nisaac24

Hey guys I need some help, I am by no means a mechanic and need some help diagnosing a problem that I have been having off and on with my truck. When I start my truck in neutral and park the starter stays engaged but when moved into drive, reverse, 1, 2, 3 it shuts off. I can even put my truck in Park and pull the key and it still tries to start????I have had it at a dealership for a week one time and they couldn't find anything wrong with it. They just said it could be the ignition system.The really weird thing is that it does it for a week solid and then has quit for like over a year at times. But it finally is driving me nuts and I need to know if it is the ignition switch, or maybe just a short in the column. Another thing that might be related is that the horn has shorted out also. If you guys can comment and let me know possible diagnosis or any other things would be greatly appreciated. Trying to keep it as low cost as possible. Thanks

s34n

so if i understand right, after the truck is already running, the starter is still turning? check for any broken or halfway chewed wires.

nisaac24

yes it will try to continue starting even when the engine is running. that is until i put it in gear. It does this in P and N. Also I didnt mention that I have no knowledge of a remote starter put on but their has been a stereo wired up. It is a 99 with only 56,000 miles so its not like its a P.O.S. Its very frustrating sometimes I have to disconnect the battery after I drive it somewhere. Thinking of just starting with replacing the ignition switch or tearing apart the steering column and wheel to check for loose wires...Am I on the right track? What other things could it possibly be? Thanks for the comments or suggestions!

Loringw

I have a 1999 GMC Jimmy. When you start the engine the starter remains engaged. when you turn the motor off the starter still spins the engine over. you can pull the starter relay and disengage the starter or once the engine is started while the starter is still running you can put the car in gear and the starter disengages. I've tried changing the relay. I'm assuming a computer issue. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

mtyoung3

There are 3 components involved in the starting circuit (for my Chevy 1500) that sends power to the coil of the starter solenoid. 1) ignition switch (it's in the steering column - turns when the key turns); 2) Starter Relay (located under the hood in the relay/fuse box); 3)Park/Neutral switch (located on the left side of the transmission).

I had a problem recently where I started my truck normally and let it idle for a minute when my starter engaged itself (I hadn't touched anything). For my problem, the starter is always engaged when the key is in the run position. I spent the last two days determining the problem. First I replaced the starter/solenoid - same problem persisted. Second, I replaced the ignition switch - same problem persisted. Third, I replaced the Park/Neutral switch - that fixed the problem. Turns out there was a short in the Park/Neutral switch that was sending power to the Starter Relay whenever the key was in the run position. If you are stuck somewhere, there is an easy workaround. Locate the Park/Neutral switch (left side of the transmission - black plastic enclosure that has two connectors plugged into it). The larger of the two connectors (has 6 or 7 wires) has a yellow wire and a purple/white wire. Cut them both (leave at least an inch of wire on the connector so you can splice it back later). Strip the two wires coming from the harness and splice them together. This workaround enabled me to get to a garage where I could replace the Park/Neutral switch (GM glued the connectors going to the park/neutral switch so use a heat gun to remove them).

mtyoung3

I disassembled the park/neutral switch and found that there must have been fine metal dust (presumably worn off of the contacts) that was mixed in with the dielectric grease that allowed voltage to jump from one connector to the other inside the switch. When i wiped all of the grease off the contacts, I was no longer getting continuity across the two terminals. This may explain why the problem may only show up intermittently.

RacerX

Good to know, I had thought the original posters problem was the lock cylidner and the ignition switch. Many times when people have a lot of keys on their rings they put stress on the lock cylinder and contort it. Plus if anything was putting the switch in the RUN/Start system I figure it would be related to the area of the key since the key appeared to be causing the problem. Would have never suspected the Neutral Safety Switch.