Clutch Safety Start Switch dilemma

[got2haul]

A couple of weeks ago, my 1980 stepside stranded me for the first time in the 6 years that I’ve had it.  I had driven it earlier in the day, it sat out in the sun all day, and on the way home I decided to stop and get some gas (about 2 miles from my home).  I filled the tank and hopped back in.  Turned the key and… silence.  Dead silence.  No crank, no click.  Since the dash lights came on while key was turned to the start position, my first thought was the starter.  I had opened the hood to check the battery connections and a good person asked me if I needed a jump.  Although I thought it was likely the starter, I thought it’d be worth a try.  No change.  This reinforced my suspicion that it was likely the starter.  The gentleman that offered to jump me was kind enough to help me push it out of the gas pump stall and into a parking slot while I tried to jump start it along the way.  No luck – the truck was on level ground and we couldn’t get it going fast enough I guess.  I locked it and called my better half to come pick me up.  I dug out the tow bar and some tools and a fresh battery and drove back to the station to hook up the tow bar and bring it home.  Did I mention it was HOT out?  At least 140 degrees!

Once it was home, I tried tapping the starter solenoid and changing batteries to no avail.  I checked the hot line from the battery to the starter and had power at the starter.  I had my spousal unit turn the key to start with the clutch in while I checked the switched pole at the starter.  No power there.  Then I decided that since the key cylinder switch appeared to be working fine, it must be the ignition switch attached to the column.  I made plans to replace the switch and picked up the part at the nearby auto parts store, along with a new key cylinder because mine was sticking.

This past weekend I got started on it.  As I was working to lower the steering column, I noticed a connector with a purple and yellow wire hanging free.  While looking around under the dash to see what it should have been connected to I noticed the Clutch Safety Start Switch with no wires connected to it.  I also noticed while checking to see if the connector was the one that was supposed to be hooked to the switch, that the wires were short, the electrical connectors were dirty, and after checking the fit they didn’t stay tight on the Safety Start Switch.  Since the connector is not a snap-fit type, just a press-on connection, it occurred to me that the connector could have come off the switch while I was driving it home that day, and that could have caused the no-start situation.  Since I had the column lowered already and had the new ignition switch, I went ahead and replaced it.  I also cleaned the connections for the Safety Start Switch.  I got everything back together and reconnected the negative terminal on the battery.  I pushed in the clutch and turned the key with great anticipation.  Silence.   Same situation as before.   So I removed the Safety Start Switch thinking maybe the connector hadn’t come off the switch and the switch itself was the problem.  I went to the local parts store to get another one.  They list one for my truck, but don’t carry it.  I reinstalled the switch and made sure the connections were making contact.  I was able to crank the truck then (finally!), so the switch is OK.  I depressed the clutch pedal as far as I could by hand while watching the switch and could clearly see that besides the switch's plunger, the switch housing itself moves when the clutch is depressed, so the connection being loose like it is, I suspect it will come off again sometime in the future.

I realize I can bypass the switch in a couple of different ways, but I’d rather keep the switch installed and doing the job it was designed for if I can.  After rambling with all this background information, I’d like to get some feedback and what others would do or have done in this situation, either bypassing the switch or somehow fixing the connection so it’ll stay put.  Thanks.

[topp]

My thoughts on Clutch Safety switches is this- If people are too stupid to press the pedal down before starting the vehicle, they are too stupid to drive...

I'd jumper it and loose the switch.  Just another electronic point of failure.....

[jaredts]

My thoughts on Clutch Safety switches is this- If people are too stupid to press the pedal down before starting the vehicle, they are too stupid to drive...

I'd jumper it and loose the switch.  Just another electronic point of failure.....

I disagree.  The switch on the clutch pedal is an important safety feature.  You may never make the mistake but take it to a car wash, service shop, etc.  They start automatics all day and jump in yours without thinking, pin someone against a wall or kill them.  You will be liable.  As a young lad barely old enough to drive I worked at a car wash and did just this.  Jumped in a truck to pull it out of the building and the owner has bypassed the switch.  Turned the key without thinking and slammed the truck into a pressure washer, denting the hood.  Felt like a fool as I should have, but the owner put me in that situation.  Manual transmissions are even less popular today and it is more likely to happen.  Keep at it and fix it right.

[topp]

I disagree.  The switch on the clutch pedal is an important safety feature.  You may never make the mistake but take it to a car wash, service shop, etc.  They start automatics all day and jump in yours without thinking, pin someone against a wall or kill them.  You will be liable.  As a young lad barely old enough to drive I worked at a car wash and did just this.  Jumped in a truck to pull it out of the building and the owner has bypassed the switch.  Turned the key without thinking and slammed the truck into a pressure washer, denting the hood.  Felt like a fool as I should have, but the owner put me in that situation.  Manual transmissions are even less popular today and it is more likely to happen.  Keep at it and fix it right.

