Help - 1970 Barracuda won't start suddenly

I drove the car the other night backed it in the garage went to drive it again and it won't crank over. I have power to the starter relay when I turn the ignition to the start position. When I jump I starter at the relay the starter engages. I figured the starter relay must be bad. I had a spare on the shelf so I swapped it out and still nothing. Could I have 2 bad starter relays??? What else should I check???

If it's an auto then check the neutral saftey switch to see if it's still plugged in. It's on the drivers side of the trans three prong connector. Easy way to see if the linkage is out of adjustment is hold the key in the start position and gently move the shifter between park and neutral with your foot on the brake.

Its an auto I will check it.

Ground the relay. See if your car starts.
Disconnect the transmission safety switch wire on the relay. I think it is the brown wire for an automatic transmission (green wire in my picture for manual). Ground terminal. If it starts, then the relay functions correctly. The problem can be in the neutral safety switch itself, or the wire from the transmission to relay.
Or, the plug came loose.

The neutral safety switch in the trans just creates a ground when in Park or Neutral. Just like the clutch switch creates a ground when clutch pedal is depressed (green wire in my picture).

What Stump & Cudaized said, you have fire to the starter relay "ign" terminal when the key is turned to start. The starter relay is new & unlikely that this new piece is bad as it is a simple trouble free device. That only leaves why the "grn" terminal ain't being grounded to allow it to complete the circuit (to crank) in park or neutral

Check the small wire going to the starter stud.They have a habit of coming loose after time.Just had a no crank problem with the 65.It was the small wire to the starter.It was a bit loose after 14 years.Rocky

I just went though this with my pick-up.
Turned out the connector to the relay had corrosion inside it.
Just a thought.

I grounded the relay to get it going for now. I swapped out the NSS this am and it still didn't work. I will figure it out this winter.

There's an open between the "grn" terminal on the starter relay that you grounded and the NSS switch on the side of the trans case. I dont think there's anything that could change on the rooster comb inside the trans that could keep the NSS from being grounded in park/neutral (was the protrusion of the NSS contact the same as the old one & if a gasket is used is it the same thickness as the old one?) but I would put it in park & see if you have continuity between the center NSS terminal & the trans case & assuming you are good there then get after the wiring

Did you do the linkage adjustment test?

I will be spending some time on it tomorrow. I took it for a ride yesterday and I suddenly have a loud ticking on the passenger side and oil spraying out of the exhaust on that side now. I think I have bigger problems to deal with now.....off comes the valve cover in the morning.

Did you check to make sure the NSS switch was grounded when in N & P? Also what you have is a no crank not a no start.Rocky

Well spent some time with the car but didn't do much with the NSS issue. Both exhausts are now blowing oil. Compression tests shows 7 cylinders at 90-95psi and 1 at 55-60psi. I think its time to do that 340 upgrade now. Once it's out and I throw that horrible B&M shifter away and go back to a stock setup I'm sure my NSS issues will be sort out as well.

So you went from a drive at night to a wont start into an engine blowing smoke...all in one week..

Quote:

---

So you went from a drive at night to a wont start into an engine blowing smoke...all in one week..

---

Yes...I bought the car recently its a 70 Barracuda Vert. It had an amateur restoration 15-20 years ago and sat until recently. The guy I bought it from got it running & driving. I changed the fluids did a couple of things and put it on the road knowing I was going to go through it eventually. I was just trying to get a couple months of fun out of it but I guess it's not in the cards. I will get it all sorted out this winter.