Hi everyone!! I have a 2001 PT Cruiser that seems to have a bad clutch pedal nuetral safety switch. I looked at a video on youtube of how to identify and bypass it but when i look under where the clutch pedal is after contorting my body to fit upside down to look under there with a flashlight, i did not see what was in the video. My question is, Where is the nuetral safety switch on a "MANUAL" transmission version of the 2001 PT Cruiser Limited Edition? It has a clutch, not automatic tranny. It is supposed to be on the clutch pedal itself but I dont see it.

 

Looking at a diagram may help:
https://www.moparpartsgiant.com/part...tch_pedal.html

And looking at a picture from an old eBay auction, you can see it hiding on the backside of that clutch pedal assembly. Not easy to see or get to, but sounds like you only need access to the wire pigtail to jump it and bypass it.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/284085390501

I'll recommend replacing it if it's broken for safety reasons, but there are sometimes legitimate reasons for bypassing it too, mainly project cars/testing things. If you're going to bypass it, at least try to do so in a manner that doesn't hack the car or wiring up at all, so you can still easily replace it later.

 

I jumpered the safety switch and was then able to start the car without it being in nuetral (stickshift).

However, it still intermittently failed to crank sometimes. One time i turned the key, and no crank so i held it there in the start position and banged on the steering column under the steering wheel and it started indicating maybe it's the ignition switch itself that is intermittent.

I ordered a new ignition actualtor and a switch assy and installed them both. It started fine for about 1 week, then i tried one time to start it and it did it again. So now, I am faced with taking the upper and lower plastic cowling that covers the steering column exposing the ignition switch assy and wires so in case it does it again, i can hold the key in the start position and wiggle wires to see if the wiring is intermittent.

Any other ideas?

Also, while i was in there replacing the switch assembly, i dislodged this circular thing behind the steering wheel that youtube video people are calling the clock spring. It appears to work fine because i am not getting any horn or cruise control issues, nor is it impairing the rotation of the steering wheel. But it makes me nervous.

 

Jumpering the 2 center pins of the connector that i removed from the switch with a small piece of a paper clip bent into a U shape worked fine.