Relays click fast and then lost power to everything

[josh817]

From the factory, the 521 had all that power going straight through the ignition switch. My plug had showed signs of heat from many moons ago before I even owned the car so I figured since I am planning on adding an electric fan, radio, cig lighter, and a voltmeter to my already exisisting switchables, I should install a relay. What I have done is put everything exept the hazards, headlights, ignition, and fuel pump, on the relays, this way if the relays go bad (two relays for redundancy) I can still limp home.

Today I switch the key on, fuel pump comes on, relays switch on and off very fast until I lose power to everything like my battery is disconnected. So I turn the key off, go under the hood, tap on both relays with my finger not really sure what it can be. Go back in and try again, everything is powered. I have no idea if it just needed a rest or if the tapping actually did something, I didn't touch anything else. Starts right up just fine, radio is reset so that tells me the battery pretty much did lose connection. This has happened once before months ago, so it isn't persistent.


Thoughts? Maybe an old ignition switch that is getting stuck between on and off? The chances of both new relays going bad at once is pretty slim... Also curious why the it acted like the battery was cut out; something to do with power switching off/on many times a second overloading it?