neutral safety switch

Sorry, it is inside the transmission on the valve body, check out the images (below). Let us know if you need anything else.

my jeep cherokee sometimes doesn't want to engage the starter when i try to start it..even with plenty of battery power...could it be the neutral safety switch? where is it located?

Could be the ignition switch/transmission range sensor/starter relay/starter itself-below will help you find it

got a 00 grand cherokee with v8. ive checked other posts and cnt find anwer. ive rplaced battery, checked fuses,relays and wires and nothing. when i try starting it just clicks. did start twice while investigating problem. checkd power at starter and was good except the smaller wire i had someone turn key while i tested and got nothing. tried jumping the starter and still nothing. biengs its clicking does that mean my neutral safety switch is working properly? if it was the NSS would it throw a check engine light? and shouldnt i be getting voltage on both wires at starter while turning key?

If you jump the starter and nothing that’s means starter no good But make sure you are working with a fully charged battery Even if the lights comes on it doesn’t mean the battery is strong enough to start the engine. If it’s clicking its not the N/S switch Here what I have for wiring on it

yup its a brand new battery. i checked voltage and its fine. ive tried jumping it and it dont even budge. i do believe its the starter im jus trying to make sure before i reomve it biengs its in a tight spot. my concern is i was reading in the haynes manual and it said to hold test light on solinoid wire at starter and have someone turn key and should get voltage. ive tried that and didnt get anything except on the bigger wire, which has 12v all the time. could it still be the starter? Also is it as big of a pain to remove as it looks? sorry to be so questionable and thanks for the quick replys!

[quote:41da93b1df="gsjeepxr"]yup its a brand new battery. i checked voltage and its fine. ive tried jumping it and it dont even budge. i do believe its the starter im jus trying to make sure before i reomve it biengs its in a tight spot. my concern is i was reading in the haynes manual and it said to hold test light on solinoid wire at starter and have someone turn key and should get voltage. ive tried that and didnt get anything except on the bigger wire, which has 12v all the time. could it still be the starter? Also is it as big of a pain to remove as it looks? sorry to be so questionable and thanks for the quick replys![/quote:41da93b1df]


If you notice on the starter you have two places where wires connect to it
One should have battery positive at all time and the small one it should be only when key turn to start

If you try and supply battery power to the small wire the starter should engage and turn the engine that if the starter is good

If it doesn’t 8 out of 10 it’s the starter
Or check to make sure you have good ground on the engine


Know if it does start
You have to look at the wiring diagram and trace the starter wire
Look for relay in the relay box
Let me know how you make out on that

Where is the neutral safety switch located on my 98 Jeep Cherokee w 4.0L Auto trans 4wd?

It's on the transmission, I didn't see a location picture. Look at the wire colors on the connector.

HOW DO IN REPLACE SWITCH

both are located on the side of trans next to the shifter linkage

if you have the 30RH transmission then you have to unplug the switch and unscrew it from trans put new one in and plug back in

and if you have the AW-4 transmission then you unplug and remove the bolts that hold it on and put the new one on bolt in place and plug back in

Signal from neutral safety switch causes engine check light to come on. I've replaced the neutral safety switch, but light remains on. The wires were check for current from trans to computer. All terminals in the switch had required amount of electrical current, except the reverse position. It had no current. My mechanic said that's the cause of the light, and he thought the cause might be inside the transmission.

Is there a connection inside the trans from the shift lever that prevents from circuit from closing/opening, The light came on shortly after the trans fluid was changed, not flushed. The jeep only starts in park and neutral as it should. The trans works perfectly. The jeep has 146,000 kms, and I suspect from the color of trans fluid, it had not been changed for years.
I would really appreciate some help.

what is the code so we can investigate it further. if the trans fluid is dark brown or black your trans won't last very long. it may be a bad ground or broken wire at the neutral switch. could be the trans control module as well

Trans oil was changed July 2013.
Codes P1899 - Park/Neutral switch - switch was replaced
P0700 - Trans malfunction - trans working just fine - shifts OK
P0705 - Trans Range Sensor

Hope this helps.

705 means that there is a a sensor saying it's on when it may not be possibly but you need a pro style scanner to trace this down to see which one it is. 700 can be a few things atrans control module, a trans solenoid loose wire on solenoid or a bad tps. that may be the reason for the 705 code as well so check trans connection's for corrosion or not hooked up all the way. so maybe when you replaced the fluid something was bumped or a wire came off a solenoid in trans.

where is the neutral/park safety switch located on an automatic transmission?

It's on the side of the transmission. See attached pic

It's on the transmission.
1. raise the vehicle.
2. disconnect switch wire harness connector.
3. Pry washer lock tabs upward and remove switch attaching nut and tabbed washer.
4. Remove the switch adjusting bolt.
5. slide switch off manual valve shaft.

