FredMertz Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 Hello VFRD folks! It's been a bit since I was on the site. I'm prepping my beloved 2000 for the season and she has developed a slight problem... Seems like my 2000 thinks it's in gear when it isn't, so the only way to start is to pull in the clutch. I figure it might be the neutral switch down by the oil site glass but want to ask you all to see if you agree. Background - I just switched out all the brake and clutch lines with SS from Galfer. Have all the plastic off the bike. Had battery out and re-installed. FI light comes on and then shuts off as I believe it should. Re-bled the clutch hydrolic line just in case that wasn't engaging fully, but seems like I have the right pressure at the lever. Bike on center stand, motor off. Ingition switch on, neutral light won't light. Shift gears up and down, definitely hit neutral, no light. Hit starter switch, no action. Pull in clutch, bike starts and runs fine. Make sure it's in neutral, run though some gears, back to neutral, no light. Put sidestand down with clutch out, engine shuts off. So the sidestand switch appears to be working correctly, since it shuts the motor off when the sidestand is down and it either is, or thinks it's in gear. Clutch switch seems to be working correctly as the bike will start when clutch is pulled in. Won't start with the clutch lever out. My assessment is that the bike thinks it's in gear which is why the sidestand down will kill the engine. I have not checked the neutral light bulb as I think that must be ok and the problem is with the neutral switch itself. I see that the neutral switch is located by the oil site glass and has one wire connecting to it. So first do you think I've diagnosed this correctly? If you do think it's the neutral switch, is it likely the switch or the wiring? I can't tell where the other end of the wire goes. I did not remove the wire but I did rotate it a bit to make sure it was getting contact. It seems snug. Not sure if the wire just pulls off, I didn't want to force it. If it's a bad switch, what's involved in swapping that out? Do I just disconnect the wire and unscrew the switch from the side of the motor? Is there any fluid beind it or anything else I need to know before I remove the switch? Also is there a way to test the switch itself, or can I jump around it somehow to isolate that as the cause? I assume this is a part I can order if it has gone bad. Sorry for all the questions. Hopefully this is enough info to help me zero in on this. If not, ask away and I'll provide what additional info I can. Thanks very much John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer KevCarver Posted April 20, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted April 20, 2015 I just went to look at mine. I was able to take the plug off by placing a small flat blade screw driver between the plug and base and rotating it until it popped off. That made the neutral light go off. Try that and clean the contacts. Put it back and see what happens. Beyond that, the interior of that plug makes contact with the shifter when it is in the neutral position. It can be removed with an appropriate sized socket. Maybe it's just worn out? Looking at it again, it is right about the level of oil in the sight glass. So you might get some oil coming out, but I doubt it will gush. On the side stand it would likely not drip any. As a work around, pretend it is a Suzuki and pull the clutch before starting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Terry Posted April 20, 2015 Member Contributer Share Posted April 20, 2015 Hi Fred,I agree with your diagnosis, you've either got a damaged/loose wire on the neutral circuit, or the switch isn't working. The switch connects to ground (like the fan motor switch) so you should be able to check continuity between the spade terminal on the switch and the chassis when the gearbox is in neutral. If that works then look at the wiring. There's a connector for the wire under the throttle bodies: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wera803 Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 I have replaced a couple of those switches in different bikes. From what I remember, it was no big deal. Just unscrew and screw in a new one. I don't think they were all that expensive either (less than $15). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beesting Posted April 21, 2015 Share Posted April 21, 2015 I had the exact same issue with my bike last year, I tried changing out the clutch switch and neutral switch to no avail. I had the throttle bodies off this winter to do some maintenance and found a mouse nest underneath and sure enough they had chewed thru the neutral and oil pressure sensor wires. Its a total pain to get the throttle bodies off but there should be a test in the service manual to test the wiring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredMertz Posted April 23, 2015 Author Share Posted April 23, 2015 Thanks for those replies. I've been traveling since I posted this so will go out in the next couple of days and see what I can see. I'm hoping no mouse nests ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredMertz Posted May 2, 2015 Author Share Posted May 2, 2015 Well, I finally found a short window when I wasn't traveling and went back to test the neutral switch. As soon as I pulled the single wire off the switch, I discovered that the other end had been chewed through... MOUSE NEST!! Crap! Once I really looked in the black spaces under the throttle body, man, what a freaking mess!! So I am now half way through pulling the throttle bodies so I can get to the wiring harness underneith. I can see that several wires are chewed up, so I definitely have to get in there to do some repairs. I'll need a longer screwdriver than I have to get to the throttle body hose clamp screws, so will continue tomorrow. I keep telling my wife that I have a "quick hour to finish up" putting the bike back together. That keeps not happening, so my credibility is waning. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredMertz Posted May 3, 2015 Author Share Posted May 3, 2015 Beesting, turns out the same thing that happened to you has happened to me! Mice chewed through both the oil pressure switch line and the neutral switch line. The other three wires in the same harness seem unharmed, well, on closer inspection, there are some nicks on the other wires too. Now that I'm into the motor like I am, looking around I have some questions, so I'm going to start a new thread on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beesting Posted May 4, 2015 Share Posted May 4, 2015 Sorry to hear man, Its a nice little spot for mice to hang out. I keep my bike in a shed and every winter it is a battle to keep them out of the bike. Mice also like to hang out in the airbox... Once you take the throttle bodies off one time its not that bad. Just take your time and do not rush. A service manual is a must, There are a lot of vacuum and coolant hoses that can get crossed up. A good tip on throttle body re-installation is to lubricate the intake boots with something to help getting the throttle bodies on(I used penetrating oil). The rubber boots also are pretty hard being 15 years old or so. I used a hair dryer to heat them up also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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