Bad NSS?

'90 XJ, 4.0L, Auto.

My back up lights continue to not work, and it's starting to iritate me!

I've cleaned the NSS, replaced the fuses and bulbs, but still no go.

Last night as a test I tried to start the car with the shifter in Neutral (don't know why I didn't do that before) and it wouldn't start. When I cleaned the NSS, I noticed small depressions in the Neutral and Reverse gear points on the switch, but since the contacts are spring loaded I figured it would be ok. Now I'm not so sure. Are the contacts and springs sold as spares at the dealer or just the whole switch?

I want to test this but I'm not sure how. My thought was to use a volt meter and test at the connector in the engine bay. Has anyone done this before? I'm not sure what I should be looking for, so if anyone can help me with how to test this to see if I'm getting a decent circuit I'd appreciate it!

Any other thoughts on why the BU lights aren't working?

I'd have to look at the wiring diagrams to remember what else to check, but I think that the NSS is an all-or-nothing deal when you go buy it. If you have a Dremel and steady hands, you can make new contacts out of .060 sheet copper or brass, and THAT should be available at your local hardware store... I've done a couple sets, but I've mislaid the drawings for the moment...

I'd expect them to wear, so making another set won't go amiss...

5-90

I used a fine flat file & emory cloth to gently reflatten my contact points when I did mine as they were grooved also.

Just a follow up.

I checked the switch through the harness (FSM has specs for what to check) and found that for both reverse and Neutral I wasn't getting a good circuit. I adjusted the switch according to the manual and everything was fine.

The lesson? RTFM!

For the adjustment, I put the trans in Neutral, loosened the mounting bolt and the lower nut, and aligned the tip of the output shaft with the scored line on the switch casing. Checked the continuity at the switch and reverse and Neutral had a good circuit. Buttoned everything back up, tested the lights, and bingo, back up lights work again.

The only snag was that I tightned the lower nut too much at first and the shifter wouldn't move at all. I loosened it up a bunch, but in order to get the thing moving freely, the nut isn't that tight at all. A bit worrisome, but I'll just add it to the check frequently list, and make sure that the tabs on the washer are secure.