"Manual transmissions are even less popular today"  There is the problem....  For 70 years cars with clutches had NO safety switch..
"They start automatics all day and jump in yours without thinking, pin someone against a wall or kill them.  You will be liable."-  Untrue.  Valets( car washes, parking, dealerships) are required to know how to drive automatics AND stick.  There are tens of thousands of vehicles on the roads with clutches and no safety switches.
The bottom line is (just like a firearm), Always treat it like it's in Gear (loaded).  The "safety" resides between your two ears.

[zieg85]

For what it's worth my 85 C20 hasn't been hooked up since I have had it.  I guess it never occurred to me of being a safety concern but I have had stick shifts since I could drive and the early vehicles never had them as mentioned already.

[jaredts]

I disagree.  The switch on the clutch pedal is an important safety feature.  You may never make the mistake but take it to a car wash, service shop, etc.  They start automatics all day and jump in yours without thinking, pin someone against a wall or kill them.  You will be liable.  As a young lad barely old enough to drive I worked at a car wash and did just this.  Jumped in a truck to pull it out of the building and the owner has bypassed the switch.  Turned the key without thinking and slammed the truck into a pressure washer, denting the hood.  Felt like a fool as I should have, but the owner put me in that situation.  Manual transmissions are even less popular today and it is more likely to happen.  Keep at it and fix it right.

"Manual transmissions are even less popular today"  There is the problem....  For 70 years cars with clutches had NO safety switch..
"They start automatics all day and jump in yours without thinking, pin someone against a wall or kill them.  You will be liable."-  Untrue.  Valets( car washes, parking, dealerships) are required to know how to drive automatics AND stick.  There are tens of thousands of vehicles on the roads with clutches and no safety switches.
The bottom line is (just like a firearm), Always treat it like it's in Gear (loaded).  The "safety" resides between your two ears.

There is a difference between a vehicle made without a safety feature and an owner that disables one.  I guarantee if it caused some kind of accident you'd be in hot water for disabling it.

[1980c10]

You could also remove your seatbelts and just not get into accidents.

[Blazin]

Every standard rig I buy that has one, the first thing I do is bypass it. Even if it is still in working order. Same goes for my automatic 95 Camaro. You don't have to step on the brake anymore to take it out of park!
Door, and seat belt buzzers are removed from my rigs too.

[Irish_Alley]

The bottom line is (just like a firearm), Always treat it like it's in Gear (loaded).  The "safety" resides between your two ears.

true but if lets say someone without safety between the ears jumps in your truck and kills you cause they didnt think about it being a stick and in gear. i for one always if i can leave my truck out of gear unless there is any type of hill (one good thing about being in Maryland and Delaware pretty flat) but i always move the shifter to make sure its out of gear even when im at stop light i will pop it out of gear and just shake the shifter till the light turns green then put it back in gear. but that might be because i have a bad knee and its my left one if i hold a clutch in to long it will start to shake and fatigue real fast.

[Blazin]

Only people aloud behind the wheel of anything I own have a brain in their head.I always park my personal vehicles in reverse gear. Chances are 99% of the time I will be the only one getting in it the next time. As far as medium and heavy dutytruck, especially with air systems / brakes those are always left in neutral. In the event that they are partial, or totally air shifted you would not be able to get them out of gear if they have leaked down over time for one. the other thing is if they happen to have an air clutch they would not work if low air in tanks.

[got2haul]

Since I've owned the truck, except for some work I had done on it at a radiator shop, I'm the only one who has driven it.  I always park it in reverse gear, even if I will be pulling straight forward upon departure.  Some of the points brought up here cause me to consider what happens to the truck once I'm gone -- particularly if my kids or grandkids decide they want it.  If I disabled the switch, I could tell them now that it's disabled, but would they remember it in the future?  For that matter, as I get older would I remember that it's disabled?

I've thought of a solution that would allow me to keep it working without worry over it coming loose again.  I can make a pair of short extension wires (about 6 inches in length ought to do it) with the connector at one end and spades at the other that allows me to cable-tie the connection to the switch so it wouldn't have a chance of coming loose.  In this case I would also be able to easily disconnect it from the harness when I need to move it out of the way to work on something under the dash.

Anyone happen to know what gauge the wire is that's used for these switches?

[Grim 82]

So what exactly is the problem, the mounting tab for the switch, or the electrical plug is just loose?

Yeah, accidents only happen to stupid people 

[got2haul]

So what exactly is the problem, the mounting tab for the switch, or the electrical plug is just loose?

The electrical connector is loose.

[roger97338]

You could wire it to a momentary on/off switch, and mount the switch someplace out of sight under the edge of the dash. Then, you have a little added theft prevention, too.