So I got the sporto down on 4 wheels, started the engine and it ran fine. I put the sporto into gear (any gear) and it went into gear very easily. But when I released my hand from the gear shift and reved the engine, the car did not move (tried all gears including reverse). Here is the interesting clue: With the car in gear, I shut off the engine; just before the engine stopped turning, the car lurched like the clutch had come together.

Now I am figuring that the clutch diaphram is getting constant vacuum due to either a physically stuck open vacuum valve, or constant electrical power to the vacuum valve.

So I pulled the wire from the top of the vacuum valve, stated the engine and all I got was constant grind trying to get into any gear. Put the wire back on, started the engine and easily slipped into any gear but no motion (with my hand off of the gear lever). Same lurch in gear as the engine spun down. which tells me that vacuum is going away as the engine quits.

So I pulled the vacuum solenoid wire, plugged a test light into the connector and guess what? test light is full on (when the ignition on of course). So then I separated the hot wire at the shift lever and guess what: Test light is full on. So then I pulled the ground wire from the base of the gear lever plate and guess what: The test light is full on. Breaking the connection for either (or both) of the shift lever wires does not kill the power to the test light at the vacuum switch connector.

Why/where is the darn switch getting constant power? All I can think of now is that somewhere in the wiring harness two hot wires have crossed to feed a constant current to the switch connector.

Anybody got any other ideas that I can try?

Thanks

John