Car only cranks in neutral????

[Johnny Mac]

so i have a newish starting/electrical issue that has returned from the dead several years ago...when i first put a floor shifter in the car, i remember someone telling me to put the factory column leftover bracketry in the park position...i did so and never had a problem with it for the last 4 years...well last year the car got a new engine, and a new steering box. only one time last year the car pulled this (no cranking in park, only in neutral) garbage, and i checked the linkage and the neut safety switch...wiggled a few things and all was fine.
tonight was my first fire up of the season after putting a new converter/trans in. and the same electrical gremlin has returned..i checked the N safety switch to make sure it wasn't plugged backwards ( which if i remember right makes the reverse lights come on in all gears but park and N)..but i tried it both ways and nothing...but the leftover column bracketry, on the firewall, and the column itself...is complete slop now...nothing internally moves...it just free swings, i'm not sure what the deal is. is the column the wrong place to be searching for this issue? if nto is there a wire that i can cross where the N switch will still work, but also bypass the park sender...(and no i'm not asking to eliminate the switch) b/c i have to pass tech..i want it to actually work...but dont know if i can eliminate the park sensor on the column since the trans has one anyways...i want to safely start the car in park...not Neutral! what should i do fellas? i appreciate it very much...

 

[RustyRatRod]

Neutral safety switch either bad or needs adjustment.

 

[Johnny Mac]

bump/...thats all u think it is?...the shift linkage on my floor shifter being a tad off to where its not in a "full" park?

 

[damnimcooltom]

The neutral safety switch is "pushed" from inside the transmission. The column linkage has nothing to do with it.

When the neutral safety switch is in park or neutral, it grounds a terminal on your starter relay, allowing the relay to pass current to the starter solenoid, which engages the starter.

You probably need to adjust the shifter linkage slightly, so the inner workings of the transmission contact the neutral safety switch correctly.

Now, whether or not there is other wiring in the column that can cause problems, I don't know.

 

[Johnny Mac]

that sounds like a correct answer, i was under the impression that the factory column guts could also have something to do with it, but i guess if the linkage arm on the tranny is in park..but not in its "deepest" position..then yeah that could make the switch not press fully in till it was in neutral, i'll get under there and fine tune the linkage

 

[Johnny Mac]

also the trans was just rebuilt...i never did check and see how far the neutral safety switch was cranked in...it could use a few more turns for all i know now that i think about it.

 

[RustyRatRod]

bump/...thats all u think it is?...the shift linkage on my floor shifter being a tad off to where its not in a "full" park?

Pretty much. Yes. That's all I think it is.