Mrs6C 6164 Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 Have you checked the operation of the transmission neutral safety switch that prevents the car from being started when it is (or thinks it is) in gear? It's worth checking the plastic/rubber bushes too that connect the various parts of the transmission selector linkage/rods/cables between the transmisison and the in-car shifter, to make sure they are all present and correct and not soft, worn or missing. If they are missing or in a poor way, there may be too much slop in the end-to-end mechanism to give the physical extent of movement required to activate the NSS when you go into Park or Neutral after stopping. You think you are in Park or Neutral and the shifter inside the car looks like it is, but heading towards the transmission end of things, the movement hasn't been enough to activate the NSS so the car thinks it is in gear and won't start. Guess how I know this ! Stevebrookman, BorniteIdentity, gadgetgricey and 3 others 4 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Low Horatio gearbox 294 Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 29 minutes ago, Mrs6C said: Guess how I know this ! You spent ages adjusting it carefully.. the wrong way. Oh wait no that was me 🤦♂️ Tho my best was imperceptibly knocking my Xj's shifter from P thru N to D and wondering why it wouldn't start at all. In fairness I'd just stripped the interior out and was sitting on the front crossmeber 8 inches lower than normal.. contemplating why on earth I'd taken a shabby but entirely functional car to bits and then immobilised it.🤷♂️ Mrs6C, chodweaver and Matty 3 Link to post Share on other sites
Zelandeth 12214 Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 1 hour ago, Mrs6C said: Have you checked the operation of the transmission neutral safety switch that prevents the car from being started when it is (or thinks it is) in gear? It's worth checking the plastic/rubber bushes too that connect the various parts of the transmission selector linkage/rods/cables between the transmisison and the in-car shifter, to make sure they are all present and correct and not soft, worn or missing. If they are missing or in a poor way, there may be too much slop in the end-to-end mechanism to give the physical extent of movement required to activate the NSS when you go into Park or Neutral after stopping. You think you are in Park or Neutral and the shifter inside the car looks like it is, but heading towards the transmission end of things, the movement hasn't been enough to activate the NSS so the car thinks it is in gear and won't start. Guess how I know this ! That is actually a very good shout... Link to post Share on other sites
Six-cylinder 21173 Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 1 hour ago, Mrs6C said: Have you checked the operation of the transmission neutral safety switch that prevents the car from being started when it is (or thinks it is) in gear? It's worth checking the plastic/rubber bushes too that connect the various parts of the transmission selector linkage/rods/cables between the transmisison and the in-car shifter, to make sure they are all present and correct and not soft, worn or missing. If they are missing or in a poor way, there may be too much slop in the end-to-end mechanism to give the physical extent of movement required to activate the NSS when you go into Park or Neutral after stopping. You think you are in Park or Neutral and the shifter inside the car looks like it is, but heading towards the transmission end of things, the movement hasn't been enough to activate the NSS so the car thinks it is in gear and won't start. Guess how I know this ! Mrs6C knows this only too well as her Cadillac developed this fault. It would not restart for me at a Tesco petrol pump and then when I got help to push it clear it did. I know our transverse FWD car is completely different to yours but it must have something to do the same job. There was even a kit available in the US that someone on here helped us find to fix it. eddyramrod 1 Link to post Share on other sites
DSdriver 3603 Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 We had a similar problem with our Saab floppytop not starting after a short stop. The advice given , if I remember correctly, was to throw cold water at the gearbox because a solenoid was overheating. We were in the queue for customs after driving off a ferry so it caused a certain amount of hilarity to those around us. eddyramrod 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Out Run 808 Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 3 hours ago, Low Horatio gearbox said: You spent ages adjusting it carefully.. the wrong way. Oh wait no that was me 🤦♂️ Tho my best was imperceptibly knocking my Xj's shifter from P thru N to D and wondering why it wouldn't start at all. In fairness I'd just stripped the interior out and was sitting on the front crossmeber 8 inches lower than normal.. contemplating why on earth I'd taken a shabby but entirely functional car to bits and then immobilised it.🤷♂️ Nice name. Someone listens to Smith and Smith? Low Horatio gearbox 1 Link to post Share on other sites
