Replacing the Neutral switch

Just finished up this evening and thought I would share some thoughts.

First it can be done alone but SHOULD be done with some help since you will be prying on the motor while laying under the bike.

The exhaust of course will need to come off.

All of the bolts holding the motor to the frame WILL HAVE TO BE REMOVED. I spent 30 minutes trying to shortcut - save yourself the time and remove all of them.

A small bottle jack and a couple blocks of wood come in handy as well as a delicately used crowbar.

While you are down there replace the bronze washer on the neutral switch and go the extra $3 and replace the o-ring on the oil level unit.

On the picture below you can see why my switch no longer worked. The brass tip that makes contact with transmission had worn and was almost 1/16" shorter than the new unit.

The second picture shows exactly where to find the switch and how tight of an area it is to work in.

The third picture shows the oil level unit removed and gives you a sneak peek of the inside of the lower end.


In a nutshell it's not that bad of a job I would strongly suggest that you have a helper with you for safety reasons.

Rob

Well the pictures are in reverse order but you already figured that out :lol:

 

Congrats on getting right in there. Depending on your bike and setup, you can eliminate some steps.

For example, I have a 4-1 exhaust and have had success replacing the neutral switch with out removing or loosening any frame, engine or exhaust bolts. Pair of needle nose pliers and some luck and you can tackle this.

 

hi rob wot size is that hex?

 

14mm - Find the thinest thinwall you can. The thinest I found was a elcheapo 1/4" drive deep socket at Autozone.

NZ, do yourself a favor and get some help holding the bike steady while you are prying the motor around

 

u got one from where autozone nz? as in new zealand dont you have them there?

 

Sorry, I slightly changed the subject on you. Was suggesting you get someone to give you a hand when you start prying the motor around.

 

yup i got that thanks

 

Ahem... I hate to differ, but I did this exact same thing on my bike last fall, and I did not have to loosen anything. I replaced mine because it was leaking.
I took a 14mm socket to the machine shop and had it cut down to the diameter of a 13mm socket (cost $5). I was a little worried about the thinness of the socket handling the torque needed to remove a part that had been in the bike 26 years, but it was no problem. Used it on two XJ's so far, worked like a charm. BTW... Your pics were very nice....
NTgirl

 

hi nighttraingirl i did get it done in the end with a 14mm deep socket 1/4" drive it was a snapon one all i did was remove exhaust & use a pry bar between frame and engine just a lil pressure got the socket in and out cleanly it was no problem at all, took about half an hour start to finish cheers for your input

 

Bumped for MBrew and scottyj

 

Sheesh, now that I have been posted all this helpful information, I have now run out of excuses! Out to the shed I go. Thanks guys.

What's "bumped" mean?

 

One question. Did you move engine forward off the drive shaft before doing all this manouvering, or is there sufficient slack to just loosen the flange bolts? ta

 

Scottyj, I did not have to touch the drive shaft at all. Just pry the motor around just enough to get the socket on the switch and no more

 

He posted to the thread which "bumped" it to the top of the list where it would be easier to find.

I completed the job of changing the neutral switch on my '82 Seca today. In a word I would say it was difficult. I started by grinding down two opposing sides of a socket. I made those two sides very thin and I was able to get the socket in with just a little difficulty. I didn't grind all the way around because there's plenty of room once you get the socket in place. The problem on my Seca is squeezing past the oil pan and the frame. There seems to be one sweet spot that's pretty easy to get things through and the grinding did the trick. I used a universal and I was able to get the switch out fairly easily although just before it disengaged from the threads, the socket, universal and switch got jammed between the hole and the frame. A little judicious banging got it loose. To help avoid that problem while reinstalling it, I shortened the length of the socket to the maximum extent possible by grinding both the socket end and the square end. When I tried to install the new switch, I was not able to get it started in the threads after many tries. I finally walked away which my experience tells me is sometimes the right thing to do. That was last night.

