Re: Someone hooked the battery up backwards / new member 55 Clipper Deluxe

Posted by HH56 On 2021/7/28 0:10:56

The combination neutral safety - reverse switch is not a usual failure item in the electrical sense but it needs to be adjusted carefully. There is not an appreciable amount of slop or adjustment range so to have both the reverse and the start positions work at the correct spots takes careful positioning. Sometimes you need to split the difference when one position works and the other does not by trial and error. Position so the reverse lights work, then back off until they go out and then slowly back until they just turn on again. The actual detents for the Ultramatic positions is in the transmission and if there is slop or a loose lever in the detent assy (a possibility) or worn linkage it could affect the switch operation. I believe the 55 switch is round and located on the upper side of the steering column, engine side, and a few inches down from the firewall but could also be a rectangular sliding switch.

The 17-Y wire terminal on the resistor is fed off the IGN post on the ign switch and is frequently used to pick up power for something added under the hood if power is desired exclusively in the ign switch right or run position. It is not a very large wire so current draw can be a problem with items powered from there as too much draw will affect the voltage available for the coil. One common added item is an electric fuel pump although those are best added directly on the ign sw post on the dash side and separately fused. All the other switched power in underhood wires comes off the ACC post of the ign switch and is on in both the left or right positions..

You might carefully examine and clean the the fuse block under the dash. Even though fuses can look good, the fuseholders and wire terminals have been known to corrode or oxidize resulting in a poor connection.