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However, if you want to test - it's from the center to one or the other.
Adjusted right, one side toggles on for PARK and NEUTRAL, off for all other positions.
The other side is on only in REVERSE.
RwP
If I understood that correctly (and I doubt I do), it does not matter which way the switch is plugged in. If I plug it in, one end will turn on PARK and the other end will turn on NEUTRAL. I could flip the switch 180 degrees and it will do the same thing except the outer pins just swap PARK and NEUTRAL duties.
You kinda lost me on your last sentence. I thought REVERSE is supposed to always be off like DRIVE unless you meant REVERSE = opposite sides.
The other side is the backup or reverse light switch; it's only on in REVERSE.
Check your wiring again; page 8W-43 shows the three pin connector. One side grounds to enable the starter; the middle and the other side conducts to turn on the backup lights.
And I haven’t even gotten around to asking how the other end of that switch works! Why it sits in the tranny fluid, what is it measuring, how does it measure it, etc…?
Sometimes I wish I were one of those people who just put gas in the damn thing and go. Curiosity has its bad side.
Chrysler was at one time known for fantastic engineering that was ...sometimes a bit lacking implementation.
RwP
My dad was an engineer at Chrysler (in Dearborn or nearby) for a period during the 50s. But I want to say he was working with military equipment, not cars.