This afternoon I took another stab at it. Even with the shortened socket, I wasn't able to use it to start the switch in the hole. I had a very difficult time starting it by hand because there just isn't much room to get your fingers in there. I finally got frustrated and put the bike on its side so I could see better. After that I got it started a couple of times, but I didn't think it was straight so I backed out. It looked to me like a couple of the threads might have been messed up, so I ran a tap in. I had no trouble starting the tap and after I cleaned the threads the switch started pretty quickly after that. The threads probably got hurt when the socket was jammed in the removal. Shortening the socket before you start would help prevent that. I did loosen the lower forward engine mount and pried the frame away from the engine a bit, but I don't think it helped much.

In the end this is one of those jobs that with a bit of luck, and if you hold your mouth just right, might go off without a hitch. I don't think I held my mouth right so it took me a while. As folks look through this thread they should also realize that about three different bikes are represented here. Seca 650 and 750 and Maxims. There could be minor differences in all of them.

I do want to thank SecaRob for his input on my other thread and the pictures. That 1/16th of an inch does indeed make the difference.

Good Luck,
Mike

 

Glad to help

Mike, I am glad everything turned out right. It is amazing how much that 1/16" matters. It's a job that is a little more than it should be.

When you get a chance post a picture of a ruler next to your new and improved socket and post it. It will help the next member

Rob

 

One more question and some observations. Probably at risk of doing this issue to death, but might help someone else out.

I have managed to remove switch (only took 2 years) after removing all engine mounting bolts and jacking up the front (used 2 jacks, one for general lift, and one to tilt front). No sideways movement, just up enough so head of socket wasn't fouling on frame. Left drive shaft connected, but had already removed flange bolts anyway. Used 3/8" drive (couldn't get 1/4 in 14mm), 2 inch extension (could use one of those somewhere else) and a "bendy" ratchet. Got it out but felt did it a little hard (not straight), so might shave some of the socket for the install.

Found that the wiring loom was in bad way, had been squashed between engine and frame, when last replaced. Also, oil send was not even connected. Would not have found this out without doing this job, as the bullet connecters were hidden under frame. Melted PVC shieds. Am going to replace connectors and add some wire so that I can replace the oil sender if need be, without having to lift engine to get at the connection.

The question? If the switch insertion level is so critical, what about using the "gasket" (really a washer) that is indicated in the parts list, and which came with the switch when I bought it? Should I use this? hasn't been mentioned here before and the one I pulled out did not have one. Cheers.

 

Sorry, getn a vaque in my old age. Just noticed that the brass washer issues is covered previously. Strangely I was also issued with a small crush washer, as well as a brass one when I bought the kit. Ah, fuggit, I'll just stick it in with the brass washer, test it before I put the whole kit back together, and trust that the crush washer isn't required. thanks agin

 

I ordered the washer shown in the yamaha parts diagrams and it was a flat brass washer. That's what was on the old one too.

For reference, what kind of bike are you working on?

Good Luck,

 

It's an Australian XJ900N 1985. I bought it cheap, in crap condition about 5 years ago because I have been aware of the status of the XJ and always wanted one. It has mostly sat in the corner while I worked on other bikes (CX500, XS1100 - both now sold) and has only now made it to top of the queue. I think the model the frame starts with 1FX.

I will go with the brass washer idea, don't know why they issued me with a crush washer. Will just ignore it I think.

Just replaced fuse box today, will finish neutral switch job then start on brakes. After that just fire up and see how it goes. Tuning and registration will follow. Will try not to annoy the forum too much. Love this forum, could spend all day here but the missus and kids would scream at me.

Thanks for your help Mike. Scott J

 

I just replaced the left shift cover gasket and oil seal around the shifter rod hoping that would cure my little oil leak...no such luck. It appears I will be doing the neutral safety switch next. Rob, did you take out all the front mounting bolts. loosen the rear mounting bolts, and raise the engine a titch to get at the switch, or did you remove the back mounting hardware as well to allow more side-to side movement? I don't want to take off more than I need to.

Thanks.