Early Torqueflite Cable Transmission

I think my cables are out of adjustment on my 65 300 tranny. Engine wont turn over, no power from the key position. If I turn the key to the on position and start the engine from the starter relay engine will start. If I put the car in gear the engine dies.

I bypassed the neutral safety switch to drive it to a tranny shop. Grounded out the spade where the brown neutral safety switch. Still does the same thing. Im thinking the cables are out of adjustment.

Anyone here familiar with the early cable shifted 727s?

Did this just start happening, you never mentioned it before today. Did you change anything to make this happen? When you drove to trans shop did you check all the gears, D N R? this will tell you if it is a shift out of adjustment or some thing else in the start circuit. FSM outlines how to adjust the cables. I can did it out if you need it.

The neutral switch will keep the starter from engaging while in gear. It should have no bearing whatsoever on whether it stays running after it is started.

Just so we're clear, shifter in P or N, no start as in the starter does not engage?

Is the neutral switch on the trans or in the shifter on those? IIRC some console shift cars had a switch on the shifter but I forget if it was neutral and backup lights or just backup lights.

If the trans responds to the positions on the shifter ie shifter is in Park, trans is in Park, shifter Reverse, trans Reverse etc, then I don't think your cables have an issue. They really have no reason to "go out of adjustment" if they were right to begin with.

Kevin

If you grounded the "G" spade terminal on the starter relay and the starter still won't engage off the key, there's something amiss in the wiring or the starter relay itself is bad.

Check to see if you're getting power to the yellow wire on the relay when the key is in the Start position.

Sounds like an ignition switch or blast resistor issue.

Ok, Started last week. Parked the car and put it in park. Park didn't engage and car started to roll. I hit the brake, the car stopped and I then shifted to 1st and then back to park. The shift indicator is off P, R, N, D, 2nd, 1st. The next day it started ok and drove it to the drug store. Came out and no start. No start from the ignition switch, only power to accessories and only clicking from the solenoid when I jumped the relay. Towed home

Today changed the starter, starter relay and positive battery cable. Cable was bad and the positive post on the starter was real loose.

No start from the ignition switch, with the ignition switch on jumped the starter relay, car starts. Go to put it in gear the starter dies.

Also, absolutely no power from the ignition switch, gauges, power windows etc.

I ordered a new ignition switch. Also the fuse box connections were corroded. Pulled all the fuses and cleaned that.

It think the shift cables are out of sync. The FSM says they need to be adjusted in order for the ignition system to be energized.

I had this same problem with my 64 Dart

The 1965 nuetral safety switch makes a ground connection to the starter relay when in nuetral and park only, it has nothing to do with the with the car running once it starts. The 1962,63 and 1964 push button shifters have to be in nuetral before the nueral safefty switch will ground the starter relay. IHTHs

Update... Had do go back and make some mental notes and it seems that this all started when I was pulling the wires attached to the starter relay. I went back and checked the bulkhead fittings and all seems tight. Since I was messing with the wiring going into the relay when I switched it out it appears the wiring going into the battery wire post on the relay, the fuseable link appears to maybe be the culprit. The end going into the battery post on the relay appears to be corroded. I'll pick up a new fusible link tomorrow and try that. Correct me if I'm wrong but It should be a 50 amp, 14 gauge fusible link. Also, since the ignition switch is over 50 years old I went ahead and changed that out with a new standard brand switch.

Just something to check, since you mentioned nothing seems to work ...

on an otherwise nice '66 300 HT I once had the main power connection at the bulkhead had fried internally, before I got the car, and why it had been parked.

A pretty simple fix, but the PO had given up and parked it, and it took my simple little mind a while to figure it out ...

might be worth your time to pull the connector apart and clean things up.

Nice convertible, one of the nicest cars I ever owned was a really clean nice '68 Newport convert.Should have never sold ... well you know how that line goes.

Thanks. When I get it running the bulkhead connections are next.

Update, replaced the fusible link and cleaned the wiring. Car still will not start at the keyed ignition switch. With the key in the on position I jumped the relay and the car started. Once the motor is warmed up I put it in gear and the motor dies. I did this with reverse, D, 2nd and 1st. Also dies in neutral. The contacts on the bulkhead fitting are cleaned and I put a dab of dielectric grease on the contacts. I'm now stumped on where to go next. All the wires that I've looked at are in good shape

If dying in neutral, what gear are you starting it in? Has to be in someplace when started.

Starts in park, when shifted elsewhere it dies ti include neutral

Does it just shut off like you turned off the key or does it seem to try to go into gear and stall the engine?

Just exploring the possibility of more than one problem here as unlikely as it might be. I'm thinking an internal torque converter issue as in it's locked up somehow. Engine will run in park but as soon as you pull it thru R on the way to N, R engages briefly, stalling the engine.

The no go from the key could still be a bulkhead connector problem. The one in my 66 is a little sketchy and will do the same thing.

What happens if you idle it up a bit, say 11-1200 RPM and then put it in gear?

Kevin

Well, I think I found the problem. Studying the wiring diagram I have on the computer I ended up printing a copy of the page that shows the engine compartment. Well, when I changed out the starter and cleaned the wiring I inadvertently switched the small red and brown wires to the starter. The brown is going to the main post while the red wire is going to the solenoid. OOPS!! I'll have to get back under there (on my old ass back) and fix that. That answers why the solenoid stays engaged. Sure miss having a lift at my disposal.

The other mystery is the battery wire coming off the starter switch. It shows as a J1 Red wire. I follow the diagram showing it ends at the bulkhead but when I go into the engine diagram the J1 Red wire is nowhere to be found.

Got er done. I did have the solenoid and battery wires crossed. It Looks like someone was in there before me because the wires were the incorrect gauge and color. Car wouldn't start via the key but I could here the tapping noise of the relay engaging. Took a looks at the starter switch connector. Several of the spades were pushed out so I took a small flat tip screwdriver and push them back in. Car now starts.

Thanks to all who provided suggestions or comment

My bad, thought you said the 64 and down push button trans

It's still cable shifted