I doubt any electrons flow through oil. They submerge high voltage transformer coils in oil to cool them.

 

Hunter......I had always thought that oil would conduct those little electrons, and that oil-soaked electrical connectors were not a healthy thing to have on a vehicle. Good to learn otherwise.
I found this on the internet, showing conductivity of various oils......the higher the PS/M number, the lower the conductivity. So the 10W40 and similar is not very conductive. However, the article claimed that synthetic oils are much more conductive, and thus the low PS/M number of 9 in the chart.




The article also said that additives in the oil can make a huge difference.....like oils with Zinc are much more conductive. Also, if the engine has a lot of engine wear and metal particles getting into the oil, the conductivity goes much higher.

But back to my "No Crank/No Start" issue and even with motor oil soaked all over the ignition circuit connectors, it probably should not have much impact (unless the prior owner of this Monty was using synthetic oils, steam turbine oil, paper machine oil, or pouring iron fillings down the oil-fill hole).

 

Interesting thought about old oil from the engine. you're right - metal in the oil will dramatically affect conductivity. I wonder if thatbis why oil kills alternators? Additives is also an interesting point. I'm sure the oils used in cooling transformers are of very different formulation than engine oils.

 

Hunter.....yep, and you can bet that there is no Steam Turbine Oil or Paper Machine Oil in those transformers.

Hey.....I got the Starter Push Button Switch installed, and it works perfect. Just what the doctor ordered:
I had the Ford solenoid type, and went ahead and used it......on the passenger side fender, just like on my old 1969 Mustang that I drove 45 years ago:



I put an inline fuse from the hot wire running through the firewall to the starter button:
I am drawing power from the positive battery terminal end at the starter solenoid, and another "Trigger" wire runs from this Ford solenoid straight down into the existing "Trigger" wire that plugs into the starter solenoid:






This new set-up is also EMP-proof, but not sure if the ECM and other computerics will survive an EMP blast.

Will cross that bridge when we get to it.

 

Looks nice and clean. Glad you got it solved

 

Hunter....Thanks.....Heck, it works, and seems heavy duty enough to last a fortnight or two maybe.

 

Really good post here @1960StudebakerHawk Lots of clear info and good images. As you already know i seem to have the same problem with my 97 LS. Thank you for documenting...

 

MJ.....Thank you, and I hope this thread is of help with you resolving your issues.