When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I've seen some posts about this - most are what is it, what does it do, where is it and so on. My question, I have mine out (steering column type, not transmission type). I'm tying to clean, reuse things on my truck as much as possible, buy a replacement when needed. I've taken it apart, rather simple device for sure. The post block that slide has two very small springs on the underside in the center which seems to me when put back together it rides across the spine spring. What I'm not getting, probably being a block head, what is the things that complete the circuit so that you can start the truck. I see the contacts, the wires and so on but but when that block moves up and down I don't see where the circuit connects. The center of the block springs seem way to small to make a connection(fill the gap) between the contacts, main spine spring and the other side contacts. Am I missing something?
When the mechanical movement of "pin", as in taking the gear selector to park or neutral, it becomes or completes a elec circuit switch. There are elec contacts inside the switch and the pin moves an internal part to make contact and complete a circuit to let the truck start. If you are in R, D, L2, L1 the internal contacts (on the switch) are not made and that prevents the truck from starting.
Then the piece breaks off the steering shaft and you have nothing to push the pin to P or N. Wire cutter and by pass time. What wires to connect is discussed below.
An alternate bypass idea to get you started and home.
To set/adjust the switch. And FYI the 2 sheet metal screws STRIP the column tube very easy. So do not over tighten. To adjust the safety neutral switch on the column. 1) Transmission in Neutral (chocked wheels) 2) Gear shift lever in Neutral
3) The switch with the holes lined up (use small drill bit to align it).
Once you have done all this......tighten the switch bolts up.
When the trucks came with a manual trans, there was a dummy plug used to bypass the NSS switch. Never been able to come up with a part number for the dummy plug. To bypass the automatic set up: Unplug the switch and discard or ignore. There are four wires in the harness plug, two each, red w/ blue trace and black w/ red trace. Run a jumper between the red/blue and red/blue, do the same for the black/red. That completely bypasses the NSS switch. Your truck will now start and the back-up lights will be permanently on. Now on to the backup lights.
In the engine compartment is a little U shaped jumper wire. See below pics. It'll be located on the drivers side splash pan, just in front of the firewall where the wiring harness comes through. Unplug the little jumper, this will shut off the back up lights. There should be a back up light switch on the trans cover. Run two wires from the switch to the two wires that were jumped. This will get your back up lights working again.
Just a note, you could make a jumper plug out of the NSS. Cut the switch off the harness and splice the two pairs of wires. I just hate to cut these switches up. New, they're getting pricey. Here's the little jumper in the engine compartment.
EDIT: If you don't care about the back up lights, just jumper the red w/ blue trace wires. This will by pass the NSS but the back up lights won't work.
NSS bypass for manual trans.
The jumper as discussed above.
I'll need to post pictures of the inside of that part. The slider block is plastic. In the rail that it slides up and down in there are contact point - 2 on each side that correspond to the 4 wires come off the back side. My question centers around some way this plastic block must complete the circuits which to me looks like it should be the little spring but the little spring is in the middle of the block and the contacts are on the outside of the block.
I think I may have had a brain explosion...duh...The steel ball on the top of the spine spring contacts both sides when the post slider block is pushed down(pushed the steely) enough...ding ding ding. The little springs have nothing to do with anything other then to keep the block up just a hair for movement but otherwise provide no other function.
