2,000 Auto 4 cyl. After changing Neutral safety switch “P” is in neutral but won’t start and thumb button won’t go in, “N” is drive…will start ONLY when I slip slowly into “R” with key turned. Also it shifts when I tighten the outer 12mm shaft nut…if the NSS was only $50 I would start there, but it’s $300…
Can you start over and write in sentences which are more clear? “P” is in neutral? “N” is in drive? Do you mean that when you move the lever to N, it’s really in drive? If so, how do you know, if the car won’t start? Go through everything you’ve done and what happened when you did it from beginning to end please.
Here’s the park/neutral safety switch.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=319893&cc=1364633&jsn=380
Place the transmission in neutral.
Loosen the park/neutral safety switch bolts.
You see the line on the P/N switch?
That’s the neutral reference line.
Rotate the switch so that line aligns with the slot in the shaft.
Tighten the P/N switch mounting bolts.
Tester
On my truck w/automatic I have to do something similar to what Tester suggests too when I replace or adjust the NSS. I usually have to adjust some transmission linkage gadgets too to get both the switch to work and the gear pointer (the thing you look at when shifting) to line up with the correct transmission shifter function.