I have a 1972 Cutlass Supreme Convertible. It has console shifter. My question is where is the Reverse Neutral safety switch located? Under the console or in the Steering column? I’ve heard from Olds experts 😂😂that it’s in the steering column. Leaves me wondering if they know what they are talking about. My backup lights don’t come on unless I play around with the shifter. Hopefully it’s just a matter of pulling console and going from there. Thank you 🙏.

 

You're looking for the Neutral Safety Switch (NSS) which also has the reverse/backup light contact switch built in. A factory console should have the NSS inside the console. On cars without a factory console it would be near the bottom of steering column.

Look for two purple wires, one should have a white trace on it, they make/break the crank circuit after the ignition switch.

 

It was converted to console shifter. So it is at the bottom of the steering column? What triggers the reverse switch?

 

'72 had their NSS on the column near the firewall - there is a double-wire connector going to it that triggers the reverse lamps when the shifter is positioned in that gear making contact with their tabs inside the switch (I believe the reverse wires are green and green/white stripe)

I did a full OEM floor shift console swap on my OEM column shift '72 ragtop and didn't need to change anything with regard to the NSS or its wiring - the remanufactured auto floor shift A-body column I installed had the same NSS mount and required no install alterations.

As an aside, I even installed an old Mopar 4-speed reverse lamp fixture into my under-dash a/c vent panel and ran its power wire into the NSS reverse plug, so the lamp illuminates whenever I shift into reverse.

 

72s have a back drive linkage, it's the same thing that a column shifter would drive. This linkage, even if a floor shift, still does the neutral safety switch if automatic, still does the reverse lights, and still does the shifter lockout when the key is in lock. Try wiggling the part of the column that rotates with the floor shifter to figure out how to make the reverse lights work better.

 

The back-drive linkage rod setup may need adjustment underneath the car to tighten up your shift lever alignment to the gears. Also check the bushing on the linkage rod which connects under the hood to the steering column shifter link for excessive wear and replace as needed to also help tighten up your alignment.

 

Thanks for the correction, thought it was under the console.

 

Thank you 🙏. I’m a little nervous about playing with this. I have to play with the shifter in order to make it work and then they come on.

 

Even 70's had the back drive, but it was only used for the column lock. They decided to ditch the console shifter mounted switches in 1971 because the back drive was already in use and there was no need for 2 different switches and the extra wiring for it.

 

You can watch the ring on the column move when you shift gears as if the column shifter was there. You can wiggle that instead of messing with the shifter to make the lights come on.