no reverse lights

need some tips on what to check.

I will throw it in reverse and no reverse lights come on. Im pretty sure that they arn't burned out becuase the problem was intermittent and has evolved to become permanant. I will replace them any ways. Stupid utah safety inspections makeing me work on my car. Im glad they are makeing me do it though the brake lights just don't provide sufficient enough light.

nuetral saftey back up switch could be the problem, might be just missaligned.

NSS is gummed up. Take it apart and clean it.

with lack of sleep i forget to mention the most important thing.

98xj auto 4x4


would my jeep have an nss and where would i find it?

Not sure about the year of your jeep...but here's a tutorial to fix NSS:
http://jeepin.com/features/nss/

will the pcm store a code if the switch is dirty or if there is a circuit problem?

i had a similar problem with my old 88xj with a 5 spd it ended up that the terminals behind my fusebox were all coroded

thebikesurgeon said:

will the pcm store a code if the switch is dirty or if there is a circuit problem?

Click to expand...

No codes. The usual symptoms are no reverse lights and eventually no start. The 98 auto has the NSS and http://jeepin.com/features/nss/ is a great reference for removing and cleaning it.

I bypassed mine with a toggle switch. Find the wires coming from the trans and tap in!

So went to take the switch off and got the bolt holding it on off and bent the flaps back that hold the bigger nut, now i can't see how to pull it off. I tried useing a flat head as mentioned above with no luck, the nut just slipped the threads, Im affraid to put too much force with the screw driver becuase i really don;t want to buy a new one of these things, Any hints on how to take it off

soak the shaft with penetrating oil

Remove the nut compleatly, and spray down with the penetrant of your choice (WD-40, Kroil, PB Blaster - even Air Tool oil and ATF will work well here.) Get a wooden block, and tap it inward just a touch - all you really want to do is start it moving.

Once it moves, take a couple bits of flat metal stock that will fit behind the switch assembly (the whole thing - the threads for the nut are tapered...) and gently prise the thing loose. Once you get it started outwards, it should come easily. If the shaft it rides on is crapped up, clean it before you do anything else.

This is how I removed my NSS assemblies - 87 and 89 XJ. The nice thing about the flat stock is that it will limit the force you can apply - it will bend if you do too much. I think I used about 3/16" steel - you can pull on it gently, twist it back and forth, and such - and it will eventually come loose.

Take your time - you don't want to replace that $300 part!

The only change to the writeups I'd make are the following:

Use a VERY THIN and VERY LIGHT bead of RTV black when you reassemble, on the mating surfaces of the case halves. "Better out than in" - you don't want to use too much, and you can always wipe it off the outside. This will help reduce/prevent contamination later.

Use never-seez on the shaft ONLY when you are putting the NSS back on - NOT on the nut! This will make it easier to take down the next time.

Use some Dielectric Grease on the wiper surface - this helps reduce abrasion and contact wear.

I might still have measurements for the contact blades somewhere - I've made new ones each time I've rebuilt the NSS - but it's been a few years since the last time. I was able to make them from hardware-store brass sheet stock, which worked well (like copper only a little tougher.) I'd use copper or annealed brass sheet - NOT bronze! Bronze is harder than copper, and will wear out the terminals you CAN'T replace!

One more thing - once you have the screws out, put the switch and your hands in a large bag, before you take the halves apart. Who do you think I ended up making new terminals the first time? Don't lose those little coil springs, either...

5-90

thanks 5-90 deffinitly a real help i will give it a try, should I, replace the springs, allso where would i find them

Good luck!

I didn't find useful springs anywhere, but if you clean them very well and reinstall them, they should be fine. There's no real "load" on them - they're there just to push the contacts out so they always touch the wiper sectors in the shell.

If you don't lose either of the contacts (there should be two,) it's not really necessary to replace those either - unless you note definite wear in the contact edge (the longwise straight edge - the back has a slight notch to centre the spring.) Since it's copper-on-copper, there should be no trouble - the main reason I replaced mine is that I was making one anyhow, and I wanted to practise so I knew I got it right (and ended up with six usable contacts - all used.)

Those springs are very small - so you probably won't find them at the hardware store. Maybe McMaster-Carr or Small Parts, Inc will have them (I haven't checked,) but just don't lose one - that's why I suggested the bag. Just make sure you can clear it out well - I've found that a gallon-size zipper bag works well. If you do it right, you can seal the switch assembly in the bag, and work with the thing through the sides - that way, there's no way anything can escape without puncturing the bag. A mild shake will get everything to the bottom - open the bag and lift out parts. You should see:
Outer switch assmebly shell
Inner switch assembly shell
Wiper arm assembly
Two small coil springs
Two small copper contacts.

These parts may not all come apart when you take the shell halves apart - use tweezers, take them apart, and clean them well. One shell will have wiring attached to it (I believe the inner - I don't recall,) and that is the one with all the sectors in it. An old toothbrush and electrical contact cleaner (like CRC QD Cleaner) works very well for this, and the toothbrush will get all that OEMR sealing crap out.

Use Dielectric Grease and RTV Black sparingly, it's easy to contaminate the assembly.

5-90

A note: my 95 was different than the described one. I took the small bolt out and spent hours trying to unscrew the big nut. It NEVER unscrewed. I finally took a brake adjusting wrentch thing, put it under the NSS and pried. It came right off. Cleaned it, replaced it and bingo; everything worked again.

Did you happen to take a picture or two while you were taking it off? It may help others (I've really got to do that myself one of these days, I'm sure...)

5-90