4 speed safety switch - Help Needed

-
gunmetal72

gunmetal72

Life is a dark ride
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Messages
550
Reaction score
53
Location
Sicamous B.C
When it comes to electrical issues, outside of putting in a light bulb, I am totally screwed. Body work and mechanical I can usually do so I hope someone can help me with this and please as detailed as possible. Currently my car starts without needing to push in the clutch. So I need to replace the safety switch on the clutch pedal. There is no wire for the new switch to plug in and it appears some one bypassed the switch and I can not find any place for it to plug in. I can put the switch in but I need to know where the wire goes to and if I need to replace any wires and where they go to and what they attach to?
Thanks or looking
 
Why not leave it that way? First thing I do with a manual car is disconnect that switch. Older mopars did not even have it. It's much better to start the car in neutral with the clutch out. This helps with thrust bearing wear. If you start with the clutch in, you have the full weight of the pressure plate springs on the thrust bearing with no oil pressure.
 
I have had a few people try to start the car in gear and it scared the hell out of me, so I would like to make anyone starting the car to push in the clutch. I would sleep better
 
396 Signet said:
Why not leave it that way? First thing I do with a manual car is disconnect that switch. Older mopars did not even have it. It's much better to start the car in neutral with the clutch out. This helps with thrust bearing wear. If you start with the clutch in, you have the full weight of the pressure plate springs on the thrust bearing with no oil pressure.
Click to expand...

You know.... That's something I had never thought of and it's a very good point.
 
You don't say the year or make of car so it's kinda hard to give instructions. Basically it's just a cutoff switch for the starter solenoid. Assuming it still has stock wiring it would be best to have a wiring diagram. You might be best off just having someone familiar with electrics take a look. Personally I would stop those "people" from trying to start your car & do as stated but to each his own.
 
I'm with 396 Signet on this one. If you have a stock clutch its less of a big deal, but the bigger and gnarlier your clutch gets the harder it is on everything. With the kevlar/ceramic McLeod on my Duster you can tell it just doesn't like starting with the clutch in.

The switch is super simple, the green wire from the switch just runs out to the starter relay's "G" terminal. That would be one of the two little spade terminals, it will be opposite a wire that runs to your ignition. That terminal is likely hooked to ground right now, since your car starts without the switch.
 
it runs to the same terminal on the starter relay that the auto trans neutral safety wire does
 
Just remeber if it sees any track time you gotta have one,but you can sneak a bypass in line some where.
 
doug 371 said:
it runs to the same terminal on the starter relay that the auto trans neutral safety wire does
Click to expand...


THIS. This wire, like the tach wire, did not go through the bulkhead connector. This wire went out the firewall in a separate grommet, to the 4th terminal on the start relay, just like the automatic NSS
 
Instead of buying the factory switch which can get expensive do what I did. Take a brake lite switch, make an L bracket, drill 2 holes. One to mount the switch to the bracket, and another to mount the switch and bracket to the pedal assembly. Mount it so the clutch pedal tab engages the switch. Run one wire from one end of the switch to ground and the other to the starter relay. Here's a pic.
 

Attachments

  • 1393816487583.jpg
    78.4 KB · Views: 355
Brewers has a few switches and wiring, and wow you would think these things are made of gold.

personally I have never heard of such a thing but then again the newest dart I ever owned was a 69.
 
These started (no pun intended!!) in '70. My 440-6 Roadrunner had one, as well as an interlock linkage between the reverse lever of the 4 speed to the column. To shut off the car and lock the column, you had to have the thing in reverse. I removed it.
 
I have a new/used switch. I would like o find he factory wire and use it if I can. Just not sure what to look for. Why does it start now? If anyone needs pics I can post a few
 
IF IF IF this car has a 4 post start relay like automatics have and it starts, the 4th post has been jumped directly to ground.
Earlier start relays for manual trans had only 3 posts so there isn't a place to connect the green wire that the later models have coming from that switch.
 
You already have the correct relay. Key is the two bottom "push on" connectors. I believe the yellow is the start wire. The other, lower right, is probably grounded. Where does it go?

According to the 72 manual I have the yellow color is wrong, so don't know there. The yellow dots is where the grounding wire leads to the clutch switch

The wire shown above it, S4-18-R/Y above it, is only used with automatics, IE you will have one or the other wire, not both.
 

Attachments

  • relay.jpg
    52.5 KB · Views: 171
I will check to see where the bottom right wire goes to. The push on end looks like it might have been replaced, The end looks to be not year correct/different from the one on the bottom left?
 
Can't tell you about the specifics of the connectors. Electrically it does not matter which connector is on which relay terminal.

You can pull one connector off, and try a test lamp on first one, then the other. Twist the key to start. Whichever one lights is the "start" wire and goes back on the relay. The other wire has to be grounded or go into the pedal switch.
 
67Dart273 said:
You already have the correct relay. Key is the two bottom "push on" connectors. I believe the yellow is the start wire. The other, lower right, is probably grounded. Where does it go?

According to the 72 manual I have the yellow color is wrong, so don't know there. The yellow dots is where the grounding wire leads to the clutch switch

The wire shown above it, S4-18-R/Y above it, is only used with automatics, IE you will have one or the other wire, not both.
Click to expand...

Your diagram with the yellow dots (wire) is the ground wire on my car. Someone has bypassed the switch and connected that wire to ground. I will remove that ground wire and connect it to the clutch switch. Thanks to you and others that responded for the help
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top