neutral safety switch necessary???

You won't pass a NHRA safety inspection without one. Do your self a favor and install one. Life will be so much easier.

 

Cool I didn't even see #34 that explains it well, musta been tired this evening thanks guys-

 

My O/T DD you have to have your foot on the brake to start it.

I'm thinking about wiring the neutral safety switch up so the brake pedal has to be pressed as well.

It's 3 am and I can't remember how the wiring goes to know if it's possible, but I've had worse ideas.

 

I find it hard to believe that anyone would need to ask this question.

 

Consider the liability issue. Nothing is 100% certain and there will always be a remote possibility that an accident could occur. If it did, and if there was even a miniscule chance the switch MIGHT have played a part in it, the lawyers will hand you your ass on a plate for your "negligence", which is how they will frame it.
Ask me how I know. I went through something similiar some years ago when I had to defend myself against the lawyer representing a guy who had crossed the centerline and plowed into me, practically head on. They tried to insinuate my vehicle "may" have had mechanical issues that "may" have been a factor in the accident once they found out I did all the mechanical work on my car. In the end it went nowhere but not before I had to jump through their hoops and endure a heap of unwanted stress.
Hook it up and forget about it.

 

Everyone says it's stupid not to use it.
I think you must be a little stupid to rely on one.
I'm bright enough, I don't need one.
You probably are too.

 

I 'm an ol' auto sparky, and they're known as an inhibitor switch here down under.."start" signal comes from the ign key to the switch, contacts only allow voltage through to the starter solenoid if the vehicle is in Park or neutral.
"Ignition on" signal goes to the 2nd set of contacts, so when you select reverse, the lights come on.
Some manual vehicles and tractors also have this switch on the clutch pedal, so no starty-starty unless the clutch pedal is pushed, too.
Should be on all vehicles, as there are some dumb drivers out there, thats for sure.

 

I spent the day yesterday fabricating brackets and a cam to instal a neutral safety switch on a car that I am wiring for a customer. I made it so that it attaches directly to the arm on the transmission. The old ratchet shifter is so worn, that even if I could find a switch that mounted on the shifter, I know it would not work right. So I bought a switch and made the whole thing. I donated a days work to the customer because I will not wire a car that does not have this switch. It turned out great but no one will ever see it.

John

 

I was thinking the same thing. Many of us will work around something that we should have on the car and live with it. But someone else taking the wheel... surprise! They're easy enough to hook up.

Bob

 

You are PRECISELY the egomaniacal, narcissistic personality that puts others at risk..........grow up!

Ray

 

Famous Last Words.....right after he says,, "watch this..eh hold my beer"



screetch...Wham!

than the angy mob appears...hope you got excellent insurance...'cause yer gonna need it

and a good health and medical policy

 

I am definately hooking mine up, it is a simple switch to wire no reason to not use it.

By the way my wifes OT car will not turn over without the the brake pedal being pushed also.

Someone mentioned above that no auto tranny cars had to do that but they were wrong.

 

15 +/- years ago I built the hiboy in the picture. I figured I was smart enough to not use a switch. At a small local cruise I was getting ready to go home. The car had a small crowd around it as it was fresh at the time. I got in, fired it up in gear, jumped the curbing, broke a lower front coilover shock mount (beer was involved). Car went home on the trailer. I'll never have another car without a neutral saftey switch.

 

Yep...EVERYONE says it's stupid not to use it. Except you?

 

About a year and a half ago I was at a local paint shop and they were repainting a lincoln zephyr that was wired without a neutral safety switch. After the initial painting it went to the upholstery shop where it got started in gear and ran right into a work bench head-on. A neutral safety switch is a pretty small thing (both size of job and investment) to skimp on for what it provides.

 

install one for safety and peace of mind--never know who might need to start the car--we were on an extended cruise and one of the cars did not have a switch--started it a few times in gear--no one seriously hurt but everyone stayed far away from that car--also at a large show recently, a lady started a bucket with a big motor and no switch-it took off in reverse and smashed a really nice custom-luckily no one was hurt but the damage to both cars was substantial

 

True, I was also thinking NSRA safety inspection, also most race tracks will shut you down right in the tech inspection lane if you don't have one.

That includes casual street legal run what you drove events or bracket racing etc.

 

I'm with Beaner and Metal Shapes on this. If you grew up aware of your actions in a vehicle, YOU don't need this.

But there is always the chance someone else will reach in the window and off it goes.

Maybe what you all need is a switch in the seat cushion.

