Yep, certainly sounds like either a bad neutral safety switch or it isn't adjusted correctly. You will have to either bypass the switch by joining the wires together or replace the switch if it's bad.
CK5
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colbystephens' build and wheelin' thread! Post 289: my NEW truck body!!!
- Thread starter colbystephens
- Start date
this is great! 
thanks so much. can someone describe to me what this switch looks like? i haven't seen any switches that i'm not familiar with in this particular process... sort of.
at the bottom of my steering column, there's a switch that, when you rotate the auto-trans linkage, tells the truck when it's in reverse so that the lights come on. this switch has 2 plugs that wire into it. on this column, one of the plugs didn't match my switch, so i left it off and unplugged. the one that did match was the reverse lights. i wonder if the one that didn't match is the one you're talking about?
it's dark now, so i can't go and check, but iirc, the wires are orange and white.
SERIOUSLY HUGE THANKS TO YOU GUYS!!! i can't tell you how stressed i've been about this.
hey, while we're at it, is there any easy way to install shims for the starter??
thanks so much. can someone describe to me what this switch looks like? i haven't seen any switches that i'm not familiar with in this particular process... sort of. at the bottom of my steering column, there's a switch that, when you rotate the auto-trans linkage, tells the truck when it's in reverse so that the lights come on. this switch has 2 plugs that wire into it. on this column, one of the plugs didn't match my switch, so i left it off and unplugged. the one that did match was the reverse lights. i wonder if the one that didn't match is the one you're talking about?
it's dark now, so i can't go and check, but iirc, the wires are orange and white.
SERIOUSLY HUGE THANKS TO YOU GUYS!!! i can't tell you how stressed i've been about this.
hey, while we're at it, is there any easy way to install shims for the starter??
The neutral safety switch is located on top of the column near the firewall and only has 2 wires going to it.
original balzer
1/2 ton status
IIRC the wires on my 85 was orange and white when I swapped to standard trans. I think it was 2 wires in a white connector my fix was simply 2 spade male conectors and a wire to connect the 2 then plugged in each side of the white connector. At least thats what I did AFTER about a month of driveing with a paper clip jammed in there. I could be wrong on the colors though it was a long time ago.
Balzer
Balzer
i bet the plug i'm thinking of is that switch, and the way i've got it set up right now would make it an open circuit. i guess that's the first thing i'll try tomorrow!!!
i can't express how relieved i'm feeling to have this worked out. thank you!
i can't express how relieved i'm feeling to have this worked out. thank you!
success!!!!
well, thanks to all of you and particularly Ron (POWERMAD) and Matt (1976blazer...??) it's all running and good to go!!
Ron came over today and we cut out the park/neutral safety switch and wired those wires together, as well as found a few bad grounds, installed a headlight relay kit, the starter and a handful of other discoveries. Got the truck up and running real nice. fixed my GP solenoid too!! truck fires up like a champ - less than 1sec crank time.
doing a bit of wheeling next monday/tuesday, so expect updates from that!!
well, thanks to all of you and particularly Ron (POWERMAD) and Matt (1976blazer...??) it's all running and good to go!!
Ron came over today and we cut out the park/neutral safety switch and wired those wires together, as well as found a few bad grounds, installed a headlight relay kit, the starter and a handful of other discoveries. Got the truck up and running real nice. fixed my GP solenoid too!! truck fires up like a champ - less than 1sec crank time.
doing a bit of wheeling next monday/tuesday, so expect updates from that!!
Xtremegmc80
1/2 ton status
u jinxed my problems!colbystephens said:well, thanks to all of you and particularly Ron (POWERMAD) and Matt (1976blazer...??) it's all running and good to go!!
Ron came over today and we cut out the park/neutral safety switch and wired those wires together, as well as found a few bad grounds, installed a headlight relay kit, the starter and a handful of other discoveries. Got the truck up and running real nice. fixed my GP solenoid too!! truck fires up like a champ - less than 1sec crank time.
doing a bit of wheeling next monday/tuesday, so expect updates from that!!
my truck is havin electrical problems now! seriously, glad to hear u guys got it sorted out!
what's up w/ your rig?
Xtremegmc80
1/2 ton status
not to hijack, heres the link for the 80 gmc problems now. http://coloradok5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=215490colbystephens said:
hijack off.. this is colbys thread.. hey colby if ya have a idea post up, thanks bro!
