97+ Nss

Does bypassing the NSS on 97+ XJs with the AW4 do bad things to the computer?

I just bought a 98/4.0/AW4. It was raining a few days ago and decided not to start when I first turned the key. I played with the gear shift a little bit, moving it to N then back to P, and it finally started. This is exactly what my 94 would do before I bypassed the NSS. So I decided to do the same and bypass the NSS on the 98. Now, after bypassing the NSS, my check engine light is on. Is the computer not happy with me bypassing the NSS?

On a related note, is it possible to check the codes on a 98 without a code reader?

Thanks,
William Crawley

reson46 said:

On a related note, is it possible to check the codes on a 98 without a code reader?

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Turn the key on (without starting the engine), then off, then on, then off, then on and leave it on. The digital ODO will give you your codes. 12 followed by whatever the computer doesn't like and ends with 12. The codes are listed in any repair manual. Hope this helps. I haven't had a problem with my NSS on my 97 yet. 116k miles

Deyman said:

Turn the key on (without starting the engine), then off, then on, then off, then on and leave it on. The digital ODO will give you your codes. 12 followed by whatever the computer doesn't like and ends with 12. The codes are listed in any repair manual. Hope this helps. I haven't had a problem with my NSS on my 97 yet. 116k miles

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Jeep eliminated this procedure after 97. 97's and very few early 98's are the only ones that this check will work on. I personally have never encountered a 98 or newer that it worked on.

reson46 said:

So I decided to do the same and bypass the NSS on the 98.

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Out of curiousity, how did you bypass the NSS? It might come in handy sometime.

It's worth a shot. Go figure, Jeep would get rid of something that works and is easy.

There is a wiring harness that leads to the NSS on the passenger side of the transmission. I unconnected the harness and put a jumper wire in the connections until I found the pair that would allow it to start in any gear. I then spliced into the corresponding wires so that it always thinks it is N/P.

Probably not the best description. I will check which wires I spliced into and repost.

Thanks,
William Crawley

The NSS is there for a good reason. Take yours off, clean it out, put it back on and be done with it.

Bypassing it is just asking for trouble.

If your out in the middle of nowhere and your Jeep doesn't start due to the NSS, it'd be good to know all your options. I'd rather drive it out than abandon the Jeep.

JEEPZZ said:

If your out in the middle of nowhere and your Jeep doesn't start due to the NSS, it'd be good to know all your options. I'd rather drive it out than abandon the Jeep.

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kind of like being able to put your tire back on when you lose it. :laugh3:
Yeah I agree. Good to know when you are in the middle of nowhere and can't clean it. Besides they break easy trying to take them off.

DrMoab said:

kind of like being able to put your tire back on when you lose it. :laugh3:
Yeah I agree. Good to know when you are in the middle of nowhere and can't clean it. Besides they break easy trying to take them off.

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Thats the easy part about a dirty NSS. They just don't stop working without any warning. They will start to give you signs that its dirty by not starting once, you'll then shift the gears and then be able to start it. Gradually over a period of months it'll get worse and worse.

So... you clean it and its good for another 10 years.

They only break when being taken off cause the people who break them do not know how to properly take them off. Some people have no finess at all. Mine came off easy as cake when I followed a tip that I read on a writeup describing how to clean it. No problems at all. 6 months later and not a single starting problem since.

IMHO, bypassing it is both unsafe and a bandaid for the real problem. Sure it can get you out in a clinch, but for a permanent solution it is not recommended.