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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => Engine/Drivetrain => Topic started by: team39763 on April 06, 2010, 10:56:00 am
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My wife was driving the dually and pulled into a gas station, when she came out the truck wouldn't start. All the lights work fine. When I turn the key the gauges move like they normally do when it starts, but there's no action from the starter. A local mechanic came by and said it's likely the neutral safety switch or the solenoid. He went under the truck and jumped the starter by hand. Does that mean the starter is still good and I should be looking at electrical/NSS? I know my wife was shifting into R and D (from P ofcourse) without really hitting the brake pedal, and the shifter/trans would clunk into gear a lot. Would that ruin the NSS?
The truck is a 94 C3500, is the NSS hard to replace if that's what's needed?
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I just got the NSS off the truck. It just looks old and dirty. How do you clock/calibrate these things? I've searched but I'm not finding any mention of how to set them correctly.
EDIT: I think I figured it out. We have a new one on the way. I tried to bypass the NSS but the truck still didn't do anything. If that doesn't work, I'm gonna inspect and clean the connections on the starter.
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It also could just be the starter if you bypassed the NSS and its still doesnt work. If my truck sits for a long time, I have to tap on the starter. Is it coated in oil?
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From what I can see from the top it doesn't look coated in oil, but I'll get a closer look in a few minutes. I'll try tapping the starter too.
EDIT: The new NSS didn't make a difference. I'm about to get under the truck and mess with the starter.
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Put the truck in Park. Take a test light to the S terminal on the solenoid. Hook the other end of your test light to ground. Have an assistant crank it. If it lights up replace it. If it doesn't light up check the ignition switch as those trucks like to kill ignition switches.
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I had the NSS go bad on a road trip
Pulled in for gas and the starter would not spin unless I jumped the solenoid
Bypassed the NSS with a paper clip in the plug to complete my trip
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I'll do the S terminal test this afternoon. Hopefully it is just the ignition switch rather than the starter.
I thought the NSS was gonna be in a hard place. I did a few google searches and it seemed to be giving people a lot of trouble(finding them and replacing them) on other models. Good thing it was just on the firewall and easy to bypass.
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Hopefully it is just the ignition switch rather than the starter.
Your starter should be good if the good samaritan mechanic came by and jumped the starter and sent you on your way. The bottom line is the starter is getting no signal to do anything. Could be the solenoid, could be the ignition switch. Your starter should be good from what i just read.
Besides, i think it is easier to replace a starter rather than an ignition switch.
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My wife went and bought the ignition switch and we installed it, but now we can't get the steering column back together. How do we get that lock ring back in the groove? We can't even get things compressed enough to see the groove. Is there a special procedure?
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Did you check it out or are you just throwing parts at it? Did you use a lockplate depressor? Did you replace the ignition cylinder or the ignition switch? ???
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Uh oh, they told my wife the ignition cylinder was the same thing as an ignition switch. NAPA convinced her that she needed the cylinder and that's what she brought me....if I didn't install it, she would have done it herself. I haven't tested the starter/solenoid yet because I just barely got my new floor jack this morning(truck was too low for my old jack). I'm headed out to do the S-terminal test in a few minutes.
Nope, we didn't use a lock plate depressor. Nobody within 100miles had one...or so they said(you know how these kids are at autozone).
EDIT: My wife just called and said she ordered the depressor tool and autozone will have it this afternoon aswell as a new ignition switch. I'm about to go do the test now...just waiting on my assistant.
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We did the s terminal test and we aren't getting power there. I have the lockplate tool and the new ignition switch. I'll try to get it done in the AM and report.
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I replaced the ignition switch, but it's still not starting. I'm gonna try the S-terminal test again. Maybe the wire to the starter broke...it was pulled pretty tight.
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OK, stop changing parts and re-check for B+ at the S terminal while cranking in park. report back.
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Better yet, I'm not going to be around tomorrow much so hope this helps:
(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y228/Sabaka454/team.gif)
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Thanks Vile.
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I did what it said except I used a test light. It lead me up to the point where it said replace the ignition switch(which is brand new). I think the brown wire to the starter is broken somewhere, because I can never get power at the end of it, only at the switch connector(I'm assuming it's the same brown wire going to the starter).
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are you ensuring someone is activating the ignition switch all the way? Not just key half on on ACC. Also make sure your meter ground is grounded good. If the wire is not getting the volts when key is turned all the way on, then try the same thing close to your ignition switch, but between the ignition switch and starter solenoid. Just stab the positive probe in the wire insulation and ground the other well.
that will narrow down if it is the wire or ignition switch.
You really should be getting the volts to the solenoid though. Do you keep extra starters and stuff for your truck? I have 2 starters, 2 alternators, 2 distributors, everything...thanks to a nearby salvage yard and cheap parts. The first thing i would've done is spend 15 minutes and replace the starter and solenoid with a spare and see what happens .
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I'm sure the key is all the way activited. We also tried using the ignition switch itself...no luck. A local mechanic told us it's probably the NSS out of adjustment. He said if I can get the steering wheel back on it, he'll take it to his shop and figure it out for us. I did try bypassing the NSS and we still couldn't get any power at the starter wire.
I think I will try to pick up a spare starter and alt.
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It turns out that it was the NSS. When I went online, Autozone had the wrong part listed as a neutral safety switch. We even told them over the phone and in person what we wanted...but they still gave us the reverse(?) switch or something. I just opened the box and found the item on the truck that looked similar and assumed I replaced the neutral safety switch(I know I'm a dummy). The local mechanic checked out the actual NSS and realized it hadn't been changed at all...he replaced it within a couple hours, fixed our burned starter wire, and drove the truck back to us. Thanks for all the help guys.