Woah!!!
ok, just got back from a minor wheeling trip to find that the brake line was ripped from the passenger side drum on my 14bff.
how do i fix it? it's dark, so i can't see what's up at this point. easy fix? 
ok, just got back from a minor wheeling trip to find that the brake line was ripped from the passenger side drum on my 14bff.
how do i fix it? it's dark, so i can't see what's up at this point. easy fix? 
replace your wheel cylinders. shouldn't be hard at all
BlackDog714
1/2 ton status
jekquistk5 said:
Or do a disk swap... Mine took less than 2 hours and it made a HUGE difference in stopping distance.
Did it mess the wheel cylinder up? (probably since it was ripped out) Wheel cylinder and new stainless steel line that you hand bend. Or if you have a little extra cash laying around, go ahead and do the disk break swap. I just ordered my caliper brackets from DIY4X last week, $65 a pair and and they are bent so you don't need spacers.
i really want to go disk, but i don't think i have the cash right now. also, i can't wait for shipping at this point. the replacement parts look like about $10.
i don't know how those brake lines work, but i assume that they are flared inside the bolt/nut dealie - similar to how they look on the master cylinder.
anyway, it looks like it was simply pulled outta that thing. i am going to get into the repair in the next hour or so.
thank God for the front and rear brakes being separated! i drove a couple hundred miles yesterday after wheeling... dunno when on the trail i ripped it out!
i don't know how those brake lines work, but i assume that they are flared inside the bolt/nut dealie - similar to how they look on the master cylinder.
anyway, it looks like it was simply pulled outta that thing. i am going to get into the repair in the next hour or so.
thank God for the front and rear brakes being separated! i drove a couple hundred miles yesterday after wheeling... dunno when on the trail i ripped it out!
BizeeB65
1/2 ton status
you might need to reflare the end... if the flare wasnt big enough it would pull out of the fitting.
The lines come double flared and ready to go.
maybe it was a preemptive post! i just pulled the brake line off, and the break happened on the line at the nut that screws into the brake cylinder. all i gotta replace is the line!
on the way home from bend, OR on monday we decided to take 4x4 trails about 1/3 of the way to eugene. it was killer. we were going to camp at the top of cultus moutain, but we made a few stops along the way.
this is crane praire lake, the mountain in the back is south sister, just over 10K ft tall.
we camped at the top of cultus mountain so we could watch the sun set and rise - it's at 6800 feet and the only place i've ever been where you actually get to a peak and have a 360* view of the land around you.
on the way up:
from the top of the mountain, we could see 12 lakes and many mountains and buttes - 5 of which are fairly famous: Bachelor, the 3 Sisters, and Washington.
from the peak, at the campsite and beyond:
had to bring my rig to the very peak:
from left to right: middle, north and south Sister, Sixbit moutain.
the mountain to the right of sixbit in the following pic is bachelor.
the faint mountain in the background is Washington.
crane lake in the foreground, wikiup resevoir in the back:
the sun really starting to set!
sunrise to come, next post!!
this is crane praire lake, the mountain in the back is south sister, just over 10K ft tall.
we camped at the top of cultus mountain so we could watch the sun set and rise - it's at 6800 feet and the only place i've ever been where you actually get to a peak and have a 360* view of the land around you.
on the way up:
from the top of the mountain, we could see 12 lakes and many mountains and buttes - 5 of which are fairly famous: Bachelor, the 3 Sisters, and Washington.
from the peak, at the campsite and beyond:
had to bring my rig to the very peak:
from left to right: middle, north and south Sister, Sixbit moutain.
the mountain to the right of sixbit in the following pic is bachelor.
the faint mountain in the background is Washington.
crane lake in the foreground, wikiup resevoir in the back:
the sun really starting to set!
sunrise to come, next post!!
looks like fun...so who was with you to take the pics? Or were you just really good w/ the timer and a rock? 
ok, so we got up at 5:30 to watch the sunrise. the mountain with the light on top of it is Mt. Bachelor.
crane lake resevoir:
watching it rise:
the actual peaking sun:
more pics on the way!
crane lake resevoir:
watching it rise:
the actual peaking sun:
more pics on the way!
