jrcpi999

Hello everyone. I hope this is the correct place to post this.

I am restoring a 71 Cutlass S for my dad and cannot get power from the ignition to the starter to start the car and cannot get the key in the lock position to cut power to the car. He gutted this himself 15 years ago so I have been using the original wiring diagram to wire the entire car. He did send me new wiring harnesses for the engine bay and all lights but not the interior. I do have power coming to the fuse block and all the lights, heater....etc working. I also have power to the neutral safety switch on the column under the dash. But I do not have the console or the original shifter. He installed a B&M and the switch is not wired nor does it have wires. The only connector I see is one with a black/white stripe, grey, and yellow wires I think go to the original console. I also have a connector hanging under the dash near the column with an orange and pink wire. Are either of these for the neutral switch somehow going to the shifter or something under the dash? I cant find either of these in the wiring diagram.

I hope someone can help as I have tried everything to get the car to crank over.

Thank you

Vintage Chief

If you have the original wiring diagram to wire the entire car, the original wiring diagram demonstrates the pink wire & orange wire arising from the engine & dash connector plug. The pink is IGN Starter SW, the orange is always hot and feeds several lighting assemblies (CLK, LTR, CTSY, GLOVE BOX, MAP SW, TRUNK LID, etc.). I'm looking at both the V8 & L6 '71 wiring diagrams and there appears no delta between the two regarding the pink and orange wires.

jrcpi999

Thank you. That is what I am trying to figure out. I was following those but cant find a place for this connector to go. It's a blade style with the 2 wires about an inch apart. I was wondering if there is some part of the wiring I am missing or if there is somewhere under the dash where it plugs in. Didnt mean to say I cant find them.....more cant find where they connect to.

Vintage Chief

BTW, the IGNITION COIL wire comes form the IGNITION COIL and leads into the engine & dash connector plug. This wire is color coded 20 (gauge) BLACK PINK PR. (hatched black on pink) - this is your IGN COIL resistance wire. On the opposite side of this engine & dash connector plug (the output side of the IGN COIL resistance wire) will be the pink wire which leads to the IGN SW.

There is a difference between the L6 & the V8 wiring regarding the pink wire. So, my apologies - there is a difference in the pink wires between the L6 & the V8.

Is your Cutlass S an L6 or a V8?

jrcpi999

It is an original V8 car. I just cant get the power to the starter to crank the motor. I'm assuming the car thinks it is in gear because I am either missing something or dont have something plugged it. Thanks for the help. I've been at this for about a month trying to get it to crank.

Vintage Chief

Do you have the original wiring diagram as you said or not?

jrcpi999

Yes. I have been looking at the "A body V8" wiring. I'm just not that great at figuring out how they connect.

Vintage Chief

Note the two wires from the IGN COIL - one yellow and one the cross-hatched black on pink - the yellow wire runs from IGN COIL to starter solenoid. The cross-hatched black on pink runs from the IGN COIL to the engine & dash connector plug.

Vintage Chief

You see where the pink wire goes to the IGN SW? It also has a couple branches - Backup Light, Transmission SW & Parking & Low Brake Warning.

jrcpi999

Yes. And I do have the yellow going to the positive side if the coil. The other goes into the harness and then pink. I have followed it into the car. I did check voltage at the connector hanging but dont remember which side had power when the key was on. I think the pink wire did. Sorry as I am work and not in front of the car. I can answer more in 2 hours when I am home if it helps.

jrcpi999

The trans switch is the only one I can find that has a pink and orange connector. If that is where the connector I am talking about plugs into, I honestly dont know what the trans switch is or where located since I dont have the console or the original shifter. And thanks for all the help. This is answering what I thought.

Vintage Chief

OK Wait until you get home. But, think about it a second. The pink wire should only send current to the IGN COIL and the IGN COIL should only send current to the solenoid/starter when the IGN SW is turned to the ON/START position. So the pink wire is not hot until you turn the IGN SW to ON/START.

jrcpi999

I will get back to you when I get home. I was thinking the same about the pink wire. Thanks again!!

jrcpi999

Vintage Chief.....Just found the trans switch and that is only for a TH400 which this has the TH350 stock. So that should not be connected anyway which is why I cant find a plug for it.

Vintage Chief

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...wiering-59219/

See Joes' post >>> 2

Vintage Chief

https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums.../#&gid=1&pid=5

Sorry, link didn't show picture. Review the picture in this post >>> 19

jrcpi999

Yes sir. That's where I found out about the connector. And that is the connector.

jrcpi999

This wont even let me get the key in the lock position which is why I'm thinking it has something to do with the neutral safety switch unless it's bad after all these years.

Fun71

Are you saying you can't turn the key to the LOCK position? If so, have you tried manually moving the steering wheel collar? If the collar is out of position, it will open the neutral safety switch.

Apologies if this is not the problem you are encountering.

jrcpi999

I have moved the steering wheel to try to get it to lock. When you say collar are you referring the where the key is? Like on cars with a column shift? I know my K5 will do that since it doesnt have the column shift anymore. Just didnt think this moves since it was never a column shift.

Fun71

Yes, the collar right behind the key switch. The floor shift cars have a collar the same as the column shift cars, and if the backdrive linkage from the transmission to the collar is not adjusted correctly the NSS could be open in the PARK/LOCK position. Grab the collar and manually move it.

jrcpi999

Fun71....Thanks a bunch!! I will try that when I get home. I do remember having to move something around to get the key out when I was a kid. I learned to drive in this car in the 90s which is why I want to get it restored for him. I will post an update in a few hours.

jrcpi999

Fun71.....IT WORKED!!!! It was 180deg out of place. Car cranked right up! Thank you guys so much!