C4 Neutral start switch

Discussion in 'Transmissions' started by Ronald Hopkins, Jan 10, 2021.

  1. Ronald Hopkins

    Ronald Hopkins Member Supporting Member

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    My 72 Comet has a neutral safety switch that has 2 wiring connectors coming from it. Does any one know what these plug into? Is there a jumper harness that goes to the steering column? Switch is an 1148 in the Auto Krafters catalog.
     
  2. Craig Selvey

    Craig Selvey Indiana State Rep - MCCI

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    This is a wiring harness that goes from the neutral safety switch mounted on the side of a C4 automatic transmission....up thru the firewall and plugs in at the bottom of the steering column. It is a kind of "extension" harness that takes up the slack from a column mounted neutral safety harness to the transmission mounted one. This is on a 1972.

    floor shift wiring harness.jpg
     
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  3. Ronald Hopkins

    Ronald Hopkins Member Supporting Member

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    Is that the one for a floor shifter. My neutral switch has two plugs on it. Do you know what the other plugs into? Do you have that harness for sale or do you know where to get one? Should my Comet have a neutral switch with one plug on it? I looked on Auto Krafters web site and it shows one, switch part number SW1148.
     
  4. Krazy Comet

    Krazy Comet Tom

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    AFAIK neutral safety switches always have four wires(some console shifter sw have five). Two for the neutral safety & two for reverse lights. Generally they have a four connector plug, though possibly some have a pair of two.

    Lemme see what Ford Master Parts says.
     
  5. Ronald Hopkins

    Ronald Hopkins Member Supporting Member

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    Thank you. Could you look on Auto Krafters web site and look at a SW1148? That's what I have. I've been trying to solve this problem for years. Car starts in gear and no backup lights
     
  6. Krazy Comet

    Krazy Comet Tom

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  7. Ronald Hopkins

    Ronald Hopkins Member Supporting Member

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    My Comet has a date of manufacture date of 02/72. I looked in Melvins and they have the switch listed as a SW1615. It has 2 large plugs. I have tried looking up a wiring schematic but no luck, Thank you for your help.
     
  8. Krazy Comet

    Krazy Comet Tom

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    There's no doubt a plug somewhere in dash, that in your car has been jumpered out(or possibly at transmission plug?). There are differences in my parts '71, neutral sw wiring feeds to center of firewall behind engine, while I believe my '72 feeds through floor at side of transmission hump.
    Pulling it apart probably next month.

    Referring to the '72 wiring diagram, originally there was/is a four connection plug. Starter circuit is a pair of red/blue wires, These jumped together would allow start in any gear. Backup lights are white/pink & black/pink.... Black/pink feeds to backup lamps so white/pink would be the hot feed from fuse panel.
     
  9. Ronald Hopkins

    Ronald Hopkins Member Supporting Member

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    Thank you for all your help.
     
  10. Craig Selvey

    Craig Selvey Indiana State Rep - MCCI

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    Yes, this is the harness for a floor shift Maverick and is installed on my orange 1972 Grabber. I do not have any harnesses like that for sale.

    I would think your car should only have one (4) prong plug, like my car. The other small single prong plug on my harness is for the instrument light inside the shifter.

    Do you have the harness on your car that looks like the one I posted a picture of?
     
  11. Ronald Hopkins

    Ronald Hopkins Member Supporting Member

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    No if I do I haven't found it yet. The neutral safety switch was in the car and I am the second owner. The body is originally a 2door sedan not a Comet GT. So I guess it is actually a GT clone. The transmission is the original for the 2dr. I had the transmission rebuilt with a shift kit, Kevlar bands and clutches with a higher stall converter. I had an original GT parts car and used all the parts except the body. So the neutral switch is the one that was on the transmission. The Neutral safety switch has two plugs on it. It has never worked since the transmission was installed. do you think I should get a switch with one plug and keep trying to find the correct harness. Sorry for the long post. Thanks for your help.
     
  12. jasonwthompson

    jasonwthompson Member

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    On some of these cars, is the neutral safety switch at the base of the steering column inside the car?
     
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  13. Ronald Hopkins

    Ronald Hopkins Member Supporting Member

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    Could be that the column shift cars were in that position.
     
  14. jasonwthompson

    jasonwthompson Member

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    That is what I was wondering. My 72 was converted from column to floor and the switch is at the base of the column inside the car. That is why I needed the dual ear lever on the transmission. One ear connects to the shifter and the other ear connects to the column so that it still rotates when the floor shifter is actuated.
     
  15. Krazy Comet

    Krazy Comet Tom

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    Ahhh the pieces are fitting together, had my '72 out yesterday, found it does have the switch on column. The '72 wiring diagram is no doubt incorrect(at least for later '72). My car has a six wire plug that connects directly from dash harness to column switch. Apparently the harness Craig pictured connects transmission switch to the dash harness(he knew that, rest of us are a little slow).

    The dash harness on my '71 GT feeds through firewall into engine compartment, used a four wire plug. I'll have to check to see if switch has a pigtail long enough to reach connector, I'll guess it's comprised of a extension harness.
     
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