hey everyone, i think ive got an gremlin in my starting system(67 dart gt, 225 auto), i had some issues not too long ago with it not starting, tried a different starter(put the mini back on when it was determined to be ok) reran some wires, new heavy gauge from battery to starter relay, replaced the fusible link not too long ago, also the wire that runs from the fusible link to the starter relay, replaced wire from the ceramic ballast resistor to the coil(positive terminal), replaced the ignition switch, replaced starter relay with one off of the 73 dart slant auto parts car we have, was working fine, i did all that like a month ago, and now its acting up again, it doesnt start by key about 95% of the time, if i put the key in the on position and make contact between the two top terminals on the starter relay it will start, if i do that with the key off then it just cranks, so that and the fact i jsut replaced the starter switch make me think that thats ok, also, sometimes it doesnt stay running right away because the carb isnt adjusted quite right, then if i try the key it will start most the time, so i figured, its something in the starter relay box thinger, so i put a new one on, brand new from napa, and it still does the same exact thing....
so now im confused and dont know what the problem is, also, when i turn the key and it doesnt start, the oil light kinda fades like its starting to start or trying to send current or something....
thanks!

Neutral Safety Switch bad or out of adjustment. Next time it won't crank, try shifting to Neutral (instead of Park) and trying again. If still no results, hold the key in the cranking position with your left hand and jiggle the shifter with your right. If you get any cranking at all, it's definitely an issue with the Neutral Safety Switch. If not, it still could be -- test by grounding the starter relay terminal that's normally wired to the Neutral Safety Switch.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

thanks for the lightning fast reply dan! i forgot that when i ran a new wire for the coil then the wire for the saftety switch looked a little iffy but it was already too late and i just wrapped it up, wasnt sure if you meant to ground where that wire hooks into the relay or the wire itself, so i tried both, i had already tried neutral and wiggling it, but retried while trying to crank and nothing, also nothing when i grounded those, look up the safety switch in my book, and it said to test it at the switch, which makes sense....so its probably the switch, and/or wire, so, ill put in an order at napa for a safety switch and rerun the wire, and update, should be in tomorrow, and hopefully i can replace that stuff after work(should be off around noon) thanks alot dan!

The oil light fading with the key turned could be an indication of a poorly grounded engine. How is the battery cable that runs to the engine block? How about the ground between the engine and the firewall? I ran a heavy gauge cable from the engine block to the K-member of my Dart to make sure the engine had a good ground.

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Joshua

i put on all new cables last summer, and i forgot to mention i also ran a new ground from the block to the firewall, heavy gauge stuff, it was a ground wire from a decent size amp install kit i got at work(out of a garbage can) ill check to make sure they havent come loose though, thanks for the input!
also, the guy at napa said he didnt see a neutral safety switch in his book until 69, he looked at it and said it has three prongs, which is what my book shows to be correct for mine, he said its the same one from 69 on, so i think it will work, i still wont get around to it until after work tomorrow, thanks!

Meant ground the relay terminal that normally has a wire on it running to the neutral safety switch. But if you didn't get any results, the NSS isn't at fault. NAPA will not be able to supply you with a new switch, anyhow; they dropped that particular switch years ago.

Next suspect: Battery cables, positive and negative.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

ok, i looked and i can only see one wire, granted, the 2 1/4 pipe kinda makes seeing that area a little tricky without putting it on ramps, also, that explains why the napa book doesnt have it, as mentioned above, i put on nice new cables fairly recently, but ill double check for corrosion, and connections, thanks guys!

double checked cables at battery, both are clean still from when i cleaned them a few days ago, redid them again, in and out, with a battery terminal brush, did both sides of the negative end where it bolts to the block, inside that hole, the bolt somewhat, i tried but it wouldnt clean up too much, and as far inside the hole as i could get the pointy wire brush from the batter brush, the washer on that bolt and the mounting surface, and still nothing, havent tried the wire at the starter yet, but it starts just fine when you jump the terminals at the starter relay, so i dont think its that, the ground wire at the firewall is very new too and should be fine, i didnt mess with it yet because its too darn hot, any input on what im not doing right here? thanks!

Nope, your '67 uses a single-pin neutral safety switch. That 3-pin switch started in '69, and is the oldest one NAPA currently offers, which is why he doesn't see a listing for older. Don't know what book you're looking in that shows a 3-pin switch in '67, but that is not correct.

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Battery cable suspicion wasn't so much dirty/corroded ends, as internally-broken strands. Probably not the case given your new data you've posted here.

Components to look at are:

Ignition switch

Wiring from ignition switch "start" contact to starter relay, including firewall/bulkhead connection for this wire

Starter relay

Wire from starter relay to single-pin Neutral Safety Switch

Neutral Safety Switch

Wire from starter relay to small starter terminal

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

thanks dan, im gonna go through this list and put what ive done so far on each one and you can see if i am getting this straight, ill put my replies in italics this should give me a check list when i get to work on it tomorrow, thank you very much for the info, oh, i tried to say that the info you gave me about the neutral safety switches made it make sense why they couldnt find it in their parts book, i reread my book and i cant find the diagram i was looking at before and the one for my car shows one wire, so i guess i cant read...thanks again!

well, i had to jump it to get to work, jump it to get home from work, then let it sit for a while while i started laundry and got cleaned up, then after a break i tried to start it, and it started, five times in row just fine, prolly the sixth but i didnt try it anymore, so, i dont know what to do, ill try again tomorrow and, hope it wont start so i can try some trouble shooting....