Installation

1. Disconnect shift linkage rod from shift lever on left side of transmission.
2.Rotate manual shift lever all the way rearward. Then rotate lever forward two detent positions to neutral.
3. Install switch on manual valve shaft and install switch adjusting bolt finger tight. Do not tighten at this time.
4. Install tabbed washer on manual valve shaft and install attaching nut. tighten nut to 61 inch pounds.
5. Verify that transmission is in neutral.
6. Rotate switch to align neutral standard line with verticle grove on manual valve shaft.
7. Align switch standard line with groove or flat on manual valve shaft.
8. Tighten switch adjusting bolt to 19 ft lbs.
9. Bend at least two washer lock tabs over switch attaching nut to secure it.
10. Connect shift linkage rod to shift lever on left side of case.
11. Connect switch wires to harness and lower vehicle.
12. Check switch operation. Engine should start in park and neutral only.

Hi jacobandnickolas, didn't see your post. Have a good day.

That's not a problem. There more the better.

Joe

i removed the adjuster bolt and then the other bolt holding it in place. it wiggles around a lot but won't slide off. i've sprayed it with wd and it still does nothing.im afraid to pry on it because with my luck i'd end up bending something vital plus there isn't much room to pry because of the exhaust. any help?

Remove adjusting bolt, nut and lock washer then "O" ring will hold take two small screwdrivers place between trans body and switch @180 deg apart rock drivers it will pop

diagram

I just asked a question but left out some significant details so I'm asking again.

the problem I am having is I'm trying to install a neutral safety swith on my jeep and its not going on.

we got the old one off after hours of tinkering and compared the new with the old and they were the same.

we connected the new one without mounting it with the nut turned to the neutral position and tried starting it but it would not start. I don't know if it has to be mounted to start or will it start with just the electrical being connected?

also the new one will not slide onto the shaft i tried sanding off all the rust and then sliding it on but it wouldn't go. how easily should they go on? is it possible that we bent it?

previous to all of this i brought it to a garage and they told me it was the neutral safety switch. so im assuming it is the switch but if it doesn't start after its installed what should i look at next?

thanks

well, it sounds like it is not the switch. i assume you tried in all positions.

you need to do voltage checks to find out the issue. that is what the shop should have done in the beginning.

start from the ignition switch out to the starter.

Roy

yeah but that still leaves me with issues. i still have to install the new one and its not going on? any suggestions on how to get it on? also i still need to know if it has to be mounted to start it or can it start regardless of being mounted or not? i understand how it works but im under the assumption that if it was the neutral safety switch all you would have to do is plug it in to find out if it works or not. and btw the garage tested the switch and found out that it was the switch that was acting up but it leaves me dumbfounded because we plugged the new switch in and nothing happened. what else could it be?

as the trans linkage turn on the trans, it moves the switch. you have to locate the position of park and/or neutral when not mounted to see if it will start.

as far as the mounting, is the switch identical to the old one?? if so, then it is a matter of lining it up correctly.

can you take a picture and post it??

Roy

Drive Train Axles Bearings problem
1991 Jeep Cherokee 6 cyl Four Wheel Drive Automatic

How do you get the neutral safety switch of the AW4 transmission? The chrysler manual says it lifts off after removing the adjuster bolt and attaching nut but this one will not. I've even tried prying on it to get it to come off. Any Ideas?

It's probably been on there since 1991 so I bet it's just stuck. Are you replacing it? If so, pry harder! It'll come off if the nut's been removed. Try spraying some PB Blaster or other penetrant to break it lose.

[quote:775c615b23="Jasonray"]It's probably been on there since 1991 so I bet it's just stuck. Are you replacing it? If so, pry harder! It'll come off if the nut's been removed. Try spraying some PB Blaster or other penetrant to break it lose.[/quote:775c615b23]

I tried liquid wrench on it and there isn't enough room to pry very hard on it. There are metal trans. lines going across it as well as the exhaust pipe to contend with. There is a threaded piece around the manual shift shaft that seems to be holding it in. This is the piece that the nut threads onto. I was thinking that maybe that need to be broken off in order to get the switch off. It looks like it's part of the switch, that's why I thought it needs to go.

If my memory serves me correctly, is should just come straight out. You may have to pry the lines away from it some but it can be done. If it simply won't come loose, you may have to take more drastic measures, like removing the exhaust, or removing the trans. crossmember and lowering the rear of the trans to allow better access. Keep trying and good luck

I know that the neutral safety switch does prevent starting in gear, but does it also effect the shifting from high gear to overdrive? The replacement cost of the switch was quoted at over $500 from the OEM.....WOW. Is there diagnostics correct?

DM

The code is for the Park/Neautral switch. Newer transmissions use that as the trans position sensor as well, your Jeep might not know that the shifter is in OD.

The Neutral Safety Switch is easy to remove. I decided to try to repair the switch rather than spend the $500 + to purchase a new one. The grease in the switch was getting old and did not allow the sliding connectors to push out to make contact with the electrical pads. Cleaned and replaced the grease with a thinner lgrease did the trick. If you do fix one, be carefull that the iddy biddy springs that push the sliding connectors do not pop out and away, there a hard item to find in the shop. All seems to be OK now.

Dw

Glad to hear it