Neutral Light - Resolved!

[Fred W]

Before removing the sensor, I'll pull apart the connectors and see if the neutral wire is a short to ground when the tranny is in neutral and the neutral light isn't showing. If it is, than the sensor is good and I won't pull it. (any idea which wire is neutral?)

Answered here:

The gear position switch is on the left side of the engine. It's just to the right and above the oil filler cap. It has two small bolts securing it to the engine -- 2.9 lb. ft. torque (not very tight) with threadlocker. It has an O-ring which makes it oil tight.
Six wires in a sheath leave the switch going up under the seat area. There's a wire connector there somewhere you could take apart and test the mechanical switch.

The wires are different colors on each side of the connector.

Neutral signal

Sky Blue wire -- wiring harness side

Black wire -- switch side

The wire is grounded to the engine when it's in neutral, otherwise it's an open circuit. Same for the other five gears. Only one wire should be grounded at a time. Whichever gear you're in that corresponding wire should be grounded.

There's one spring-loaded pin extending out from the shift drum which grounds each gear position switch as the shift drum rotates from gear to gear.

I've never removed the switch so I don't know if the spring-loaded pin shoots out into your eye if the switch is removed.

 

[wfooshee]

You won't be able to follow that wire to the ECU. It goes to the starter interlock relay, and that relay passes it through on a different color wire. There is no direct connection from the neutral switch to the ECU.

I think the ECU reads that neutral ground on the blue/green wire at its connector. Now that I look at it, that wire goes through the ignition switch before it reaches the ECU from the starter interlock relay. The ignition switch is a DPST switch, the first pole being power to the bike, the second pole being this neutral switch circuit.

That means you won't read a ground on the blue/green wire with the key off. But with the bike on, not running, and in neutral, you should see low voltage on that wire at the ECU, and in gear you should see 10 to 12 volts.

 

[RossKean]

Before removing the sensor, I'll pull apart the connectors and see if the neutral wire is a short to ground when the tranny is in neutral and the neutral light isn't showing. If it is, than the sensor is good and I won't pull it. (any idea which wire is neutral?)

Answered here:

The gear position switch is on the left side of the engine. It's just to the right and above the oil filler cap. It has two small bolts securing it to the engine -- 2.9 lb. ft. torque (not very tight) with threadlocker. It has an O-ring which makes it oil tight.
Six wires in a sheath leave the switch going up under the seat area. There's a wire connector there somewhere you could take apart and test the mechanical switch.

The wires are different colors on each side of the connector.

Neutral signal

Sky Blue wire -- wiring harness side

Black wire -- switch side

The wire is grounded to the engine when it's in neutral, otherwise it's an open circuit. Same for the other five gears. Only one wire should be grounded at a time. Whichever gear you're in that corresponding wire should be grounded.

There's one spring-loaded pin extending out from the shift drum which grounds each gear position switch as the shift drum rotates from gear to gear.

I've never removed the switch so I don't know if the spring-loaded pin shoots out into your eye if the switch is removed.

I may be a bit slow, but it sinks in eventually. This week is kinda busy so it may have to wait until the weekend before I get into it. I really appreciate the thoughtful, detailed technical responses. I'm hoping its just a loose connector or dirty contact. Also hope is somewhere obvious rather than buried in the wiring harness.

Thanks to everyone

Ross

 

[RossKean]

I have done a bit of reading but am not sure where to start with this particular issue - mechanical or electrical.

The bike (2007 A) shifts normally into all gears, including neutral. Sometimes, although the bike is definately in neutral, the neutral light does not come on. If the neutral light is not on, the engine dies when the side stand is lowered. - not just a funky lamp.

Is there a possible problem with a mechanical/electrical switch? If so, where do I start looking. I hope its neither a major mechanical or electrical issue.

This issue is intermittant. I just bought the bike and the only problem with this behavior is that I can't always let the bike warm up in neutral on the sidestand.

Ross

Old thread but after a year and a half, I finally got around to getting this issue fixed. As mentioned above, the neutral switch did not work all of the time when I bought the bike (used) last season. Since that time it has gotten worse and got to the point where it almost never worked.

