Chrysler Repair: Chrysler Lebaron: starter not working, chrysler lebaron, safety interlock switch

Question
The starter on my 1993 Lebaron was bad and someone told my dad to cross a screwdriver over the leads on the starter to see if it was the starter that was bad. When he did that I lost all electrical power (radio, dash lights, etc.) We changed the starter, the switch, the computer and it is still not doing anything. I asked Roland about it and he gave me a list of things to check. We have checked all of the wires and the power is good everywhere. We are wondering if it could be an ignition switch. We still have heat, power windows,the horn and headlights but nothing happens when you turn the key. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Answer
Hi John,
OK, so there is power everywhere that I suggested you look, and a lot more things are working than you implied originally. The starter circuit involves several units that are wired together. First thing to do would be to see if the starter relay is makes a quiet  click sound when you turn the key to "start". The relay is in the power distribution box under the hood (I assume you have a 2-door LeBaron).
That relay is the end one closest to the fender. It should make a click. If so, then the switch, the relay, and the park/neutral safety interlock switch are all working. If not, then you need to measure whether when you turn the switch to start does 12V appear at pin 31 (the inboard most pin in the relay socket (yellow wire). If so then the ignition switch is working, if not, then you have to verify the voltage is getting to the relay on the rear most pin in the socket (red wire). If so, then there is something wrong with the ignition switch or the same red wire that supplies it and also supplies the rear pin of the relay.
If the relay clicks, and you have a new starter properly installed, then I would check the brown wire on the frontmost pin of the relay socket (and that same wire at the starter solenoid) to see if when the relay clicks as you hold the key on start is 12V present. If not, then the relay is bad. If so, and the voltage also is showing up at the starter solenoid on the brown wire, then the starter solenoid is bad.
Those are the basic possibilities (except for the park/neutral safety switch which I can give you the instructions for checking next) for why no starter action. So give those a try and let me know if you don't get to the bottom of this.
Roland