After browing the boards for a while, I picked up a 1994 Discovery. It's in generally good shape, just needs a little TLC for the minor things.

It's been fine for the last few weeks, but today, the engine would not shut off with the key---this started after I cleaned the connections for the washer fluid pump, but I'm guessing that's coincedental.

Any quick things to check before I start tracing wires from here to Timbuktu? The rest of the accessories, relays, fuel pump, etc, shut off when I turn off the key...only the engine keeps running .

 

If the fuel pump shuts off then so will the engine when it runs out of gas.
The only thing that I can suggest is a bad ignition switch.
Can you remove the key?

 

Well, I did some quick tracing and I seem to have found the issue...why this just started doing this now, I'm not sure, but it needs to be fixed anyway.

It appears that the prior owner had an auxillary fuel pump added, and they tapped into the coil posts for power. It starts/stops/runs fine without this aux pump hooked up. I'll be looking into what exactly it is, and if it's necessary. If it is, I'll just wire it up properly using a relay off the existing fuel pump harness.

 

Where is your trk from? Is it from Alaska or someplace far north where it gets really cold?
In places like that they leave their cars running all winter long, if they shut them off they freeze up.
So I wonder is the previous owner used the aux fuel pump so that they could pull the key and lock it and still leave it running.

 

It's a Wisconsin vehicle...the gas tank was supposedly replaced a little while ago. I used it for a variety of trips around town today with this mystery wire unhooked, and it ran just fine. Once all the snow melts off in the garage, I'll crawl underneath and see exactly what this wire goes to.

If anything else, might modify things and use it like you say (running with keys out). It's not absolutely freezing here, but there's times where it would come in handy.

 

A friend of mine was stationed in Alaska while in the Air Force, he and a buddy shared a AMC Eagle and they let it run for 3 months at a time, literaly non stop for 3 months.