Starter Inop w/904 Trans

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clifftt

clifftt

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Looking for help before I pull the tranny pan off. I replaced the o-ring at the end of the shifter cable and also the transmission pan gasket on my 904 to cure leak issues. Filled it with fluid, found no leaks, then went to start it. Starter would not make a sound. I figure it had to do with the shifter cable not quite adjusted right with the neutral safety switch, since I neglected to check that when I inserted the shift cable back in.
Not wanting to pull the pan off again, I adjusted the cable, in half-turn increments from all the way in to all the way out, checking to see if it would start each time. Starter still wouldn't engage.
Nothing else done to the car, new battery and always have the Battery Tender running on it. This thing started beautifully a week ago.
I think I'll have to pull the pan off to make sure the neutral safety switch is inline when the cable is set to "N"eutral, but I'm open to other ideas or opinions before I pull the pan off again.
 
I'd test the neutral switch first before tearing things apart. Yours is a single wire switch so all you have to do is ground it out (short piece of wire with alligator clips on each end) and the car should start if the switch is the problem. If grounding it out doesn't make it start it's possible the starter relay died. If grounding it does make it start pull the neutral switch out first and bench test it with a ohm meter. When pressing in on the ball where the shifter rooster comb presses the ohm meter should go to zero ohms. If it doesn't the switch went bad. If it does go to zero the problem is in the adjustment. If you get to this point and need to pull the neutral switch out atf will come out. Jack it up from the left side only so the fluid will run to the passenger side and spillage will be minimal.

One point of safety when bypassing a neutral switch for testing purposes is to make absolutely certain you have it in park when trying to start it.
 
Awesome. I didn't think about just pulling the switch. Perhaps you've saved me a gasket and some fluid. Thanks!
 
I bypassed the neutral safety switch, and the starter engaged! My guess is the cable needs to be reset, but I'll play it safe tomorrow and pull the switch anyways to bench test it. I think eventually I'll be pulling the pan again to bullseye the location of the cable to the neutral setting. Thanks for your help!
 
Your probably right about the cable. I wonder if the new O-ring was thicker throwing off the adjustment? You might be able to just take the neutral switch out and shine a light in and see where it needs to be adjusted. Just a thought.

Another way is if you have an ohm meter you can connect it to the neutral switch and adjust the cable to where you see the ohm meter deflect to zero ohms.
 
OK, Fishy68, I tried adjusting the cable with the ohmeter hooked up. Ignition was off, key laying on the dash. My ohmeter read a constant 12V as I adjusted the cable from full-in to full-out. The way I read my schematic, it shouldn't matter if the ignition switch is on or not, correct? (My hot current is coming from the starter at the "+" cable.)
If this is true, sounds like the next step is to pull the neutral safety switch to test. Would you agree?
 
clifftt said:
OK, Fishy68, I tried adjusting the cable with the ohmeter hooked up. Ignition was off, key laying on the dash. My ohmeter read a constant 12V as I adjusted the cable from full-in to full-out. The way I read my schematic, it shouldn't matter if the ignition switch is on or not, correct? (My hot current is coming from the starter at the "+" cable.)
If this is true, sounds like the next step is to pull the neutral safety switch to test. Would you agree?
Click to expand...

Yep. B+ will feed through a lot of times when you leave the wire coming from the relay hooked up to it even if the key is off. But it should have gone to zero volts when the switch engaged. If it didn't drop to zero either the switch is bad or the adjustment isn't going far enough.
 
I pulled the switch and it checked out OK. So it HAD to be the adjustment in the cable. I got back under the car, gave the cable a good yank just to make sure it interlocked with the lever inside the transmission, and....
IT FELL OUT!
The cable was never locked in, never shifted into neutral. I backed the adjustment wheel all the way out, made sure it locked this time when I pushed it in, then got to adjust it using the ohmeter. Car finally started. Was that stupid or what??
Thanks for your help ... again!
 
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