Neutral safety switch question (4 speed)
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 418
Likes: 0
Neutral safety switch/won't turnover questions (4 speed)
How can I temporarily bypass this switch? It's a st-10 4 speed. The switch is under the dash and has a purple and a yellow wire going to it.
Sometimes it works and somestimes it's the bug. I tried to bend the little round lever, a little straighter. I thought maybe it was not going all the way to engage the switch. Never noticed any difference with this. Thank you.
edit: I put the old starter in, put in a new battery, and hooked up a ground cable from starter to motor mount bolt where the mount bolts into block.
[Modified by 2nspire, 6:06 PM 11/11/2001]
[Modified by 2nspire, 9:11 PM 11/11/2001]
Sometimes it works and somestimes it's the bug. I tried to bend the little round lever, a little straighter. I thought maybe it was not going all the way to engage the switch. Never noticed any difference with this. Thank you.
edit: I put the old starter in, put in a new battery, and hooked up a ground cable from starter to motor mount bolt where the mount bolts into block.
[Modified by 2nspire, 6:06 PM 11/11/2001]
[Modified by 2nspire, 9:11 PM 11/11/2001]
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 925
Likes: 1
From: LT1 and LS5 Coupes... New Orleans, LA
Re: Neutral safety switch question (2nspire)
It's really a "Clutch Safety Switch", and the car can still be started in gear so long as the clutch if fully depressed. Anyway, just tie the two wires together by making a small jumper wire and your Safety switch will be bypassed. Just use caution and keep in mind that the engine can now be started with the car in gear, and with the Corvettes notoriously weak parking brake, this could have disastrous results.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 350
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta, GA USA
Re: Neutral safety switch question (2nspire)
I had fits with electrical problems in my 71. I have an automatic but I believe your switch is in the console too. I tested by using a testing lite and first checked to be sure power was coming in. that let's you know which way to continue your search - back toward the column then down to the starter, or into the switch itself. If there is power in one switch all the time (power in) then move your test light to the other side and change through gears (engine off of course). If that still does not get charge going out it may not necassarily be a bad switch. The switch can be adjusted by pivoting forward or back but is probably i correct position. If after that you don't get a charge then the switch is bad.
I replaced a bad switch only to have the small pin that connects it to the transmission on the new one break off after about three months (more fun trying to figure out where it was coming from). I manually pulled the switch to the nuetral position and it will start at any point (gotta make sure you are in park or nuetral before starting). Just a temporary measure till I get a GOOD quality switch.
Hope that helps
I replaced a bad switch only to have the small pin that connects it to the transmission on the new one break off after about three months (more fun trying to figure out where it was coming from). I manually pulled the switch to the nuetral position and it will start at any point (gotta make sure you are in park or nuetral before starting). Just a temporary measure till I get a GOOD quality switch.
Hope that helps
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 418
Likes: 0
Re: Neutral safety switch/not turning over questions (keytech)
Thanks for the quick replies.
I bypassed the switch. Same problem. I hooked up the battery charger and put it on 100 amp start. The silver box thingy (controller ?) started to buzz. It hasn't buzzed since I've been trying to figure out this problem. Last time the car run was 2 years ago. It turned over great, 4 times. I disconnected bypass and hooked up switch. It turned over again the times I tried to start. Controller was also still buzzing.
The controller is a silver box in the storage compartment behind the passenger seat. It has about 6 or 8 wires coming from it. What does this box do?
Because everything seemed to work ok with the boost, I'm starting to think maybe, battery is not big enough ( I don't know what cranking amps it has ), pos cable is bad, or controller is bad, or a combination of the lot.
Any ideas or suggestions?
[Modified by 2nspire, 10:42 PM 11/11/2001]
I bypassed the switch. Same problem. I hooked up the battery charger and put it on 100 amp start. The silver box thingy (controller ?) started to buzz. It hasn't buzzed since I've been trying to figure out this problem. Last time the car run was 2 years ago. It turned over great, 4 times. I disconnected bypass and hooked up switch. It turned over again the times I tried to start. Controller was also still buzzing.
The controller is a silver box in the storage compartment behind the passenger seat. It has about 6 or 8 wires coming from it. What does this box do?
Because everything seemed to work ok with the boost, I'm starting to think maybe, battery is not big enough ( I don't know what cranking amps it has ), pos cable is bad, or controller is bad, or a combination of the lot.
Any ideas or suggestions?
[Modified by 2nspire, 10:42 PM 11/11/2001]
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 418
Likes: 0
Re: Neutral safety switch/won't turnover questions (Ed T)
Thanks for the offer of your switch but I will pass right now.
Ok. I had the battery tested. It was good. It has 1100 cranking amps I found out. I have 12.80 volts when I voltometered the battery. Went under car and have 12.75 volts at the starter so I guess my pos cable is good. I dunno now. Maybe my ignition switch. Any ideas on how to test this?
Thanks for all the suggestions and comments.
[Modified by 2nspire, 3:35 PM 11/12/2001]
Ok. I had the battery tested. It was good. It has 1100 cranking amps I found out. I have 12.80 volts when I voltometered the battery. Went under car and have 12.75 volts at the starter so I guess my pos cable is good. I dunno now. Maybe my ignition switch. Any ideas on how to test this?
Thanks for all the suggestions and comments.
[Modified by 2nspire, 3:35 PM 11/12/2001]
