Keyed ignition switch - neutral safety - no start

[SNOWMAGEDDON]

Hi
I tried finding this answer but it's probably so simple that no one needs to ask it -
Two days ago - I turned the ignition key and the engine didn't crank immediately - but then it did - pretty quickly
one day ago - I  turned the ign key - didn't crank  - shut off key and reset key to off- turned key - cranked immediately
today - turned key  and nothing - all dash lights light and all looks ready to go
today - turned key -held key down - turned over in 5 seconds
seems like a pretty progressive problem progressing pretty quickly - I need to solve this quick I supose ----and finding myself stuck in the grocery store parking lot at midnight (lol)
Does this sound like neutral safety - because I am not sure how the neutral safety is wired other than somehow it allows juice to flow to ignition when car is in park or neutral - 
QUESTION: does neutral safety get it's park/neutral info at the trans from postion inside trans? as in a mechanical alignment
or
and I hope so -----
QUESTION: is there a switch - like a brake light switch inside my floor shifter console that get depressed when the shifter lever inside the car (on the hump) is in neutral and/or park? and that switch then allows current to move on elsewhere?

I was going to (try to) turn the key with left hand and jiggle shifter simultaneously with my right hand ----to try and see if there was a goofy switch at the shifter on the floor - but hey - if there isn't a switch at the floor console shifter then what good willl that do (lol)
I have read and found about solenoid grounds, ign switch  and several other possibles this could be but for once I am hoping that it's simple to trace and repair --- dream on right!
thanks in advance
without you guys I'm always lost
thanks
Jerry

[ammachine390]

To me, it sounds more like the ignition switch at the base of the steering column is not functioning correctly. I believe they can be adjusted, but it might just need replacement.

[mach1mustang351]

My big wagon does this.  I move the tilt wheel down and... boom goes the dynamite... It's on my "to do list" to find a real fix.

[carnuck]

Could also be moisture allowing a grey lead/oxide paste to form around the battery post. It sputters and spits on the first try and heats up, allowing contact sometimes.

[SNOWMAGEDDON]

the ignition switch is at the base of the steering column. theres a small metal rod that the key turns. sometimes those rods will bend just a little. it sounds like it could either be that bent rod, or the switch itself may  have come loose and maybe out of adjustment. the nss is in the transmission itself. not in the shifter. good luck finding the issue.

I like the sound of a bad battery connection - haha - too simple I overlooked that one
as far as the ignition switch are you saying that the keyed postion does not even get touched when rreplacing the ignition switch? basically stand on my head and get down near the steerrring column base and size it up huh?
I was looking at the keyed portion with comtemp as I have never pulled a keyed dealie out of a column - dashboard yeah - old school and easy - but column no?
thanks to all for the heads-up

[vangremlin]

Could also be the solenoid, i've had issues with mine lately. 

If its inside the car my vote would also be the ignition switch, not the key portion.  I replaced mine a couple of months ago, its really not that bad once you figure out how the switch mounts to the column.

It doesn't sound like the neutral safety switch, but you could test that theory by grounding the solenoid directly to a ground location and see if that makes any difference.

Good luck!

[carnuck]

Loose cables at the solenoid are another possibility, Get someone to crank it over (or do it yourself with the coil wire off so you can crank it a good minute or so) then check the battery cables and connections for hot spots.

[vangremlin]

before grounding the solenoid, make sure its that style. my '82 eagle isnt a grounded solenoid. one post is for start, the other post is for the direct 12V to the coil. iirc eagles nss system has 12V going into/out of the nss and to the solenoid. not like the older grounding style. you will burn the solenoid up real quick if you put ground to the I terminal on the solenoid...

On automatics there is a third post at the bottom of the solonoid that goes to the neutral safety switch.  When the car is in park or neutral, the switch is grounded and in turn grounds the solenoid.  If you run a wire from the bottom post to ground, this will tell you if the neutral safety switch is the problem.

[Baskinator]

Or if you have like $14, a manual starter solenoid will eliminate the NSS. It would then be able to start in any gear, but it's really not a problem as long as you know where the shifter is lol. Inspection stations generallly won't check/notice that the NSS is working or not. I run a manual solenoid in my auto SX/4 with absolutely no problems, it grounds through the connection to the inner fender. Even if it's started in gear (which I've never tried), I generally keep my foot on the brake so it wouldn't jolt forward. I got the idea from Captspillane.