Neutral safety switch repair guide

[awg]

When I searched this forum, I couldnt find a topic, maybe its there somewhere.

Anyway, here is an easy repair that will eventually need to be done.

Overhaul neutral safety switch;

they get dodgy, and wont start in either park or neutral, or engage reverse lights, usually only one problem at first.

All 3 issues are unsafe and roadworthy fail.

I believe a new switch is hundred$

these are easy to work on, (especially compared to a '60s bakelite column-shift unit, which are totally NLA, and MUST be repaired)

pic1 below shows why NOT to lever off switch...its got a plastic back.
alloy switch body freezes on steel shaft, so work it back and forth many times with penetrant



pic 2 shows the switch dismantled 6 screws, and the CAUSE of the issue, this switch would not engage reverse lights...those copper segments are quite green, all covered with grease too, clean it all up



pic 3, on the fixed plate contact, i simply cleaned and used emery paper to lightly scuff copper, now they are shiny, note rubber gasket





pic 4, (sorry blurred) there are 2 moveable copper contacts,
backed by tiny springs.
these should be removed, cleaned of old hard grease, regrease sparingly.
gave the springs a bit of a tug for some xtra length



The pictured unit is the one from my car, had no reverse.
The spare I obtained was worse, very hard grease, and verdigres,
moveable contacts frozen, but works fine after OH and install

the "new" one is now OH, ole matey needed one back, I told him easy fix, no worries, all done, keep him on side

my truck is 96 obd11, spare is '95, plugs the same

[swampy]

Nice work awg I wish I'd seen that years ago, I got a price from Jeep to replace it, somewhere around $700 at the time so it didnt get done

[junglejuice]

The two small springs behind the contacts (and the contacts themsleves) are the reason they stop working, the grease breaks down, gums up and the contacts are no longer "floating" as they should, I use contact cleaner to clean it all up but realistically a degreaser would suffice, some 1200 wet and dry is all that's required for dressing the contacts and then I use silicon grease to relubricate.
Removing the switch is the longest part of this job....