Torqueflite drives only in R ! (3)

["George Laurie" <georgelaurie@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I must disagree on this one Hugh, every 58-70 Mopar I have ever owned has a
Neutral Start switch in the side of the Transmission, this only allows the
start soliniod to earth when the switch is in the neutral position. I will
admit that I have never owned a Chrysler that was started buy pushing the
Neutral button it self, but I really don't think they would rely on that
only for safetys sake, regards George.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hugh & Therese" <hugtrees@xxxxxxxx>
To: <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, June 08, 2003 1:15 PM
Subject: Re: IML: Torqueflite drives only in R ! (3)


> Philippe,
>
> I am delighted you have found the source of your transmission problems.
The
> cable attachment is very delicate and the smallest movement can make a
huge
> difference.  As you know, I suspected it was the cable attachment.
>
> However,  I am still more than a little confused by your statements that
the
> 57/58s have a neutral safety switch.  I'm afraid your previous email on
the
> topic went completely over my head.  You say the cars have two such
> switches.  I still think, if you will pardon my ignorance, that they do
not
> have any.  Mine certainly does not.  Just today, I started mine in drive,
> with my foot on the brake.  Because the car, mine at least, has no such
> safety switch, it is always prudent to start it with one's foot on the
> brake.  The car has been known to be in gear even with the neutral switch
> pressed in, due to poor positioning of the gear selector cable.
>
> With no 'P' (parking) position, the lack of a neutral safety switch is all
> the more dangerous.
>
> I understand the element of preventing the starter motor from being
engaged
> if the engine is already running.  I would not call this a neutral safety
> switch in the sense which most people understand the term.  It is simply a
> mechanism to avoid the starter being energized again once the engine is
> already running.  The other switch you described, if I understand
correctly,
> is simply the device that activates the starter when the neutral button is
> completely pushed for the purpose of starting the car.  In your case, the
> starter was engaged when you fully pressed in the neutral switch.  Because
> the cable was no longer attached and your engine was locked in reverse,
you
> were able to start the car in reverse.  The starter button, which is the
> neutral button, did its job as designed.  Excuse my lack of perception,
but
> I see nothing in the two systems you describe as neutral safety switches
> that would prevent the car from starting even though the transmission was
> locked in reverse.
>
> This gets me back to my own experiences with poor adjustments on the gear
> selector cable and the need to have your foot on the brake just in case.
My
> car fits in my garage only if the front fender touches the garage wall at
> the front.  Not a good time to have a Hemi sized power surge!
>
> This may come across as counting angels on the head of a pin.  Neither of
> the two devices you mentioned would have prevented the car from starting
in
> reverse in your circumstances and it is very doubtful if either were
> circumvented at all because both are needed to start the car.  The design
is
> simply not very good because it actually allows the engine to be started
in
> circumstances such as yours, and mine.
>
> Hugh
>
>
>
>