Help! Trying to bypass NSS

Alright, I'll just take this from the beginning since I'm NOT a mechanic.

The wife has a 93 Country, and when she tried to start it this morning it wouldn't start. I jumped in and it wouldn't start, so I pushed the shifter (auto) forward a couple of times and it started right up. I figure this is due to a bad NSS, as the truck hasn't had reliable reverse lights either for a while. She stopped at a gas station on her way to work, and sure enough it wouldn't start again. I went there and I couldn't get it started either, no matter how much I played with the shifter in park/neutral. So I towed it home. I figured I would simply bypass the NSS until this weekend when I have time to take it off and clean it or buy a new one when I wreck it taking it off.

However, the bypass did not work. This is what I did:



Pretty much exactly like that, except I used longer wires to have the toggle switch inside the truck (it is single digit temps in the morning after all). What happens is when the switch is in the normal position, it simply acts the way it did before, no crank. When I switch it, it clicks LOUDLY but no crank.

Just in case the starter (which I replaced about 1 1/2 years ago) decided to stop working at the exact same time the NSS stopped working, I tapped the starter a few times, and still no go.

Did I troubleshoot this thing incorrectly? Any ideas? Thanks for any input.

maybe you could hook up a temporary starter button to test the starter, just a wire from the battery to a switch and from the switch to the starter, if it starts then your starter must be good and then you can go from there, if it just clicks like before then its probally a bad starter. ive had new starters go out not long after i put them in and had to go get one on the warranty

Its your starter. If you hear any sort of click at all, its not the NSS. I did this exact same thing 2 weeks ago, took off the NSS, broke it in the proccess, cleaned it, same no start as before. Took starter to Autozone (which I had replaced also 1 1/2 years before) and it was bad. New one went in and it started up first try. Even if you tapped your starter, it doesn't mean it will start if its bad.

Oh, for a long time I would also have to deal with the whole "it won't start, try it a few more times and it does start, or put it into a different gear and then it would start up" thing. Replace the starter and be happy it won't strand you again.

I snipped a wire in the harness coming through the firewall on the passenger side. I probed the wires with a test light and had someone turn the key on and off till I found the right one, now starts in any gear.

Sounds like the starter - probably the cold snap doesn't help. Anway, from what I can see in the picture, its right. Should be the middle two pins on the opposite side of the retaining clip. According to the 93 FSM the two wires should be brw/yel and blk/tan.

lawsoncl said:

Sounds like the starter - probably the cold snap doesn't help. Anway, from what I can see in the picture, its right. Should be the middle two pins on the opposite side of the retaining clip. According to the 93 FSM the two wires should be brw/yel and blk/tan.

Click to expand...

Alright, I did the black and black/white, exactly like shown in the picture. Apparently that picture is of a harness out of a 92 so I figured it wouldn't be any different.


The clicking I hear is what I would expect from a bad starter. So perhaps that is the culprit after all. I guess I'll get one from the junkyard and swap it out to rule that out.

I just wired black to black/white and haven't looked back. start in any gear, and no need for a fancy switch

jeepcomj said:

I just wired black to black/white and haven't looked back. start in any gear, and no need for a fancy switch

Click to expand...

Kill switch for when you need to park the car for an extended time, or in the city. No one would know what to do.

I understand...this jeep was something that, if they wanted to steal it, they could have it.

To follow up:

It was indeed the starter. The way it was acting in the morning must have caused me to misdiagnose it as the NSS (I did have to play with the shifter in park after all). I never knew Napa had a 3 year warranty on their parts, they exchanged the starter for free. I wired the NSS wires back up normally, the truck starts fine.

Thanks for all the help.

I enjoyed reading this thread, because I misdiagnosed my NSS just last week. It turns out that my starter was the culprit.

I called around and found out how dang expensive these starters are! Holy smokes!

Ok, -lately I've been scrounging every loose dollar I've got trying to put the final wraps on my engine in my pickup, -so I'm beyond "cheapskate" status!

I pulled the starter apart to find the brushes worn down to nothing. I dremeled out the slots where the wire-braids fit in the brush holders to get just a little bit more out of 'em. I cleaned the commutator with some scotchbrite, -slapped 'er back together, -and voila!

I made a trip to the pick n pull and grabbed several brush and brush holder assemblies, -and even grabbed a whole starter. Grand total including admission? -How about $26, -and some greasy hands, -not bad!

So, now the starter works like a million bucks, -and I have a spare that I pulled down and cleaned up.

I coulda went and spent more money for a reman, -but it was a nice day, and I was feeling resourceful!

nice trick with the dremel lol sounds like some thing i would do!

ratman572 said:

I enjoyed reading this thread, because I misdiagnosed my NSS just last week. It turns out that my starter was the culprit.

I called around and found out how dang expensive these starters are! Holy smokes!

Ok, -lately I've been scrounging every loose dollar I've got trying to put the final wraps on my engine in my pickup, -so I'm beyond "cheapskate" status!

I pulled the starter apart to find the brushes worn down to nothing. I dremeled out the slots where the wire-braids fit in the brush holders to get just a little bit more out of 'em. I cleaned the commutator with some scotchbrite, -slapped 'er back together, -and voila!

I made a trip to the pick n pull and grabbed several brush and brush holder assemblies, -and even grabbed a whole starter. Grand total including admission? -How about $26, -and some greasy hands, -not bad!

So, now the starter works like a million bucks, -and I have a spare that I pulled down and cleaned up.

I coulda went and spent more money for a reman, -but it was a nice day, and I was feeling resourceful!

Click to expand...

X2, your solution was my solution on many occasions. Except for the Dremel trick which is neat.
I finally found a place that sells the brush kits.