Hey all,

Ever since my transmission rebuild from a shoddy, dealer-chosen mechanic, I've been chasing down gremlins around the box. After replacing a shifter bushing that "mysteriously dissapeared" after the rebuild, I began to have a problem with the neutral safety switch -- sometimes the car will not start unless I apply foreward (movement in the direction of the instrument cluster) pressure to the shifter, or shift into neutral. I've identified the fault as most likely the neutral safety switch, and what I've heard on other mailing lists and newsgroups is that (since it's sporratic, and can be cleared by moving the shifter) the safety switch is probably "misaligned".

I took a look under the car and found this item:



Assuming that is the neutral safety switch (which I'm pretty sure it is), it seems that the white plastic part can be rotated about 90deg. Does anyone know which way I need to rotate it to clear my problem, and how to lock it in the position I set (if it's possible)?

Thanks in advance,
Mike

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87 300D 178k (Crazy in the head)
82 Volvo 160k 240GL Diesel

That's the NSS. The white ring is the bayonet lock for the electrical connector into the NSS. There should be two bolts (or nuts) holding the NSS to the tranny case. Loosen the bolts (or nuts) to allow adjustment. In some cars you can leave the shift lever in reverse and tweak the NSS with someone watching for the reverse lights to go on and off. Figure that the middle of the 'on' range is a reasonable setpoint.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL
83 300SD ... $950, see cars forum

Thanks Sixto! I noticed a bit of a problem with the reverse lights too (they can be on or off at different ranges of position of the shifter in reverse) so now I know where to start.

Any idea what size the bolts are?

Thanks,
Mike

__________________
http://members.cox.net/dieselmerc/om603sig.jpg

87 300D 178k (Crazy in the head)
82 Volvo 160k 240GL Diesel