How To Test And Adjust Neutral Safety Switch On Chevy Truck?

The Neutral Safety Switch on your Chevy truck is one of the most vital safety measures responsible for preventing truck road accidents. That is why it is high time that you knew how to adjust the switch setting.

Adjusting the neutral safety switch on your chevy truck isn’t a very complicated process. All you need to do is remove all potential safety hazards and loosen or tighten the neutral switch’s safety gauge. 

However, there is more to the task than simply what we have mentioned above. Scroll down and keep reading to satisfy all your curiosities!

How Do I Know If My Chevy Neutral Safety Switch Needs Adjustment? 

If you want to fix the neutral switch of your Chevy truck, you need first to understand what sort of symptoms your truck might be displaying. 

There are several symptoms or signs associated with a falsely adjusted safety switch in a Chevy truck. We have provided some of these major points below:

The Engine Refuses To Start

If your neutral switch is not adjusted according to your truck’s standard, it is inevitable that the switch might cause some sort of electrical malfunction. 

While at first glance, this could be a minor problem, over time, the malfunctioning could spread around to other parts, and so the fuse could break. As a result, even the engine could shut itself down. 

Car Engine Lights

Most modern Chevy Trucks come together with an OCD scanner very often. If your engine light keeps turning on, you can check on the scanner for a displayed code. 

If the code shown corresponds to “P084F”, know that the problem lies in the neutral switch. If this symptom persists, simply adjusting the switch might not work. You might have to replace the entire neutral switch. 

The Car Only Starts In Neutral Mode Or Park Mode

Reversal of ignition keys is one of the most common symptoms related to misadjusted neutral switches. Additionally, this is only common in older Chevy models.  

In this scenario, your truck might not work on neutral mode while showing the neutral position when you change the transmission to park mode. The opposite can also occur where only the park mode works. 

The Engine Starts In Any Gear

Misadjusted neutral switches can cause short circuits within your car. In these cases, the fuse within your engine might blow up. We have already mentioned the engine is not working at all. 

However, there is also a possibility that your engine might still work but in every gear. The gear might shift automatically by itself, making the ride very uncomfortable. Do note that this is a very dangerous situation. 

Tools and Materials You’ll Need to Adjust Neutral Safety Switch

Before we can move on to the main step-by-step procedures, you need to familiarize yourself with the tools that will be used here. 

Do note that not every tool and material is mandatory. Additionally, you can also opt for their alternatives as long as their purpose is met. 

• Wrenches
• Breaker Bar
• Small Pry bar
• Voltmeter or Ohmmeter
• Socket Set
• Screw Drivers
• Wood blocks or Standing Jacks
• Torque Sets
• Extra Wire

How To Test And Adjust Neutral Safety Switch On Chevy Truck?

Chevy trucks are huge and have the innate requirement of having both high power input and output. Therefore, it is important that you keep the safety of the vehicle with the utmost discretion. 

Below, we have provided you with the step-by-step process that you would need to follow in order to adjust the neutral safety switch on your truck with the least effort and highest effectiveness. 

Step 1: Preparations

Before you can work on the adjustment, you need to make certain arrangements. Make sure that the car is set in parking mode and turn on the ignition. 

Additionally, you can also depress the brake pedals. Make sure that the engines do not kick-off and the car itself is parked on horizontal ground.

Step 2: Raise Vehicle

Use a lifting jack or wooden ramps to lift the truck from its original ground position. Place the jacks on the rear and lift from that end. Make sure that the wheels are completely raised out of contact from the ground. 

Step 3: Detach And Remove

Open the hood from the front of your Chevy truck and disconnect the engine from the vehicle. Remove the power posts from the battery terminal.

Make sure that there are no live wires connected to the engine, which might cause you to get shocked.

Step 4: Locate The Neutral Switch

Make use of a flashlight if the bottom of the car is too dark, and locate the neutral switch on your Chevy. You can also use creeper tools for help.

Once located, remove the linkage connected to the shifter of the transmission as well as the old neutral switch. Use wrenches and pry bars to do so. 

Once removed, place the nuts in a safe place so that they cannot get lost.

Step 5: Install The new Neutral Switch

Use an ammeter or voltmeter to ensure that there are no live wires that could cause you bodily harm. Then install the new neutral switch in place of the old one. 

You can use torque to screw in the mounting bolts properly. Install the harness and linkage settings in accordance with your Chevy truck’s model and specification. 

Avoid tightening the bolts too much since you might need to unscrew and adjust them again if problems keep persisting later on. 

Step 6: Reattach And Test

Reattach all the wires that you have had disconnected, including the truck’s battery. If any wires get torn, use extra wires to replace them.

Remove the jack and ramp after placing your car on the ground gently. Carry out tests to ensure that the neutral switch has been adjusted properly and there are no other issues anymore. 

Conclusion

Adjusting the safety switch on your Chevrolet might not involve tough bearings or over-complicated processes. However, we are aware that not everybody might be up for it. 

In such cases, you are more than welcome to hire a professional mechanic to help out in replacing and adjusting the neutral switch.

But even then, do not avoid or delay the adjustment. Driving in a misadjusted or damaged neutral safety switch is highly hazardous, especially for large trucks like Chevy that have high energy consumption.  

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