68 wont start with key

[Black68Charger]

I have not had this car going for 20 years so Im a bit rusty. I cannot get the car to start with the ignition switch. It will fire if you jump the poles on the selenoid. Is there a start wire that is supposed to be coming off the trans? Help.

 

[MarPar]

check your ballast resistor

 

[Black68Charger]

would the ballast keep it from cranking over?

 

[99ss]

There is a neutral safety switch yes. I cant remember if you by-pass it by jumping the solenoid

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would the ballast keep it from cranking over?

I think it cranks over but wont start when the resistor is bad.. or ay least that is one symptom.
My dad couldn't figure out why the car wouldn't start one day. Kept cranking over and as I remember maybe it would run for a half a second and then die. He had a friend come over and that's when I learned about the ballast resistor and Mopars....LOL think is was like 79

 

[Propwash]

My guess is either the wire off the Neutral safety switch is not hooked up to the starter relay, the neutral safety switch is shot or your starter relay (that you're crossing the poles on) is shot........Your car would have a single wire neutral safety switch located on the drivers side of the tranny, aft of the shift-kickdown linkage (auto).

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

Check that you have power to the ballast resistor in the crank & run positions with a test light.Also make sure the solonoid on the firewall has a good ground.

 

[Red63440]

If you take make a short wire and attach it to the terminal for the neutral safety switch on the solinoid and ground the other end to a good known ground and the car starts then you have a bad neutral safety switch in the transmission (be careful doing this, it will allow the car to be started in gear). If the car runs as long as the key is in the start position but stops when its in the run position then its a bad ballast resistor.

 

[daredevil]

ground the brown wire on the relay and try the key. If it starts its a bad neutral safety switch or it may be a improperly adjusted trans linkage.

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yeah what red said lol

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

Red,That would be a bad starter switch unless it's a double inet ballast resistor.

 

[Red63440]

Red,That would be a bad starter switch unless it's a double inet ballast resistor.

Nope....when I bought my 63 I found that the wire to the neutral safety switch had been grounded to the frame and it would start in any gear. I connceted it to the transmission and it wouldn't start at all until I installed a new neutral start switch. My comment on the ballast resistor was based on personal experience...several times BUT it was on my 71 Challenger.

 

[Black68Charger]

There is no wire from the trans switch to the selenoid. I will try grounding it and see if thats the cranking problem.

 

[Red63440]

Its the light brown wire on the left of the photo. You will not have this terminal if your car has a standard transmission.

 

[70rr-brian]

Red's right. I ran around that way for a year with a ground there. Not because my NSS was bad but because the rubber boot was hardened and kept falling off. Finally got a new one and removed the ground.

 

[Black68Charger]

I ran a wire from the trans switch to the ground terminal and boom, the car fires up with the switch. Thanks for the help guys.

 

[Red63440]

Glad I could help BUT make sure to remember that the car will now start in gear. Make up a new wire and get it connected to the transmission...please!

 

[Black68Charger]

I did, I ran it from the trans switch to the selenoid. so its safe Thanks again

 

[Red63440]

Great!!