Car won’t start in park.

-
L

LPena25

Member
Joined
Feb 9, 2025
Messages
19
Reaction score
5
Location
central texas
Hi everyone. My 1970 Dodge Dart won’t start in park but will start in neutral. Is it supposed to be like that or does my automatic shifter need to be adjusted and if so how do I go about doing so thank you in advance.
 
Possible adjustment, bad switch, bad body to engine ground, try moving shifter around in park at the same time when holding crank position of key. if it cranks then adjust linkage and I always clean grounds from engine to body. If still no crank let us know.
 
moparlvr166 said:
Possible adjustment, bad switch, bad body to engine ground, try moving shifter around in park at the same time when holding crank position of key. if it cranks then adjust linkage and I always clean grounds from engine to body. If still no crank let us know.
Click to expand...
Well she cranked over in park twice just now. So I can cross that off my list of things for the project. Thanks for the info.
 
moparlvr166 said:
Possible adjustment, bad switch, bad body to engine ground, try moving shifter around in park at the same time when holding crank position of key. if it cranks then adjust linkage and I always clean grounds from engine to body. If still no crank let us know.
Click to expand...
What do you think would cause the car to stall when in reverse and giving it some gas
 
The three pin neutral/park sw on the trans. Try screwing it in 1/4 turn.
 
It would be very helpful to know what engine is in your car and what if any changes or modifications have been made to give us a better idea of what could be causing the issue(s).
 
Probably 225 slant. Does it stall in reverse only, or also in drive? My first thought is the accelerator pump is not working, causing a lean out stall condition.
 
missing linc said:
Probably 225 slant. Does it stall in reverse only, or also in drive? My first thought is the accelerator pump is not working, causing a lean out stall condition.
Click to expand...
It’s a 330 didn’t proof read lol and yes only when it’s in reverse that it stalls out after shifting in reverse and giving it some gas
 
Yes, a common issue in all older cars (before ~2000) where the dash indicator is simply attached to the shifter. Later electronic displays are usually actual feedback from the transmission. Your only feedback is that NSS disables the starter circuit when not in P or N, that being "won't crank". Indeed, "no faint click from starter relay". When the relay does actuate, the downstream "contactor" within the starter makes a loud clunk and also moves the starter motor's pinion gear out to contact the teeth on the flexplate (or flywheel). When such recurs, try wiggling the shifter around "N" since you can go both directions there to hit the true "N" detent within the transmission. A common problem for owners of my 1985 M-B 300D since the plastic bushings in the shifter linkage fall apart to give slop.

I was once a bit embarrassed in 1994 when our 1965 Chrysler wouldn't start after church with several people watching me troubleshoot it in the parking lot. I had a multimeter and probed the terminals on the starter relay. Found the NSS wire wasn't grounded, as it should be when the transmission is in P or N. I thought "bad NSS?", but then peered in the cabin and found wifey who drove had left the shifter in "D". Everyone thought I was a genius to figure it out so quickly. Good we weren't parked on a hill, since I commonly find she also never sets the parking brake on most of our cars. She would be a true public menace if we lived in San Francisco. I am also emphatic that she align the stripes on the bathroom towels:

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top