what is this relay called?

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Valleyant

Valleyant

Valleyant
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The car is a '72 Plymouth Valiant slant 6 with 904 auto trans on the column. Sometimes when I insert the key to start the car, nothing happens UNTIL I jiggle the trans selector back and forth a bit and I hear a clicking sound from a square relay located behind the dash between the ashtray and the glovebox. What is this relay called? As soon as I hear the clicking sound it all is normal and the car starts. Is this a sign of this relay starting to fail or something else in the chain? Thank you very much!
 
I think you are being deceived. Either what you hear is not the problem, or you are hearing the starter relay out on the firewall clicking, and there is something wrong in that circuit, either the starter relay is going bad, or the starter.

Is it just one click when you hold the key to start, or a buzz, rapid clicking when you hold the key to start
 
67Dart273 said:
I think you are being deceived. Either what you hear is not the problem, or you are hearing the starter relay out on the firewall clicking, and there is something wrong in that circuit, either the starter relay is going bad, or the starter.

Is it just one click when you hold the key to start, or a buzz, rapid clicking when you hold the key to start
Click to expand...
With the key in on position and tugging (to the left) on the trans selector towards park, I hear one click and I can touch the relay behind the dash and feel it click as well. I then turn the key to start the car and the engine starts. If I don't hear/feel this relay click (the only way to achieve this is to move the trans selector more towards the left in the park position) I get absolutely nothing from turning the key to the start position....
 
I'm drawing a blank.... Jiggling the selector lever would make sense to get the neutral safety switch in the trans into the right position, but I can't imagine what that is doing in the dash. That wire only goes directly to ground the coil in the starter relay on the firewall, unless someone wired it up to an added relay to do something else and connected the G lead of the starter relay to this new relay.

Does this relay behind the dash have a black plastic cover? That may indicate that it a standard aftermarket lighting relay. It will have numbers beside some of the terminals like 87, 85, and 30.... A pix and some wire colors might be helpful to figure out what this is.
 
You sure you have a 72? Does / did it have seat belt interlocks? Different wiring harness?

On anything earlier with OUT seat belt "stuff" there are no relays of any kind in the start / cranking circuit except for the start relay out under the hood.

I'm wondering if you are seeing the horn/ "key in buzzer." Post a photo, or draw out the pattern of the connector pins and wire colors.

However, that should have nothing to do with cranking the engine.
 
67Dart273 said:
You sure you have a 72? Does / did it have seat belt interlocks? Different wiring harness?

On anything earlier with OUT seat belt "stuff" there are no relays of any kind in the start / cranking circuit except for the start relay out under the hood.

I'm wondering if you are seeing the horn/ "key in buzzer." Post a photo, or draw out the pattern of the connector pins and wire colors.

However, that should have nothing to do with cranking the engine.
Click to expand...
I had a few minutes to look under the dash and remove the relay....it has part #'s 3588587 and 36033....after some searching it appears to be seatbelt related.....
anyway I removed it and was able to create the conditions as before without it and associated relay click....so I suspect either the auto trans shift linkage or the neutral safety switch/wiring are to blame...Car is definitely a '72.
 
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