Neutral safety switch deamons

[born4ford]

I seem to be having trouble with my neutral safety switch (cruise-o-matic automatic). With the shifter in park it will sometimes pop out and into reverse. I also have to jiggle the shifter to get it in just the right spot to start the truck. Because of this I have been putting the truck in neutral before turning it off. At least this way it doesn't pop unexpectedly into reverse. To start the truck up again I have to turn the key and pull the shifter slightly to the right to find just the right spot.
I have adjusted the position of the neutral safety switch several times and sprayed it with an electronics cleaner to see if I could clean the contacts. I'm thinking that I might just need to replace it. Trouble is, I can't find a replacement NSS for a '65. I can find ones for '67 to '72 and without pulling my NSS off, I think it looks to be the same. So, I have two questions: Has anyone repaired a faulty NSS? Or, has anyone tried using a '67 NSS?

I hope someone has a good suggestion because I have a big knot on my shin where it banged into the door frame as I dove into the cab to stop the truck after it popped into reverse as I was opening the garage door. My heart can't take that kind of excitement.

[bruceandersson]

I do not think this is your switch. I think your linkage needs adjusting so it goes further into the park position. The park pawl is what keeps the transmission in park and from moving. It is also possible that the pawl may be worn. Start with shortening the throw in the linkage.

[Mr. Jones]

X

[Toyz]

Julie, check your linkage for looseness. This may well be the source of the problems. Might I also suggest that, assuming a working emergency brake, that you rely on it to secure the truck with the (slight) added protection of using the park position once the engine is shut down. A well-functioning emergency brake should keep the truck stationary even if it should pop out of park. Ford has suffered with this problem for decades.
Paul

[born4ford]

Yeah, good point, Paul. The emergency brake is there for a reason, after all. I'll look into the linkage, good idea. Thanks, guys.

[6166 Junkyard Dog]

Reason popping out of gear IS Most likely the shifter arm into the shift collar where you cannot see is the tab on shifter arm is worn down or the index plate is worn out or broke and the index plate is on the backside of the turn signal switch and see that tab engages into the index plate .. one way to check is disconnect the shifter arm off transmission, put in back into park AND YOU SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PULL IT DOWN. Only way to be able to pull that shifter down is to be able to pull it towards you like it was designed to do