UPDATE:

Seems I figured out the issue. The original owner had installed an aftermarket car alarm along with the remote starter. I removed the control box for the alarm along with the wiring and cleaned up all the existing wires turned the key and bingo. Starts up perfectly.

thanks all for the input.
Travis

 

hello! rmudbugs was right. i have seen alot of those switches go bad too on that model at the dealer i work at.this one time i replaced the ignition switch, still same issue, would start every 3 or 4 turns. i found out that the owner had an aftermarket alarm system, the starter soleniodwire coming from the ignition switch was hooked into the system. i disconnected it from the alarmunit and hooked it back up like it came from the factory, and it fixed the problem. look over that wiring under the dash very carefully. find that wire and make sure it isnt the same setup!alarms did come factory on that model, but were controled by the ETACS computor, that unit is located on the floor pan directly under the radio.all aftermarkets ive seen they put under the drivers side dash. good luck!! greg...

 

The ignition switch on my 97 Galant was behaving eratically. Usually it would take two turns of the key to get the car to start. The first time all the ACC's would come on but when you turn to start, nothing. The second time it would normally start.
I took apart the steering column shroud (just some screws holding that together) and was able to get to the ignition switch on the left side of the column. Two screws hold it in place. I unplugged the wiring and removed the switch.
The switch does come apart but be careful because there are 4 springs and a couple of ball bearings that will fly out if you are not careful.
I cleaned the copper contacts. Then I took out the 4 small springs and pulled them apart slightly to give them more spring action so the contacts would make a better connection.
Now the car starts first time, every time.
Thanks to everyone on this thread for pointing me in the right direction.
The switch looks like this: