71 Cutlass - floor shifter- 455 w/ Turbo 400...

Car will not start - battery good, dropped starter and testing fine / replaced relay on driver fender, no change.

Turn key - everything powers fine, Gen light glows

dropped steering column - not sure how to bypass or test ignition switch or N safety switch. I shifted the car to see but do not see anything mechanical moving on the column?

Any ideas?


Thanks....TP

 

Disconnect the connector with two purple wires on the NSS. Jumper across those two terminals in the connector. BE SURE THE CAR IS IN PARK and try to start it. If it starts, the NSS is bad or mis-adjusted. If not, the problem is elsewhere.

 

I see the switch I beleive is the ignition switch - the first one down the column, but where is the NSS?


Thanks - Joe

 

on a 70 it is under the shifter top of the console on the drivers side, I thought it was the same for 71/72

 

Anything 69 and up with a steering column lock has linkage from the floor shifter up to the column to turn the column to the lock position. Generally the NSS is on the column and the linkage needs to be adjusted correctly for the NSS to work right.

4 speed cars had it too and worked off the reverse arm.

 

Actually, no. Despite having the backdrive linkage, 69 and 70 floor shift cars still used the NSS in the console. Manual trans cars used a CLUTCH safety switch, mounted on the clutch pedal. The same connector with the two purple wires is plugged into the clutch safety switch instead of the NSS.

 

No argument with that. This car is a 71.

Yes the NSS was on the clutch, but the manual cars still had backdrive linkage so the column lock would lock the car in reverse. On my 70 ElCamino with a 4 speed the backup light switch is on the column. So the backdrive still needs to be there.


Here's why I brought up the backdrive linkage;