NSS refuses to come off??

I'm trying to get my NSS off to clean it. I can't get the thing off, tho! I tried prying it off from the big retainer nut and...I pried the nut off rather than the switch. The switch moved, but the nut just poped right off. The nut wasn't on the edge or anything, I had just loosened it enough to get the screw driver in. The nut, I'm afraid, is totally messed up. Is there any other way to get this thing off??

Is the aluminum threaded part of the NSS still all there, or did it break off with the nut? If it's broken, you may be out of luck. The nut is steel and the shaft of the switch aluminum, so if the nut is messed up it may be because it's full of that aluminum. You might still be able to get the switch off pretty much intact, though you probably can't save it if there's nothing left to screw the nut on to.

Whatever you do, do not try to expand the NSS shaft by prying it apart at the slits. It will break instantly.

It can be hard to get off if the aluminum hollow shaft of the NSS has seized to the steel shaft that goes through it. What you can try is first, to get something behind the body of the switch, and pry it outward a little. Not too hard: it's plastic. All you want is to move it out as far as it goes and have something to hold it there. A thin wooden wedge would be fine. Get plenty of penetrant on the shaft. Then take a small hammer, and tap the end of the steel shaft. There's a very little bit of end play in the shaft, and if you can tap it inward, it should break the corrosion bond. If it does seem to move, don't pry the switch out immediately, but try pushing the NSS back in toward the transmission, in hope of getting it to move back and forth a little on the shaft, and to carry some of the penetrant in. If you can move it back and forth a couple of times, it should slide off fairly easily eventually.

I was fortunate to just mess up the bolt. Nothing seems to have come off of the switch. It did move down the shaft about 1/4 of an inch before the nut flopped off... I can move it back to the original position quite easily, but when it gets (it seems) right to the end, it doesn't go anymore and the steel shaft will move out a tad, with the whole switch. I guess I can spray some liquid wrench in there tonight and come back tomorrow. I'll try your technique first, thank you!!

It may be a stupid question, but you did take the adjustment bolt out didn't you?

Arkansas91XJ said:

I was fortunate to just mess up the bolt. Nothing seems to have come off of the switch. It did move down the shaft about 1/4 of an inch before the nut flopped off... I can move it back to the original position quite easily, but when it gets (it seems) right to the end, it doesn't go anymore and the steel shaft will move out a tad, with the whole switch. I guess I can spray some liquid wrench in there tonight and come back tomorrow. I'll try your technique first, thank you!!

Click to expand...

If you're already getting that much movement, and assuming you did indeed take the adjustment bolt out as well ( don't think it would have moved at all if you didn't) , I think you just need to keep trying going back and forth with plenty of lube, and eventually it will pull off. It's likely that the very tip of the steel shaft has rust where it was exposed, so perhaps a little whisk with emery cloth or something would help.

After my previous post, I did go back there and sprayed WD-40 on the steel shaft and wiggled it a bunch. It finally did pop free. All the write-ups say that the zip ties were the hardest part...I beg to differ!

For future reference to anyone in the same predicament.... If you do get the switch to move at all, push it all the way back to its original position against the trans and then try getting a small wire brush or fine sand paper and start going over the shaft with it. Re-lube it up and the switch will come right off. I have to do that with just about everything under my Jeep thanks to Chicago salt.