Middle Jeep

[GPster]

Well I drove the CJ7 out of the garage under it's own power. It's now about 50' from the garage door (where it can kill the grass). I had to move it so I could update the list of things I need to fix. There was no neutral safety circuit wired in it and the usual way for these is that they use a starter solenoid/relay that is not grounded to it's body and they get a ground through contacts in the back-up light switch. I thought I had found the right contacts with a test lamp but now the gear selector on the column is not moving through it's selection correctly so I'll probably have to take the column apart and clean the mud out of it. I'm going to put the Jeepster back in the garage and leave the CJ7 out on the gravel. With summer here and long day-light hours I can work on it outside and because I've got plates on it I can drive it around the block (or into the river) to see if I'm making any progress. GPster

[enjenjo]

So I guess we could say you are a Jeep nut.

[wayne petty]

i know that you probably have it all under control...  this is just info on how it works for other readers...

this is the 80 CJ7 starter solenoid..

http://contentinfo.autozone.com/znetcs/additional-prod-images/en/US/wl2/AM430/14/image/4/

the big studs you know....

the 2 small studs on the front are marked... S and  I..

S comes from the ignition switch cranking position...

I is the ignition bypass circuit.. it has battery voltage when the solenoid is activated...  isolated when its not ...

one the back.. the single pin...   it the other end of the solenoid winding..

this has to be grounded through the neutral safety switch in park or neutral or the solenoid will not respond to key turned to the crank position...

here is the picture of the pin on the back...

http://contentinfo.autozone.com/znetcs/additional-prod-images/en/US/wl2/AM430/2/image/4/


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this is the conventional torque flite neutral safety switch...

http://contentinfo.autozone.com/znetcs/additional-prod-images/en/US/wl2/CR401/14/image/4/

three terminals...  the center terminal is for the neutral safety switch..  

the outer two are for the back up light circuit.. one will have switched power.. the other goes to the back up lights...

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but you mentioned the column mounted neutral safety switch..

i took a look.. there are 490 different part numbers for neutral safety back up lights..  any hint of what the column is out of..  if its a column mounted neutral safety switch...  or perhaps. you were just describing how the shift linkage was out of adjustment..


the 1980 wiring diagram..

http://repairguide.autozone.com/znetrgs/repair_guide_content/en_us/images/0900c152/80/04/b1/a6/large/0900c1528004b1a6.gif

[GPster]

At the start of this I bought a Haynes Repair Manual for CJs mainly because of the wiring diagrams. They are showing '80 to '83 as the same but they have the under hood digram for the sixes and the eights mixed together on the same diagram with double components. On top of that the diagram shows no ground connections so you know what terminals to plug onto but not how that terminal gets it's ground This vehicle has had all the smog components removed with the solenoids and carb warming heaters and it may have had the eight cylinder harness substituted under the hood. I got it running and I'm certain that the neutral safety circuit is from the column but it goes to a separate plug and down through the tunnel so it could have gone to the trans or the column but everything on the other side of that plug has been removed. It's got a GM style column but with the column acting strange it may not be actuating the switch properly. I found the contact to ground with the switch off the column. I should have known that as soon as I moved the vehicle out of the garage it would rain. It will be OK though. Today I go to the doctor that lazered my retna back together and I'm sure he'll dialate my eye. GPster