Series 3 electric short, wont start

Hello guys
Yesterday I added a hidden security switch by passing a wire from coil to ground (and a switch in between).
Sadly when I tried it it made a short and car won't start any more.
When I turn the switch front lights come up and dash lights up but the only sound is a "chick" No starter or other sounds. No crank.
I checked the fuses they are fine.
Any ideas what is wrong?
Thanks in advance.

Was the wire put into the points side of the coil? If you put it to the + side it will burn wire or ignition switch as normally there is no fuse on this curcuit

That's a strange way to wire a simple security switch. It would have been better to have a switch between the + of the coil and the distributer. You need to remove the switch and the wiring to and from it before you start tracing the fault. Then check where the power should be, e.g. To the coil and to the solenoid.


Col

If I read this right it could have shorted the coil to ground. May have burned out coil as it would be live continousuly, it may also have melted ign switch contacts. Undo everythign you did then work back checking each part of the circuit, if you are luck it will just have overheated a connection and you can re-make it. Then post a question about how to best wire in a security switch, there's a lot of expertise on here.

If he wired the + of the coil to earth, the coil shouldn't be affected as the electrickery would have gone straight from the ignition switch to earth without bothering to energise the coil. If the ignition light comes on with the ignition turned on, the ignition switch is probably OK but the insulation on the wiring between the ignition switch and the coil might be fried and shorting out somewhere. 85Santana3 was there a burning smell when it went tits up?

As Col say's power gone to earth and now battery may be flat.

Hello everybody thanks a lot for the replies.
In regards to strange choise of security system this was suggested to me 4 years ago and had worked beautifuly ever since I made it. Several days ago I got tired of using the old hidden switch and decided to make a very creative one hence all the problems.
minecab its on the side that another wire comes out and goes somewhere in the engine (very technical desciption I know).
tottot oddly enough the batery was fine.
rob1miles no, fortunately that did not happen.
Colthebrummie no there was no burning smell. The burning smell I felt today when I took a mechanic there to check it and had to pay for his services
He tried the battery, it was fine, tried dfferent things and everything seemed fine including the starter. Then he went under the car (particularly under the alternative which he had rebuild himself two weeks ago) and noticed that some of the connections had come lose. He tightened those and the truck started immediately! Of course he did not accept that it was his messy work. He made a big show with tightening a lot of stuff under the car and I stood and watched with a big smile on my face.
So as it tunred out it had not short. The ground connection on what the mechanic called "the main" had come lose. What he meant by "the main" I have not figured out yet. They each has his own incomprehensible lingo.
Thank you all.

OK so the mechanic failed, clearly you need a replacement!

At least he didn't try to blame your modification.

Col

I am sure if he knew about it he wouldn't have missed the chance

Well at least you are sorted. Car mechanics and computer fixers are the best at talking gobbledigook.

tottot said:

Well at least you are sorted. Car mechanics and computer fixers are the best at talking gobbledigook.

Click to expand...

And women.

Col