Stan Walker Posted July 30, 2005 Share Posted July 30, 2005 As posted elsewhere I'm lubing splines, inspecting clutch, and replacing the neutral switch on Jan's '96 RT with 71,000 miles on it. The neutral indication (green light) became sluggish about 40,000 miles ago and has gone downhill from there until it virtually never lights. Quite common on 1100's and easily fixed by replacing the neutral switch on the back of the tranny. Of course that's the rub, to get to the back of the tranny is a major pain. I've always assumed that the cause of the failure would be oil leekage past the seal that then worked it's way inside and contaminated the switch. At least in my case that isn't the case. There was no sign of seepage past the seal. I tore open the switch assembly housing and found no sign of oil inside either. So much for assuming (A$$ U ME). A quick check with an ohm meter confirms the closed position of the little micro switch inside the housing is kaput. I read just under 1 K ohm of resistance when closed. It's interesting to note, interesting but too late for me, that it should be possible to remove the RID gear position switch, secure the neutral switch, remove the back cover of the housing, replace the internal micro switch and cable, re-assemble, all without disturbing the front half of the housing, seal, and O-ring. I had no success in removing the seal from the switch housing, it appears to be a press fit and won't budge. Pulling the switch and seal out with the tranny still filled with oil is a bad idea. Don't ask how I learned this. Let's just say it's a good thing the oil drain pan was close by. And some paper towels. Stan Link to comment
99RT-P Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 Stan, I'm thinking about replacing my neutral switch while I have the tranny removed for a rebuild. Might as well get it done while the bike is torn apart, and hopefully I'll never have to worry about it again. I'm looking at the parts fiche on the Max BMW website, and I can't find the neutral switch to save my life. Any idea what drawing it's located on? I've looked on the various tranny drawings and even one labelled "various switches", and I just can't see it. I'm just compiling part numbers to order as I disassemble the bike. Thanks! Link to comment
Stan Walker Posted July 31, 2005 Author Share Posted July 31, 2005 Sure, it's item #6 in the picture labeled "various switches" Don't forget to order a new seal and O-ring, items #13 and #14 on the same picture. Stan Link to comment
99RT-P Posted July 31, 2005 Share Posted July 31, 2005 Geez, and to think I was looking right at it. I was looking for a 'neutral switch' and BMW calls it an 'idle switch'. It always helps to have someone decipher the hidden meanings behind the BMW names. Thanks for the info! Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.