Thread: Neutral saftey switch

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Another pic from the side.

Here is a pic of a replacement switch that was given to me in a box of extra stuff when I bought the car. It has different connections, but that is no big deal.

Your easiest option right now is to swap switches.
If you have an ohmeter and can find the other ends of the wires , check the resistance in the circuit.( with the batery disconected).
Sometimes easier said then done I guess.
If It didin't Start when you wiggled the shifter I'dve said your starter was getting too hot.Is there a small block under the hood?

Yeah it's a 350.

If its got headers they realy like to heat up starters, and will do the same thing..Wont start when they get hot. then Start when they cool.
Seen it lots of times.

Very intersting. I'll switch the switch and if it continues, then that could be the answer. Anyway to keep the heat from it?

Starter blankets or header wrap. I would use the starter blanket because because I have heard things about header wrap causing the header to crack. That may not be true, but the starter blanket is easier to put on and will get the job done.

youther:

You definetly have a Gennie shifter. And they really are good shifters so rest easy on that part. As for difficulty starting, to test which is the culprit? is very simple. Especially since you can access the switch from the interior. NS switches are nothing more than a pass-through connection when they are in neutral or park. The connection is broken when forward or reverse gears are in use. So to test if it is the starter or the switch, take a continuity tester and see if both posts are passing continuity?

If so and the car wont start, then I would certainly hold the starter solenoid as suspect. If not, then your nuetral safety switch is not passing the current through the contacts and the starter has no knowledge you are wanting to burn fuel.

If you end up with starter issues, I would recommend installing a remote solenoid (like from a Ford) so the heat doesnt keep you from going when you are ready. Just so you know what is causing this (if it is indeed the case) is the engine/header heat causes the solenoid or wiring to the solenoid to overheat and wont allow the contacts or wire to carry the necessary voltage to turn the starter. If you can eliminate the heat (which is hard to do unless you coat your headers, build a shield, or move the solenoid to a cooler location like mentioned above) then you can solve the famous Chevy solenoid problems.

Hope this helps!

It is defienately not the neutral switch. I started it several times today while it was cold and no problems at all. I then ran it out for about 45 minutes and turned it off, and no starty start. Between Hemmer, Troy, and 76GMC you guys nailed it on the head. So is it most likely the solenoid or the starter that would most likely be the culprit?

Youther:

If you do not have issues starting until the engine is hot, then I would say it is the heat not letting the solenoid work. You can either install a heat shield, or like I mentioned above you can install a Ford type remote solenoid. I will dig around and try to locate instructions for you.

Do you have a large type starter? Or one of the smaller Gear Reduction starters? The gear reduction units seem to be better able to stand the heat. I would imagine it has a lot to do with the quality.

I would guess you have an older "large" type which came stock from GM. Typically exhaust was not routed close to the stock starter due to ample room in the engine bay. But in a '32 you simply dont have this luxury. So by the time the exhaust/headers are "shoe-horned" right up next to the starter...presto----you have starter problems when the engine bay is hot.

By remote mounting the solenoid, you will eliminate this problem going forward. Since this is several long hours of work to complete, I might suggest seeing if you can protect the solenoid from the heat as it seems to be working fine when it is not hot.

Let me know how it works out for you.

Here you go...

http://www.novaresource.org/starter.htm

http://www.catpep.com/catproducts/mo...heatshield.asp

http://www.speedwaymotors.com/prod_l...tSearch_id=225

http://www.buicks.net/techref/ftecref4.html

http://www.h-body.org/library/hbodyfaq/hbodyfaq-8.html

http://www.paceparts.com/index.asp?P...S&Category=213

Hope this helps!

Great links and info troy. Looks like the blanket is the fastest way to attempt to correct the problem. I think I will try that first. I like the remote ford thing next. Your'e a great help!!!

And if all of the above doesn't work increase the guage size on both cables. I had a'63 cad once that had 4 foot positive battery cable. Had the same problem you're having. Cured it with a length of 0000 cable. Made the ends from 1/2 inch copper tubing.