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How to bypass neutral safety switch?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ram360
  • Start date Start date Apr 17, 2004
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ram360

Founding Member
Oct 19, 2002
2,162
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Pennsylvania
Apr 17, 2004
#1
  • Apr 17, 2004
  • #1
I think mine is broke. I figured I would try to bypass it to see if the car will turn over. Can I get a replacement at autozone or something of is that just a dealer part?
 

ALMOST STOCK

Founding Member
Sep 23, 2000
1,250
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88
CA.
Apr 17, 2004
#2
  • Apr 17, 2004
  • #2
You can bypass the the clutch switch if you jump the starter at the solenoid, it removes the clutch switch from the equation.
 
S

SmockDoiley

New Member
Jun 14, 2003
1,591
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0
San Diego, CA
Apr 17, 2004
#3
  • Apr 17, 2004
  • #3
Not sure about your year, but in my 85 I was just cleaning up some wires on the drivers side and then my car wouldnt start. I thought it was strange because all my ignition stuff is on the passanger side with the battery. I thought it may be the clutch switch so I looked at the pedals and 2 pink wires come off the clutch switch which I traced back to the wires I cut. They each go to a connector that goes to nowhere anymore so I rewired them back to the connector and it started. It also worked when I just twisted the 2 pink wires together. Try jumping the solenoid and see what the starter does to make sure its still good. If all your lights and stuff work and the starter turns when you jump it, then its probably that switch or the wiring for it.
 

tmoss

Gettin Wired
Founding Member
Jun 28, 2001
7,153
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128
Saint Louis, MO
Apr 17, 2004
#4
  • Apr 17, 2004
  • #4
Don't bypass a safety device! Fix it! As far as diagramd go, I have color diagrams that include this curcuit at:

www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine
 

N8Miller

I need NOS....make it 2 of the big ones
Founding Member
Jul 26, 2000
2,661
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0
Kingston, PA, USA
Apr 17, 2004
#5
  • Apr 17, 2004
  • #5
Ram: nice to see you again, sorry i havent gotten back to you about that 5 lug conversion.

anyway. I think that mine is bad too, so, i have a new one waiting for me down at autozone.

on my car, i can just the selinoid and it will start, but when i push the clutch in, the car wont even try to turn over. Im thinking its the clutch switch or the ignition switch in the column.
 

ram360

Founding Member
Oct 19, 2002
2,162
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Apr 17, 2004
#6
  • Apr 17, 2004
  • #6
I'm going to try to jump that solenoid again. It's just a PITA since I hid all the wires in the fender. :damnit: I had 93 4cyl wiring (and the painless FI harness) in the car for a bit and it would have lights, etc.... but as soon as I went to crank it over I would get nothing not even a click. I finally got everything I basically needed from a few 89 gt's (taillights, headlights, doors, dash, motor, computer, and injector harnesses so everthing would work together. Unfortinely it's doing the same thing. Everything else works but I get nothing when I turn the key. The only thing that is the same is that I'm using the same clutch safety switch. I removed the switch and had it connected w/ a jumper wire and I still get nothing (I think there the same pink wires your talking about smockdoiley). When the car was running (almost a year ago) I did replace the keyswitch, starter relay, and starter. I'll try to jumper that starter relay to see what happens again (the last time I did it the car did turn over but it's been so long who knows what will happen)
 

ram360

Founding Member
Oct 19, 2002
2,162
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Pennsylvania
Apr 17, 2004
#7
  • Apr 17, 2004
  • #7
tmoss said:
Don't bypass a safety device! Fix it! As far as diagramd go, I have color diagrams that include this curcuit at:

www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine
Click to expand...

I would sure like to. I mean the car never had one when I first got it, so I'm trying to convert this 83 to 89 gt wiring specs. I hate when I leave it in gear and try to start it.
 

ram360

Founding Member
Oct 19, 2002
2,162
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59
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Apr 17, 2004
#8
  • Apr 17, 2004
  • #8
N8Miller said:
Ram: nice to see you again, sorry i havent gotten back to you about that 5 lug conversion.

anyway. I think that mine is bad too, so, i have a new one waiting for me down at autozone.

on my car, i can just the selinoid and it will start, but when i push the clutch in, the car wont even try to turn over. Im thinking its the clutch switch or the ignition switch in the column.
Click to expand...


yeah, I thought you disappeared off the face of the earth. lol. For some reason I didn't remember you being from bloomsburg, I thought you were in kingston. Did you ever get around to doing the 5 lug?

Sounds like you have the exact same problem I do. I replaced my ignition switch the last time my car was running but maybe that went bad again. Probably some cheap $5 part causing all the probs. Keep me posted if you get yours running.
 

ram360

Founding Member
Oct 19, 2002
2,162
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Pennsylvania
Apr 19, 2004
#9
  • Apr 19, 2004
  • #9
Checked the battery cables and ground-------OK

Engine block ground, and the ground behind the engine to the firewall---OK

I removed the small push on connector and jumpered it to the battery post side of the relay---Car Turned Over----Relay is OK

I jumped the two big posts on the relay----Car Turned over---Starter and Power Wiring is Good.

