Duster clutch safety switch issue

[Ken71Twister]

For years my clutch has needed to be up about an inch for the car to start. The safety switch is difficult to reach. Does anyone know what needs to be done to fix this? (It’s a nice theft proof feature but I worry about the day that it won’t start at all).

 

[BrianT]

Following. My switch is similar but has to be ALL THE WAY to the floor before it will turn over, and sometimes not even then.

 

[Ken71Twister]

If I don’t find a reasonably easy way to adjust this to where it will start when fully depressed - I’ll need to be prepared to by-pass the safety switch. I recall that my Dad’s 55 Chevy didn’t have this safety feature and nothing bad happened. I might just disable it since I’m the only person driving the car.

 

[moparlvr166]

Don't bypass it, work on getting the proper information to make it work correctly. It only takes one bad outcome to rethink your last statement that we have all said.

 

[72bluNblu]

The switch just works off of a wire lever. And the switch housing itself should rotate a little where it’s mounted, so one way or another you should be able to tweak it so it activates the switch at the right pedal height. This is the lever highlighted here (not my picture, just grabbed it from eBay)



And the switch

As for the safety of it, it just replaces the need to remember to check for neutral before you start the car. Which is something you should do anyway. So I don’t see it as some massively important safety feature. I’m in the habit of rattling the shifter to check for neutral first, so the CSS is wholly redundant (I also have older cars without one).

And as an anti-theft feature I don’t see that at all. Most manual cars more modern than these have them, so anyone that can drive a stick to begin with isn’t going to be fooled by a clutch safety switch. And if they can’t drive a manual already then the stick shift would be a bigger obstacle.

 

[dadsbee]

69 didn't have one... Ground the solenoid spade and carry on. Push the clutch in and hit the key..

 

[TF360]

Think about accidentally turning the car over in gear and it jumping forward to hit something or someone. Just fix it. It appears you can manipulate that little wire bar. My 4-speed has been working properly for 40 years. Never touched it

 

[72bluNblu]

Think about accidentally turning the car over in gear and it jumping forward to hit something or someone. Just fix it. It appears you can manipulate that little wire bar. My 4-speed has been working properly for 40 years. Never touched it

This is impossible if the car is in neutral, because you checked it before you turned the car over.

Relying on the CSS does not solve the problem, because if the transmission is not in neutral and you let the clutch out thinking it is you not only jump forward with the starter, you go forward (or backward) under power, which is even more dangerous.

Just check neutral before you start the car and it will never be an issue. You still have to check neutral before you let the clutch out, just do it right the first time.

 

[Ken71Twister]

The switch just works off of a wire lever. And the switch housing itself should rotate a little where it’s mounted, so one way or another you should be able to tweak it so it activates the switch at the right pedal height. This is the lever highlighted here (not my picture, just grabbed it from eBay)

View attachment 1716222900

And the switch
View attachment 1716222922

As for the safety of it, it just replaces the need to remember to check for neutral before you start the car. Which is something you should do anyway. So I don’t see it as some massively important safety feature. I’m in the habit of rattling the shifter to check for neutral first, so the CSS is wholly redundant (I also have older cars without one).

And as an anti-theft feature I don’t see that at all. Most manual cars more modern than these have them, so anyone that can drive a stick to begin with isn’t going to be fooled by a clutch safety switch. And if they can’t drive a manual already then the stick shift would be a bigger obstacle.

My reference to anti-theft is that when someone unfamiliar with the car pushes the clutch down - it won’t crank. You have to know to let the clutch pedal up a bit before it will crank.

 

[Ken71Twister]

Maybe these photos will help. I’ll try standing on my head again to see if I can tell how/where the switch is bolted in place. It’s a poor excuse…but wearing glasses makes it tough to see what I’m doing in that tight (and upside down) situation.