I have a 68 4-speed Cutlass and have never found a neutral safety switch. I've looked in the chassis manual, assembly manual etc. where should it be? On the clutch pedal?

 

GM Standard Transmissions did not start using a safety switch until 1973 (IIRC)... In 1973 & later years the clutch pedal had to be depressed in order to start the vehicle.... This is not the case for pre 73 vehicles....

 

my 69 nova had a clutch safety switch


http://dev.johnsclassiccars.com/part...arts/Nova/1043

 

i believe gm started with the switches when they went to ignition in the column,they had used a backdrive linkage to move the neutral switch at the base of the column,same as an automatic

 

Seems strange that they had them on floor shifted auto cars in the '60s but not on manuals. It can be pretty dangerous starting a car without the clutch in you know

 

Maybe you should convert to an automatic.

 

No I don't. If you try to crank a manual car that's in gear, what happens? It bucks about six inches.

If you try to start an AT car in gear with the neutral switch disabled, what happens?
If you've got your foot on the gas, it roars to life and drives through the back of your garage, or through the crosswalk in front of you.

Neutral safety switches were recognized as a necessity very shortly after automatic transmissions were invented. They were not included in MT cars until the new safety regulations that took effect progressively beginning in 1968.

Your '68 never had one.

- Eric

 

Neutral safety switches are also a pain for a standard transmission car on a slope that needs a little gas pedal love to start. Parking brake, roll a bit, or do some heel toe action.

 

No they didn't. Every automatic car from the '60s that I've driven would start easily without any feet on any pedals.

 

The automatic safety switch simply wanted the car in Park or Neutral, no pedal required. The standard safety switch wanted the clutch depressed.

 

I beg to differ. I have had a few manual trans cars that would start in gear and move along quite nicely.
As a matter of fact I lost a dampening spring on one of my clutch disks and it got wedged between the pressure plate and the disc and the clutch would not disengage so I had to start it in gear so I could drive it to the trans shop.

Granted none of these were domestic vehicles, but that's not the point.
If I started any of these in gear they would start moving with little difficulty.

 

Yeah that won't be happening.

 

I added the '69 up clutch safety switch to my '68 "just in case" I had the clutch pedal on my '67 442 break on the way to work back in '79. I was half way there so I kept driving it,starting it in gear at stop lights,it started in gear very easily. I had a set of pedals,complete with the safety switch that I took out of a '70, in my stash of Olds parts,I figured why not use it since everything bolts right in,including the wiring. You have to have the later clutch pedal with the pin on it for the switch & you'll need the short jumper harness that goes from the cars harness(double purple wire connector by the fuse box)to the switch. All the parts are easily obtainable these days from the after-market.In-Line even sells the jumper harness. I figured it was a sensible feature to add to the car. The '69 assembly manual shows a good pic of the switch assy. in the trans section.

 

I was more just curious why I've never seen one on my car, not saying I want one or need one. My 69 had one in the console but it was an auto

 

OK, first of all, there is no such thing as a "neutral safety switch" for a manual trans. It's a CLUTCH safety switch that operates off the clutch pedal and has no relationship to whatever gear the trans is in.

Second, back before product liability lawyers took over the world, it was given that operating an automobile required COMMON SENSE. One of those common sense elements was that you had to step on the clutch pedal BEFORE you tried to start the car. Kinda the same common sense requirement that you don't start the car in a closed garage.

Unfortunately, the American public always requires someone ELSE to be responsible for their mistakes, which is why GM cars got clutch safety switches starting with the 1969 model year.

 

The 70-72 clutch switches look like this.

Note that the pin on the clutch pedal actuates the switch.

 

My '68 has no clutch safety switch. If you turn the key and it starts and its in gear, its leaving.

I had a '92 'Yota HiLux (pre Tacoma) pickup that had a clutch safety switch 'over ride button' on the dash. If you pressed it, it would defeat the clutch safety for one start cycle then reset. I don't remember ever using it so I'm not sure if the engine would fire. It was in the manual as useful if you had to do something like get it out of an intersection using the starter motor.

 

I need to get one of those for my Tacoma. Once I get my Tahoe up to daily driver specs, the Tacoma's going to get a mid-life crisis and I am going to fix a few things.

In the winter, I open the Tacoma, and remain outside. I lean in, put the key in, put the clutch to the floor with my left hand, put it in neutral with my right, then crank. After it starts, I let go of the clutch, adjust my defroster, then go to work with the scraper on the ice. Would be nice to have the clutch bypass switch, but not really all that important.

I believe the idea was to crawl out of mud on the starter motor, or some jacked up stuff like that.

 

Don't know the year of your Taco, but Toyota used this switch on many trucks from like '85 - '05. It was usually labeled "Clutch Start Cancel". Get a switch (several on FleaBay) and it should be almost plug-n-play. It has 3 wires. Probably 2 are to jump the actual safety circuit & the other is feed from start that resets the switch.

 

It's a 7. There's a pretty good pull a part here in Evansville I'll hit up for some various things next spring. Used to be better until they found a meth lab in it, now most is they-pull-it.

I'd have no issue with a dumb "hold that thing down while cranking" switch.

 

Then, you could use any switch ! Just jump across the existing clutch safety switch.

The advantage to the Toyota piece is you click it, it lights up (IIRC) and you can attempt a start without pushing the clutch or holding the switch. After that attempt, it automatically resets so you have to click again for another attempt. This way you don't 1. have to hold the switch & 2. have to worry that the next person will attempt a clutch-engaged start.

 

How could a person think a meth lab would not be found in a place where people go to look at or inside of cars for stuff all day long?

 

A person would not think that.

"Person" ≠ "Meth head" just like "Person" ≠ "Junkie"

- Eric

 

Yeah, Indy, you're right. It's not high on my list of stuff to do, but I'll get it done along with swapping out the headlamps, prettier grille, might go to matte black fender flares instead of the color matched, and a general paint repair and polish job.

Packrat, I did not know this, but apparently it was in a dumpster!

http://www.courierpress.com/news/loc...326960811.html