So that pretty much narrows it down to the ignition switch (which I replaced a few months long ago, and I doubt thats bad) and the clutch safety switch. Probably going to pick one up in the next day or so (hopefully that's the problem because I don't think I overlooked anything.........Right?
 

tmoss

Gettin Wired
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Jun 28, 2001
7,153
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Saint Louis, MO
Apr 19, 2004
#10
  • Apr 19, 2004
  • #10
Sounds like your doing a good job so far. You could take a volt meter and trace some wiring to see where the 12v gets lost, and if the switches don't do it, your gonna have to do that anyway.
 

ram360

Founding Member
Oct 19, 2002
2,162
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May 15, 2004
#11
  • May 15, 2004
  • #11
Well, everything tested out fine (the switches). So apparently I'm loosing power somewhere along the line. Looks like I'll have to trace the wiring but I have no idea what wires to trace. I couldn't imagine there being very many wires that make a car turn over, but I'm lost. Any help would be great. I'm going crazy.
 

85_SS_302_Coupe

it sucks (I know) to be on the receiving end
15 Year Member
Nov 11, 2003
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Northern KY
May 15, 2004
#12
  • May 15, 2004
  • #12
My car has been bypassed but i honestly dont know what the guy did to it, he put a C4 in it and it's originally a 5 speed, so when i put my Tremec back in i never played with anything so now i have no neutral safety switch, or at least it isnt hooked up. I never was fond of parking in gear anyways.
 

tmoss

Gettin Wired
Founding Member
Jun 28, 2001
7,153
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May 15, 2004
#13
  • May 15, 2004
  • #13
I have color wiring diagrams at www.veryuseful.com/mustang/tech/engine if you need them to assist you.
 

ram360

Founding Member
Oct 19, 2002
2,162
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May 28, 2004
#14
  • May 28, 2004
  • #14
Had some time to work on it and think I may have found the problem. I used my 88 to help me try to understand what isn't working on the other car. When I turn the key all I get is a click from the relay next to the MAF sensor and that's it. Like I said before everything else checked out fine so the circuit was bad.

I found that the car that does start has power to that small wire (red w/ blue stripe) that pushes on that small threaded rod on the starter relay (my car that doesn't start has no power to it)

I disconnected that wire from my realy on the running car to simulate that particular area getting no power,and sure enought that car would do the same thing. Can anybody tell me what this wire is and where it get's power from? I used the diagram tmoss but I'm still kinda confused... thanks!
 

tmoss

Gettin Wired
Founding Member
Jun 28, 2001
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Saint Louis, MO
May 28, 2004
#15
  • May 28, 2004
  • #15
The red wire with the blue stripe is the neutral safety (automatics)/clutch interlock (manuals) switch which keeps the car from cranking unless the auto is in neutral or the manual has the clutch pushed in.
 

stangbear427

Active Member
Nov 11, 2002
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New England
May 28, 2004
#16
  • May 28, 2004
  • #16
tmoss said:
Don't bypass a safety device! Fix it!
Click to expand...
Why not? It's a PITA! Just for the idiot factor, or does it has some other inherent value? Would it mess something up to bypass it?
 

RsStanG1987

I shaved all my pubes playing this game.
10 Year Member
Mar 13, 2004
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May 28, 2004
#17
  • May 28, 2004
  • #17
I was up helping ram360 out. I followed back the wires from the harness and there is a wire that goes out to an 8 pin connecter which runs to the rear of the car and one wire goes to the distributor after it leaves the switch and the other goes to the starter relay. None one of theese wires are getting power. when we did the same test in his other car they had power so im guesing there may be a problem with a wire bringing power to theese. Or is it possible the computer is bad?
 

tmoss

Gettin Wired
Founding Member
Jun 28, 2001
7,153
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May 28, 2004
#18
  • May 28, 2004
  • #18
stangbear427 said:
Why not? It's a PITA! Just for the idiot factor, or does it has some other inherent value? Would it mess something up to bypass it?
Click to expand...

Just for the idiot factor. We're all idiots sooner or later.
 

tmoss

Gettin Wired
Founding Member
Jun 28, 2001
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May 28, 2004
#19
  • May 28, 2004
  • #19
RsStanG1987 said:
I was up helping ram360 out. I followed back the wires from the harness and there is a wire that goes out to an 8 pin connecter which runs to the rear of the car and one wire goes to the distributor after it leaves the switch and the other goes to the starter relay. None one of theese wires are getting power. when we did the same test in his other car they had power so im guesing there may be a problem with a wire bringing power to theese. Or is it possible the computer is bad?
Click to expand...

Take a look at this diagram and tell me what color wires are not getting power - your description isn't good enough...............
 

ram360

Founding Member
Oct 19, 2002
2,162
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59
Pennsylvania
May 28, 2004
#20
  • May 28, 2004
  • #20
tmoss said:
Take a look at this diagram and tell me what color wires are not getting power - your description isn't good enough...............
Click to expand...

He's still talking about that red wire w/ the blue stripe that leaves the starter relay and runs to the black connector that plugs into the clutch safety switch. It ends up being two red w/ blue stripe wires on one side of it and another red w/ blue stripe wire on the other side, which are connected when the clutch is depressed. The problem is when I tested the side of this connector that should have had power......it doesn't. So pretty much what I need to figure out now is where this red w/ blue stripe wire gets it's power from? Fuse box, ignition switch? Thanks!

From your diagram, it's looks like power for that wire should come from the white/pink wire coming from the ignition switch connector......
 
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