# wiring... where to start?



## Inda_bebe (Sep 11, 2011)

just bought a 68 tempest w/ a 400 in it. hasnt been started since the late 90's. so i removed the plugs and lubricated w/ some oil everyday and turned the motor over by hand everyday for a week. replaced the hoses and installed a battery. turned on the car and electrical seems fine, but when i try to start the engine, nothing happens. 

anyone know what the next step is? or what garages usually charge to wire it up?


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

May be the neutral safety switch on the steering column. Try moving the shifter while you have the key in the crank position. Try to crank the car in neutral.


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## jmt455 (Mar 26, 2012)

It's time to go "Back to Basics".
The engine needs fuel, air and spark to run.

Air is pretty simple; as long as there is no blockage of the carburetor venturis, you should be OK.

I've never seen a carb work properly after sitting for several years, so I would start by verifying that fuel is being delivered to the engine. I would pour a small amount of gas (only a tablespoon or 2) down the throat of the carb and see if it sputters or tries to start when you crank it over. If it acts like it wants to start with a little fuel poured in the carb, you know the fuel system is not working properly. The problem could be with the fuel tank, sending unit, fuel lines, fuel pump, fuel filter, carb OR any combination of the above. 

First, verify that there is fuel being delivered to the engine by watching the primary fuel nozzles as you work the throttle. You should see a steady stream of fuel in each on the primary (front, smaller diameter) venturies as you move the throttle from idle to wide open. If you don't see the fuel stream when you work the throttle, start working back through the fuel system to find the problem.

For something that has been sitting that long, I would pull the fuel tank, replace the flexible lines, clean out the fuel tank and all hard lines, then check fuel pump output. If that's all OK, it's time to go after the carb. A professional rebuild is probably the quickest way to go if you're not comfortable with carb rebuilding. There are members on this forum who can do it for you...search for Qjet rebuild or carb rebuild.

If you have fuel but it doesn't want to start, you'll need to verify that you have spark. If you don't have a spark tester, you can pull the spark plug wire from the plug and check for spark by placing the wire close to the block while cranking the engine. I find it easiest to stick the small spring adapter from a timing light in the plug connector so you can easily see what is happening. A strong spark should be blue in color. 

Careful; if you zap yourself, you'll feel it.

HTH.


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## Inda_bebe (Sep 11, 2011)

thanks for the reply guys. while i was waiting for some replies, i pulled out the starter and checked to see if it works and its fine, opened the distributor cap and it sparks. looked under the car and there isnt a neutral saftey switch. so i hooked the starter back up and turned the ignition and the starter isnt cranking. 

so, im thinking its a wire in the ignition or something. now i gotta go online and look for a wiring diagram for that. too many cut off wires under this hood.


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## jmt455 (Mar 26, 2012)

I agree with 05GTO; it sounds like the neutral safety switch is open.

On column-shift automatics, the neutral safety switch is mounted to the top of the steering column housing, under the dash, near the firewall.

On floor shift automatics (PowerGlide, THM350 and THM400), the neutral safety switch is mounted to the shifter frame.

On manual transmission cars, the neutral safety switch is mounted to the clutch/brake pedal pivot bracket.

In all cases, when you turn the ignition switch to the START position, power flows from the Red wire on the starter solenoid to the Black & double red stripe (BAT) terminal on the ignition switch, through the switch to the solenoid (SOL) and Ignition 2 (IGN 2) terminals on the ignition switch. From the SOL terminal, a PURPLE wire feeds 12V through the Neutral Safety switch, then to the "S" terminal on the solenoid. From the IGN 2 terminal, a yellow wire carries full 12V to the Black/yellow stripe wire on the coil.

Here are the 4 pages of wiring diagrams from the service manual:


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## Inda_bebe (Sep 11, 2011)

thanks a lot for the scans. i think it was originally a column shift converted to a floor shifter. so i gotta look for the NSS. ill start to tear it down in the morning. ill keep an update. thanks guys


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## 05GTO (Oct 6, 2004)

See if the starter will turn the engine over by applying 12 volts to the "S" terminal on the starter. If the car turns over that will verify the starter safety circuit is the problem.


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## Inda_bebe (Sep 11, 2011)

thanks a bunch for the diagram scan. that thing helped big time. i ended up buying a used stock wiring harness and hooked everything up and the motor started cranking. NOW, i gotta buy 20 feet of 0 gauge positive cable cause the guy relocated the battery to the trunk using 2 sets of jumper cables and it didnt provide enough juice.


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## jmt455 (Mar 26, 2012)

Great progress!!


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