Neutral Safety Switch Problem
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Joined: Jul 2004
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Neutral Safety Switch Problem
I have a 1973 F250 with an automatic transmission. To the best of my knowledge their is a little metal rod that is an inch or two long under the dash in the column that opperates the Neutral Safety Switch. The rod is in the on positon when the gear selector is in park or neutral so the truck can be started. However when the truck is in gear the rod moves the levar on the switch to the off position and it will not start. The metal rod snaped and now the switch is in the off position so now the only way i can start my truck is to reach under the dash and move and hold it with my finger while starting. Is there any way to bypass the switch so i dont have to do this everytime i want to start it?
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Joined: Jul 2002
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From: waco
The only thing I know of is my 73 was originaly a standard. If you follow the wires from your neutral safety start switch to the place where they plug in, there is a flat black plug with 4 wires. It is located between the collum and the drivers door behind the dash. On mine instead of being wired to a switch like yours, it had a plug where the ires just jumped accross. It looks like to me that you could cut the NSS off of that plug abd tie the 2 wires together that operate the NSS and it would start when ever you hit the key. Be carful not to start it in gear. This is a way to rig it up, but probably one of those things that you would be better off fixing correctly.
Doc
Doc
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Joined: Dec 2004
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From: Springfield, OR
I dealt with that switch when I converted from auto to manual trans. There are 2 hot wires that come into the switch. One completes a circuit to the reverse lights and the other completes a circuit(supplies 12 volts) to the starter relay on the firewall when you are only in park or neutral. How I handled the relay circuit was to remove the 2 wires and put a momentary pushbutton switch in series( in line ) which gave me a little antitheft protection. I put this switch just under the lip of the left bottom dash panel and to start the truck I have to depress and hold it while I crank the truck until it starts. After it starts you dont need the 12 volts to the relay anyway. You could use a toggle switch too if you dont want to push a button every time. don
Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 8,458
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From: Calgary Canada
I'm having a similar problem
Reverse lights don't work, and I have continuity from the front to back of the truck. I'm planning on tearing apart the collumn soon. Only problem is that I don't know how to get it apart. Will it be easily accesible after I remove the wheel, or is it hidden further?
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Joined: Aug 2002
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From: south dakota
the switch sits on top of the column. the pic million posted shows the side that faces the firewall. two screws and it is off. a short screwdriver and a flashlight are helpfull. the actuating lever would be on the other side of million's pic. the lever snaps on to the shifter column and moves with the gear selector. if you are missing that lever, your best bet is to find a similar truck at a junkyard. a small screwdriver will pop it off. trucks with man. trans. will have the lever also-minus the switch. the levers are a little different thru the years. i pulled one off a '73 but it would not work on my '75. hope this helps.
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