Classic/Antique Car Repair: Netural switch, neutral safety switch, chrysler new yorker

Question
Hi Dick:

Its me again I have a 1955 chrysler new yorker with auto tranney I'm trying to rstore   My problem is the starter won't crank with the starter switch.  I changed the netural switch on tranney with one I bought on ebay but it still won't work, changed the relay with a aftermarket one still won't crank how can I bypas the netural switch on the transmition? it only has one wire going to it

Thanks

Bill

Answer
Hi, Bill;

I'm sorry, but I don't have a wiring diagram for that car - but I will say only one wire on the neutral safety switch is very odd - usually the switch has an in and an out wire, and when the trans is in neutral, they are connected.   That is how you troubleshoot the switch - if it will crank when you bypass the switch, you know everything else is OK.   Are you sure there is only one wire on it?  If that is the case, then they are using some kind of different starter relay, one which relies on grounding one end of the relay coil via the neutral safety switch - but I could only tell that for sure by looking at the wiring diagram.

My advice, as usual, is to get yourself a shop manual for this car, and study the wiring diagram to dope this out. In the meantime, as I guess you know, you can always get it to start by mickey-mousing a separate switch that puts 6 volts right on the small terminal on the starter solenoid.  That should make it crank, if everything else is OK, but of course it will crank regardless of what gear it is in or even if the key is off.

Sorry I can't be more help - where did you find an aftermarket starter relay? - those are impossble to find, in my experience!  

I have one here that I have been trying to fix for a friend for a couple of years because he was unable to find a replacement under about $400 - so far no success on the repair - they are a strange animal!   Andy Birmbaum has them, but he wants an arm and a leg for them.

Dick