NIGHTMARE!!!!!!!!! Help!!

today i decided i needed to take out my Neutral safety switch and rebuild it because it was giving me some trouble, okay i take out the 12mm bolt holding it in, take out the 22mm nut off the shaft thinger, it won't come off, so i put the big nut back on a bit and try to pull the switch off with a pry bar by wedging it between the nut and the Trans oil cover, no go, just kept wiggling and bending the whole switch. I fought with the thing forever, would not come out, then the stud that holds the 22mm nut on broke in half because its hollow with the shaft thing in the middle of it. What now, i go to start the car to see if i ruined everything, it still starts no problem but it would'nt come out of park!! i could'nt push the button it!! what the heck!!!, after much fighting and cursing i take out the whole shifter and grind down the shifter lever lock a bit so i could take it out of park. finally put the switch back in with no 22mm nut on it cause the shaft broke and it starts and drives but its still alot stiffer to move the shifter. Why did this happen to me, what the heck is going on!

thank you much,

Eric

Safety Switch

I don't know what's going on, but I can say this....

My neutral safety does not work and I know its broke but I'm leaving it alone untill I build up the curage to rip it apart and find out what's wrong with it.

GL

My response is that i removed my NSS about 4 months ago.....

Sounds like you've got a nasty bind in that switch.

I'd cut yoru losses with that NSS, remove it in any way you can, run without it until you can get around to fixing it, I'm not sure about that shaft and all (what it's connected to), but I'd say get it out just to keep going yank it, when you can visit your friendly bone yard and get another switch and whatever else you need (do it careful this time )

I am going to toss in another vote for get rid of it. It is great for soccer moms that eave the vehicle in drive when they get out or the people that try to start it with the manual still in gear.

Assuming that you have since enough to post on this board you qualify to remove the nasty little devise.

You guys that removed it, what did you do about the reverse-lights that are triggered through the NSS?

one word, 'toggle'.

Also works as rear lighting when on the trail.

what exactly does the NSS do? and can someone throw a diagrahm(if they have on) of how to run a toggle for backups? Thanks.

The NSS prevents you from starting your engine unless you're in neutral or in park. It also turns on your rear backup lights when you're backing up. Check out Jeepin.com for a good writeup on how to rebuild it. You can tell its going bad when, well, you can't start your car or your backup lights arent coming on anymore.
I did and it only took about half an hour.
My NSS shaft had a little thin washer on it, perhaps you didn't see it and attempted to pry against it?

Lucas said:

It also turns on your rear backup lights when you're backing up.

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This is a little-known "stealth" feature intended to help prevent soccer moms from inadvertently turning on their front backup lights when reversing at night ;D

If you have a Renix 4.0 and an automatic tranny, the NSS also provides a signal to the ECU to adjust the idle speed when in park.

GSequoia said:

I'd cut yoru losses with that NSS, remove it in any way you can, run without it until you can get around to fixing it, I'm not sure about that shaft and all (what it's connected to), but I'd say get it out just to keep going yank it, when you can visit your friendly bone yard and get another switch and whatever else you need (do it careful this time )

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I know this is an old thread, but I have an important questions, since my NSS went out today. How do you run w/out one? If my NSS is causing my XJ to not turn over at all then how will taking it out solve the problem? Is there some secret way to bypass it that you guys know about and I don't? Please share....

K9Cop said:

I know this is an old thread, but I have an important questions, since my NSS went out today. How do you run w/out one? If my NSS is causing my XJ to not turn over at all then how will taking it out solve the problem? Is there some secret way to bypass it that you guys know about and I don't? Please share....

Click to expand...

On a 91-up model, you can ground terminal 30 of the starter relay (located under the plastic cover along with all those other relays and fuses in the engine compartment), which is how a stick shift XJ is wired. You can just find a piece of relatively thin multi-strand wire, stuff it into the socket, replug the relay and ground the other end. This is the easiest, non-invasive way to do it, and a handy trick if your NSS dies on the road. I did this on my stepson's 93 when the NSS went bad, until I could rebuild it.

By the way, if I read the wiring diagram correctly, the NSS does also tell the Transmission Control Module whether you're in "1-2" gear, or "drive" gear, which leads me to wonder if those who run without it are experiencing any change of behavior, perhaps in the running of the torque converter lockup.