • 13.3V at the fuse panel
• Switch turned to ON
  • relays clicking under the hood, all climate controls work, power windows, etc..
  • no accessory power - media player, custom gauges, cigarette lighter have no power
  • bottom contact on the ignition switch has 13.3V

I know some stuff, but I'm mostly an idiot trying to figure things out and wiring is a little intimidating to me. I've looked at wiring diagrams but fail to understand it well enough to get any further in my troubleshooting. So my questions are:

1. Where can I start tracking down the issue. The car has no accessory power when the key is in the ON position but everything besides accessories seem to work, including starting the vehicle.
2. I've now had 3 ignition switches including new locking mechanisms / keys where ACC has no power unless I move the key around. This is verified at the switch, so I imagine it has to be an internal problem. Is this a common issue? Is my assumption that this is a switch issue reasonable? Searching around hasn't provided clarity

Thanks again for any help. I'm pretty desperate at this point.

 

if all fuses r good then it's possibly the contacts inside the switch. u could try to disassemble it and clean them. at least u can on a 1st gen.

 

Like you suggested, I disassembled the switch, although it's new, I cleaned off a truck load a grease, then reapplied dialectic grease to points of contact and problem 2 went away. That's excellent! Unfortunately, I still have problem 1.

I should mention, problem 1 could absolutely be caused by me. Recently the heater core was leaking and I decided to replace the carpet at the same time as the heater core, I took the entire dash out as well as all climate control ducting. The car was bare metal front to back as I tried to solve multiple problems. I could've easily reconnected something wrong or not connected it at all, even though I tried to be very careful.

 

For follow up:
I have 3 ignition switches including the original. The new ones are nearly identical to the original FD switch with two exceptions 1) the IG2 contact post is consistent with a miata ignition switch (though I bought them as 94 Rx7 switches) and 2) the ST contact post is not copper like the others in the original switch. Not sure that matters.

The new switches from two different vendors, one being Atkins Rotary, have contact issues out of the box. Garbage! I proved this by dropping a bit of solder on IG1, IG2, B1 and B2 which deal with power to ACC and ON and my problem went away. Frustrating! I've been grappling with this issue for weeks thinking I did something because I removed the dash recently and cleaned up some connections and grounds from previous owners.

You can test a new switch without installing it by checking for continuity. Switch the meter to Ohms, then use a flathead to move the switch to ACC and check that ACC, B1 and B2 are connected (B2 is constant power). Move the switch to ON with another quarter turn. Now test that all contacts are connected except ST using the same method.

This picture shows the connections you're testing. The contact names are stamped in the body: IG1, IG2, B1, B2, ACC and ST.


​​​Original FD switch has 6 copper posts all the same diameter and finish. The new switches I ordered look like this and appear to be identical to an early 90s Miata switch. Again, not sure it matters but worth mentioning since it didn't work out of the box.

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I have no idea how to permanently fix this but at least you can test and return before wasting your time installing. There is a lot of grease in all of these switches. If it's new and not working, you can try cleaning it out a little and reassemble.

Hope this helps someone.