When the car stalls, it won't start in neutral. I have to pull over to the side and put it in park. This can be dangerous particularly if I loose power and am not able to immediately pull over to an area where I can stop the car and put it in park to restart. Is there a switch that is activated in the steering column or is there a switch on the transmission? Anyone have any idea where to start looking? Thank you for your help. JM

 

I think the first place to start is to determine why it stops running. The safety switch could be different places depending on console or column shift. Finding and either fixing, or replacing that switch should be secondary to getting the car in proper
running order.

 

My 69 442 has a neutral switch under the console. I If you have a steering column shifter, I don't know where it is.

 

You could TEMPORARILY rig a MOMENTARY contact switch that you could press to override the neutral safety switch until you find the problem, but overriding it in any other way could be deadly under the wrong circumstances, so beware.

- Eric

 

If it will start in Park but not in neutral, the neutral start switch is most likely out of adjustment. Possibly the slider inside the switch is bad or broken and is not moving with the shift tube, and it's stuck in Park. If car has backup lamps, get a helper to see if they come on in R as they should. If the backup lamps do not work, or if car will still not start in N after adjusting the switch, odds are the slider in the switch has broken.

Here's a simple way to check it. Set the parking brake, put the car in Drive and try to start the engine. It should not. Hold the ignition switch in Start and slowly move the shifter toward N until the starter operates. If the engine starts doing this, the switch can be adjusted. If it never tries to start, you have a bad switch.

It's inside the car. Column shift cars it's on the bottom of the steering column under the dash; console cars it's on the shifter inside the console.

Either way- locate the switch. It will be crescent shaped and will have two purple and two green wires going to it. Purple are starter, green are for back-up lamps if the car has them. The console has to be removed to access it on a floor shift car.

Loosen the screws attaching the switch to the column or to the shifter. The switch is slotted for adjustment.

With ignition switch OFF, put the shift lever in D.

You will see a small hole in the switch body. Move the switch in its slots until you can put a .090 pin or drill (a 3/32 drill is very close) all the way thru that hole. Tighten the switch mounting screws and switch should be adjusted for P and N start and backup lamps coming on in R.

Recheck, trying to start the car in D and moving the shifter till the starter engages.

If you can't get the holes in the switch to line up for the drill, switch is probably broken. Go ahead and take it completely off the column or shifter and see if the "fingers" on the switch body are intact.

If switch needs to be replaced, replacement is Grp 4.054, p/n 1993659, neutral start switch, 65-66 F85 with Jetaway transmission. Keep in mind that Olds refers to all F85/Cutlass/442 as F85 in the parts books.

Same years Buick and Pontiac A-body cars with automatic will probably use the same switch as they use the same transmissions and steering columns, and possibly Chevrolet. Also keep in mind that since these switches are used on automatic GTOs and possibly Chevelles, NOS ones are going to be expensive.

But yeah, get that stalling problem fixed too. If it has a 4GC Rochester carb, I can understand why it stalls. They were good enough carbs in their day, but they are sensitive to float level adjustment and having the correct gaskets.

 

Thank you for all the replies. I will check the switch under the steering column.It is a column shift, not a console. If I need to buy this switch somewhere, any suggestions of where to get it? Fusick, maybe?

 

Also it stalls only before it is warmed up. Previous owner told me to use lead additive and Octane booster to cure the stalling issue at cold temp....

 

O'Reillys says they carry one for my 67.

 

I would suspect and check into proper functioning and adjustment of the choke before adding chemicals to the gas tank.

 

Umm, yeah. A car that stalls when cold has a misadjusted choke until proven otherwise.

It's just common sense.

Could it be timing or some other thing? Maybe. But you've got to check the choke first.

- Eric

 

Also, lead additive and octane boost would obviously raise octane level....I would think initial fuel ignition would be more difficult.