Played around with it and finally removed the gear selector switch. (Part # 3P6-82540-00-00 ). Contacts looked clean and it properly indicated the gear # for 1-5 on the dash LCD. Checked continuity from the contact pads on the switch to the plug and all except for the neutral showed essentially no resistance. Stripped the insulation off the wire near the switch and it had continuity through to the plug - open to the contact pad. The break was obviously in the wire potted into the switch. Part was only $35.00 or so (yamahasportscenter.com) so I replaced it - digging the potting out of the assembly to access the wire would have been difficult or maybe impossible. Just had to remove the left side cover to access where the unit plugs into the wiring harness and remove the shift rod at the pivot to access the two screws that hold the switch in place. You have to cut one tie-wrap as well. Took maybe 20 minutes.

Works perfectly now! Wasn't a big issue other than the fact that the bike could not be started and warmed up on the sidestand.

Anyway, I thought I would post the resolution to this issue in case someone else encounters a similar problem.

Ross

 

[dsmack]

Ross... Better late than never, eh? :lol: Glad you were able to trace down and correct the problem!

One thing I meant to mention to you a year or so ago when this thread started: Be very, very careful of warming up your FJR on the side stand unless the bike is sitting slightly uphill on the stand. You've probably noticed by now that our bikes don't have much lean to the left while on the side stand, nor does the side stand reach very far forward in the extended position. There have been a number of them which have attempted to commit suicide by rolling forward slightly and collapsing the damn side stand.

Ride Safe!

Don

 

[ionbeam]

Whew, glad you finally put the neutral light issue to bed! Happy to hear that the gear switch wasn't any more difficult to get out and it was definitely the fix.

 

[RossKean]

It was one of those things that really didn't have an adverse effect on the day-to-day use of the bike so I was not really motivated to work on it. I hate equipment that doesn't work as it should and this quirk finally annoyed me enough to deal with it! I guess I was concerned that the issue might have been more complicated to find and fix. The only thing that could have been any easier (or cheaper) would have been a bad contact at the plug.

dsmack - I never park the bike in neutral and if shifting to neutral to start it, I am always very much aware of the incline! My Harley buddy could never understand why I am always careful to park on the level or pointing uphill slightly (even in gear). Harley's locking sidestand is perhaps the best thing (maybe the only good thing) they designed into that bike!

Ross

 

[Bustanut joker]

Well mine has decided to poop again. Guess I'll have to get off me wallet this winter and fix it right As it's going to the paint booth, at least the tupperware will be outa the way.

 

[RossKean]

Well mine has decided to poop again. Guess I'll have to get off me wallet this winter and fix it right As it's going to the paint booth, at least the tupperware will be outa the way.

What are you doing for paint? (anything interesting?)

I see from a parts fiche that the Gen I has a different setup. The neutral switch is just a neutral switch while the Gen II has 6 contact pads for the 5 gears plus neutral. $23.35 at yamahasportscenter.com. (NEUTRAL SWITCH ASSY 3GB-82540-01-00) (Assuming that the switch is your problem)

 

[Bustanut joker]

Going Red Ross, A candy metallic with pearl.

Yeah I know it's a different set up, and a real knuckle buster to get to.

 

[RossKean]

Going Red Ross, A candy metallic with pearl.

Yeah I know it's a different set up, and a real knuckle buster to get to.

RED

I like it! When?

 

[odot]

He's saying "red" but actually meaning "pink". He's funny that way.

as for the neutral light finally being fixed.....now I can finally get a good nights sleep. :dribble:

 

[rogdeb]

He's saying "red" but actually meaning "pink". He's funny that way.

as for the neutral light finally being fixed.....now I can finally get a good nights sleep. :dribble:

Odot, nice to see ya posting more often now. I missed your 1 liners

 

[Bustanut joker]

Probably mid January Ross. Gotta be sure the weather closes in and a space is open @ me buddy's shop.

I'm gonna paint Odot's ass pink, with yellow stripes whilst I'm at it.