No Back Up Lights???

I just purchaced a 97 XJ and the back up lights don't work. After removing the bulb, I found there is no power to the socket. All my other tail lights and directionals work fine. Was there a common issue with them? I also can't find a fue that corresponds with back up lights. Am I missing something?

http://www.lunghd.com/Tech_Articles/Electrical/1997_UP_Fuse_Identification.htm

dirty or failing neutral safety switch would cause that...and also no starts...assuming you have an automatic.

JrTxJ said:

dirty or failing neutral safety switch would cause that...and also no starts...assuming you have an automatic.

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yep

Ok. I'll adjust it. Thanks!
Just for the record, I did search this and nothing specific came up, untill I posted and the threads were attached at the bottom.

it's more likely that it's full of crud than mis-adjusted. I am not sure if the later ones are as easy to rebuild as the older ones but I would look into that as a more cost effective option, a new NSS is quite pricey.

I've Cleaned them before, when I had a starting issue, didn't know they affected the back up lights too.

Now to figure out my fuel guage.

GrimmJeeper said:

crud =

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15 year old factory grease and some corrosion.

I just cleaned mine an hour ago on my 99 xj. It was my first time, but very easy. Solved my no-start-in-park issue and backup lights work again. It was full of a lot of old, hard grease, and the springs underneath the contacts were all gummed up and had no pressure to them.

Dirtoyz said:

I've Cleaned them before, when I had a starting issue, didn't know they affected the back up lights too.

Now to figure out my fuel guage.

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Plenty of tips in dealing with the AW4 NSS - just be careful removing it! I've posted images of a tool that will be quite useful, it's called a "cast spreader," and it's a medical tool. You can usually find it on eBay for $25-30, and it will get useful for quite a few other things once you get it and see how it works. And, it helps keep you from breaking the NSS housing.

Remove the switch, disassemble it (be careful - the screws tend to seize!) and open it up in a bag that's big enough for both hands to fit in (there are small spring-loaded parts inside.)

Scrub all the bits with a toothbrush and contact cleaner solvent. You may also use denatured alcohol for this - it breaks up the crud and won't leave residue. Dunk the parts to rinse them when they're clean.

Lightly lubricate internals with corrosion inhibitor. Very lightly. You just want enough to help the internals move freely.

Lighty coat one of the mating surfaces of the housing with RTV black. You don't want so much that it squidges out into the housing, but it will help keep the internals clean.

Use either RTV or LocTite #222 on the screws that hold the case halves together. Tighten to finger-tight plus about 1/6- to 1/4-turn. (Too tight, and the switch will bind.)

Use a wire wheel to clean the shift shaft, paint it with never-seez.

Install the switch.

Tighten the collet nut to 5 pound-feet, you don't need to use anything (can't hurt, but you don't need it.)

After you adjust the switch, the adjuster screw gets tightened to 15 pound-feet. I do suggest using RTV on the adjuster screw - that way, you don't need to pull it out and recoat it if/when you adjust the switch in the future. I've given a procedure for adjusting the NSS in detail on various boards, including this one I'm sure.

Also worth mentioning is the spring that holds the moving contact to the fixed contacts. It is a very small bugger and can leap away forcing you to look everywhere for it.


As a project, this is one of the easiest. Have done it myself which is how I know about the spring... By far, much better than buying a new one. Just make sure you get the internals spotlessly clean. In my case, I found that the original lubricant had hardened. This cause the spring to get stuck in it's bore which prevented the moving contact from making the circuit reliably. Once cleaned and lubricated, all was well.

As 5-90 has stated, be carefull with the torque on the fasteners.

o-gauge-steamer said:

Also worth mentioning is the spring that holds the moving contact to the fixed contacts. It is a very small bugger and can leap away forcing you to look everywhere for it.


As a project, this is one of the easiest. Have done it myself which is how I know about the spring... By far, much better than buying a new one. Just make sure you get the internals spotlessly clean. In my case, I found that the original lubricant had hardened. This cause the spring to get stuck in it's bore which prevented the moving contact from making the circuit reliably. Once cleaned and lubricated, all was well.

As 5-90 has stated, be carefull with the torque on the fasteners.

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Which is why I also said to split the case halves inside a bag (grocery bag, large Ziploc, whatever - something you can get both hands in and still have room to move...) because I've lost a couple of those copper blade terminals. I think I still have a drawing of the things around somewhere that I did (the springs were held in at the bottom with the OEM contact grease, so I didn't have to figure those out. Probably have to wind them myself from music wire if I lost one, tho.)

Get out all of the original lube, get out all of the crud that's accumulated, and then sparingly relube it before assembly. Seal it, and you'll be good to go for a good, long while.

touche!

Gotta love the little buggers though...