 

OK so there have been a lot of good arguments for the neutral safety switch.
They all have to do with operator error, either because the operator is or was impaired or just didn't know to check if the car was in gear or not.

Someone named one car that had a neutral switch in '49 not like it was every car built before '50 as was implied. But we do know that Pontiac had a starter switch and a neutral switch. Funny thing is that I had a '58 Buick that had a neutral switch but I was still taught to check if my car was in gear before I tried to start it.

Then there is the argument that someone else is going to be driving your car, I'm glad you all are so generous I'll meet you all at the HAMB Drags next year.

The truth is that from most of the responses many of you do need a switch and also a impairment lockout as is required by some states after you receive a DUI conviction.

I don't personally see the need for a switch, but I do know that I am very pleased that many of you do see that need. I also now know at least some of you whom I should park near at a cruise or let my family be near to when you are driving as many of you have admitted that your accident without the switch is caused by you inability to pay attention to what you are doing when behind the wheel. I do applaud your honesty.

Wire up the switch don't bother learning how to drive.

OH BTW I have an older truck that I am getting ready to get on the road I'm wondering do I need Blue Tooth? What about seat belts, should I put one of those saftey switches on the belt like they used in the early '70s so I don't frget to latch my seatbelt, and what about an airbag?

 

Well, my car doesn't have a choke... so even if I make sure that it's in park when I first start it, it tends to die several times when I put it in gear. Going through this process several times lends itself to not always putting the car back in park. Ask me how I know... put the switch in! I know, I need to do the same...

 

The neutral safety switch has nothing at all to do with learning how to drive.

I'm always amused when people mention things like that. It is easy to make a mistake no matter how smart or how good a driver you may be.

Why risk not having a simple device that stops a car from starting while in gear ?

How many of the so called (self titled mostly) good drivers have leaned in to the car and turned the key to fire it up without being seated in the car ? Why risk it taking off because of a simple error, yours or someone elses ?

Learn how to drive That's a good one.

This is from the NHRA rules : Neutral safety switch (again, if using a factory shifter, this should be already installed. Aftermarket shifters will require wiring this in).

But in many of the posts saying they are not needed, the posters are obviously smarter than all the rest of the population including the race sanctioning bodies, the NSRA safety inspectors as well as the engineers who designed the device in the first place

 

Never thought they were needed until I was about 16 and friend started his Camaro in gear while I was standing in front of it with another car about 4 feet behind me. It jumped forward about a foot or so and he was able to stop it before it pinned me between the two bumpers. everything has had one for 30+ years.
I was working on a boat (BBC 420 hp) once after the owner had tried unsuccessfully to start it for several hours. I put my jumper wire and starter button on it to hotwire it and bumped it over to check connections, when I did it fired up in gear at full throttle. I pulled my wires and stopped it but the damage was done, the two broken pilings it was tied to. I looked at it again and nothing was out of place but when I pulled the flame arrester (air cleaner) I found an adjustable wrench shoved into the secondaries holding them open. I asked the owner and he admitted to putting the wrench "in the choke" because he thought it was flooded and he played with the cables because it didn't shift right.

 

agree that Kramer, #34, answers the question best with a helpful diagram on how to make sure things are wired correctly for the absolutely needed safety switch.

 

Yeah, we get it...

The switch can catch you from making one of the mistakes you can make around a car ( because it seems that all the examples in this Thread were of somebody making one or more mistakes )

I personally thought they were as usefull as a Warning Sticker on a fanshroud ( I think I can figure out not to stick my fingers in a turning fan...)

But you guys have convinced me, I'll wire one in next time I re-do my Truck.

( I'm starting to understand why so many people get shot with "unloaded" guns...)

 

MR Shaes,
One of the HAMBers I don't recall who always says that stupidity should hurt.

I could go off on a rant here, but I'll save it for the school board.

 

Pork'n'Beaner:

Even smart and well trained people make mistakes which is why the term "fail-safe" exists as well as the variations "idiot-proof" and "no-brainer". A neutral safety switch is a smart thing to have and conversely, a dumb thing to not have.

This is NOT an example of the Nanny State taking away your freedom to be a dumb-ass and it's not an example of your individual responsibility to get your ass sued off in court.

 

the problem begins with the fact that we all drive later model cars all the time & they all have neutural safety switches so wheather we admit it or not most of the time we are relieing on the switch & then you get into your car (hot rod ) without one & you just simply from habit forget & thats when the accident happens. Wire one in wheather your an auto or manual guy .

 

Allright...

I think its all been said, many times over.

Put one in.

Wire it up.

Make sure it works.



And now we can go back to Trad Hot Rods & Customs.