no start,neutral switch bypass
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
From: Thornhill Ontario
no start,neutral switch bypass
hey gang,
i'm still having trouble to getting my 88' 4+3 to start.
know i had to really push the clutch pedal through the floor boad to get it to disengage the "idiot switch" aka neutral switch.
know i'm tring to get her going 4 the summer and no go, battery is good and charged, try my new keys from the dealer for the vats and they don't do it either.....tried having someone wack the starter just in case but .no dice? .tried doing some searches on just totally bypassing the idiot switch.......now i hadthis problem before i stored the car and had pulled a (orange) and (white) wire out of a socket thinking this is the set of wires that need to be connect to make the by pass......what sould i do?????????...........need to get this baby on the road........while the weather is great!.my luck it will snow once i get her going.......thanks in advance!
i'm still having trouble to getting my 88' 4+3 to start.
know i had to really push the clutch pedal through the floor boad to get it to disengage the "idiot switch" aka neutral switch.
know i'm tring to get her going 4 the summer and no go, battery is good and charged, try my new keys from the dealer for the vats and they don't do it either.....tried having someone wack the starter just in case but .no dice? .tried doing some searches on just totally bypassing the idiot switch.......now i hadthis problem before i stored the car and had pulled a (orange) and (white) wire out of a socket thinking this is the set of wires that need to be connect to make the by pass......what sould i do?????????...........need to get this baby on the road........while the weather is great!.my luck it will snow once i get her going.......thanks in advance!
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
On my 87 the clutch safety switch has a grn/wh and a purple wire on the socket that plugs into the switch. Try jumping the unplugged clutch sw. You can prove the starter is ok by jumping 12v to the purple wire which will make the starter crank. If starter is ok but jumping the clutch sw doesn't work, you need to check the ign sw contacts that make with the pellet. Remove the kick panel above the drivers feet. There are two white wires coming from the steering column that go to a 2 pin connector. Unplug the connector, put the ign key into the ign sw and measure the resistance across the wires from the steering column. It should measure the same as the pellet resistance and if over 13k ohms, you need a new ign tumbler which has new contacts. You can temporarily bypass VATS until you can get the tumbler replaced by clipping a resistor (1/4w 5% from Radio Shack) the same value as your pellet across the 2 wires that go into the wiring harness. If no crank with VATS bypassed and clutch sw bypassed and the starter proven to be ok, the start enable relay may be defective. Don't permanently bypass VATS because 99% of thefts are done by bashing the column and jumping the ignition.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
From: Thornhill Ontario
thanks jfb,
will try it out tomorrow...man is it tight down there!.......and i'm a small guy!and to add to things my seat doesn't move back either!!!.but that's another project?
how do i "jump" the purple wire on th clutch swtch?
now to find out where the orange and white wire plug into???
this is going to be a pita........!
will try it out tomorrow...man is it tight down there!.......and i'm a small guy!and to add to things my seat doesn't move back either!!!.but that's another project?
how do i "jump" the purple wire on th clutch swtch?
now to find out where the orange and white wire plug into???
this is going to be a pita........!
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 1,592
Likes: 3
From: St Louis MO
If it turns out to be your clutch safety switch, don't leave it bypassed. Get it fixed. I know of two incidents in which in a moment of dumbness, while working on the car, the ignition was turned while in gear. One resulted in a damaged door. The other resulted in a damaged garage wall. The starter is powerful enough to throw you forward or backward, REAL QUICK. 
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
Use a large wire, like a piece of #14 insulated house wire and have someone touch it to the positive teminal on the battery while you touch your end to the purple wire momentarily. Make sure you are out of gear so the car doesn't start moving if the starter cranks.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
From: Thornhill Ontario
back to original question............by passing the clutch neutral switch aka idiot switch............. VAT is fine metered the pelet and then the wires (btw on my 88 they are 2 yellow ones) and # matched, unpluged the idiot switch connection and "hot" wired thye purple wire..starter spun so ok there..........leaving me back to where i thought the problem was ...the idiot switch it self! and there in nooooooooooo way im getting up there to change that switch!!!!!! not i tried to bypass the switch all together by connecting the purple wire to the green wire, but again the car will not turn over????what am i doing wrong here??????how do u by pass the stupid clutch switch all together???............now the only thing left is the relay in the dash....................so out comes the dash and relay, but to my luck....on sat. all GM parts places close at 1 pm!........so will see if that's the problem!!!!!
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
You can check the start enable relay by measuring for 12v on the grn/wh wire on the clutch switch when you hit the crank position on the ign sw. If the start enable relay is closing and its contacts are good there should be 12 v on the grn/wh wire.
I bypassed my clutch sw because I could not get my hands into the area to replace the clutch switch.
If you get to the start enable relay, check for 12v on the yellow wire when in crank position, if no 12v, ign sw may be defective. Relay closes in crank position and VATS recognizes your pellet.
I bypassed my clutch sw because I could not get my hands into the area to replace the clutch switch.
If you get to the start enable relay, check for 12v on the yellow wire when in crank position, if no 12v, ign sw may be defective. Relay closes in crank position and VATS recognizes your pellet.
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Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
From: Thornhill Ontario
well i checked the start enable relay, and it was fine, then i tried to check for 12v on the yellow wires when in crank position, and i got no 12v, more like 0 .6v......so what now??? my ign sw may be defective?....how do i check or replace this?...oh and i also check the red wire from the battery and the fusible link they both showed 12v.
leaving me back to the ignition switch......how do i get to it to check it?
leaving me back to the ignition switch......how do i get to it to check it?