eddyramrod 17352 Posted January 8 Author Share Posted January 8 On 12/27/2020 at 7:37 PM, Mrs6C said: Have you checked the operation of the transmission neutral safety switch that prevents the car from being started when it is (or thinks it is) in gear? It's worth checking the plastic/rubber bushes too that connect the various parts of the transmission selector linkage/rods/cables between the transmisison and the in-car shifter, to make sure they are all present and correct and not soft, worn or missing. If they are missing or in a poor way, there may be too much slop in the end-to-end mechanism to give the physical extent of movement required to activate the NSS when you go into Park or Neutral after stopping. You think you are in Park or Neutral and the shifter inside the car looks like it is, but heading towards the transmission end of things, the movement hasn't been enough to activate the NSS so the car thinks it is in gear and won't start. Guess how I know this ! I had a word with my sparky this week. He seems to think you could be on the right track there! He said bring it round Monday or Tuesday, and if it doesn't start, he wants to come and see it intact, as-is-where-is. So let's see what happens... danthecapriman, Mrs6C, Split_Pin and 3 others 6 Link to post Share on other sites
eddyramrod 17352 Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 Went to Huggy this morning and... He started, no problem! So after a little warm-up where he sits, I took him round to the sparky, John... who wasn't in. I left him with the other mechanic who shares the premises and now I just have to wait for a phone call. Dan_ZTT, Saabnut, puddlethumper and 1 other 4 Link to post Share on other sites
eddyramrod 17352 Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 Well, the sparky couldn't make it do the same again, and it started fine when I went to collect. I don't know, and neither does he. Maybe I just need to use it more. Actually, there's no maybe about it. I know I need to use it more! But, where can I go, and what can I do when I get there? Bloody virus. It's letting my car develop laid-up niggles much faster than I can deal with them, not forgetting the big issues that await the next owner. Unless he's a banger racer... Low Horatio gearbox, puddlethumper and Mally 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites
Low Horatio gearbox 294 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Yay she runs. Yay* intermittent FTP, nothing like the will it/ wont it start now or at my destination to get home 😒 It may be worth checking your earths and electrical connections as ther has been previous electrical gremlins. Definitely use it and it gets better sadly we are all there currently.😢 Link to post Share on other sites
eddyramrod 17352 Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 We are! Link to post Share on other sites
puddlethumper 3653 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 2 hours ago, eddyramrod said: We are! I'm not. Link to post Share on other sites
danthecapriman 13446 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 It probably is just lack of use tbh Eddy, coupled with it being winter so damp old electrics starting to cause problems. I had it once in the Capri where I went out in it after winter lay-up, switched the heater fan on and it didn’t do anything, then a trail of smoke came out from behind the dash, then it started working fine! Just damp and dirty contacts I think! Not much anyone can do at the moment sadly. None of mine have been used since about November. There’s just nowhere to go and nothing to do, I dont even think going for a drive around is allowed at the moment is it!? Things will change though, might be a few months but it will get there in the end. eddyramrod, Dan_ZTT, nigel bickle and 1 other 3 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Mrs6C 6164 Posted February 8 Share Posted February 8 Saw this in a BBC news article & thought of Huggy! mk2_craig, Low Horatio gearbox and eddyramrod 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites
eddyramrod 17352 Posted February 8 Author Share Posted February 8 And I can see why! But oh dear, those wheels... just NO! LightBulbFun 1 Link to post Share on other sites
eddyramrod 17352 Posted Saturday at 12:04 AM Author Share Posted Saturday at 12:04 AM I went to start Huggy this morning... nothing in the battery. I wasn't really surprised tbh. This was the first time in weeks I'd even tried. In other news, I'm in a Cadillac group on Facebook. One of the American members has been looking for some plastic clips that hold the interior trim in place... the same clips I need for Huggy. Someone has suggested getting them 3D printed. Now, don't we have someone here who can do 3D printing? If so, could you please contact me? Link to post Share on other sites
somewhatfoolish 7487 Posted Saturday at 08:00 AM Share Posted Saturday at 08:00 AM There are at least two I think, perhaps more as prices of the machines are dropping steadily; @Zelandeth and @cobblers? eddyramrod 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Zelandeth 12214 Posted Saturday at 02:03 PM Share Posted Saturday at 02:03 PM 13 hours ago, eddyramrod said: I went to start Huggy this morning... nothing in the battery. I wasn't really surprised tbh. This was the first time in weeks I'd even tried. In other news, I'm in a Cadillac group on Facebook. One of the American members has been looking for some plastic clips that hold the interior trim in place... the same clips I need for Huggy. Someone has suggested getting them 3D printed. Now, don't we have someone here who can do 3D printing? If so, could you please contact me? If you have access to a 3D model of the part I can try. Only have PLA filament available here but it may well be strong enough depending on what it's holding in place. eddyramrod 1 Link to post Share on other sites
eddyramrod 17352 Posted Saturday at 02:05 PM Author Share Posted Saturday at 02:05 PM Just now, Zelandeth said: If you have access to a 3D model of the part I can try. Only have PLA filament available here but it may well be strong enough depending on what it's holding in place. The originals are the thick end of 50 years old, so they are pretty brittle. I'll see if I can salvage one to send you. Link to post Share on other sites
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