What effect will a dead neutral switch have on the running of the car ? as I have one and to add to the misery its refusing to come out :rant:

it will cause the engine to tick over at 25 degree timing instead of 15 degree, so induce a slightly higher idle speed.

 

When mine was converted it was done without the neutral switch and so always idled a bit high.

 

Might also affect the cruise control, although too tired to think that one through.

I have had trouble getting a stable idle, am now thinking this may be part of the problem, I have probably been lowering it with idle valve too much due to above and then it tries to cut out.

 

Do you now if it keeps timing increased when driving ?

Timing jumps to 15 with the neutral switch, when in any other gear at idle neutral switch is out of equation and timing is 25. It doesn't effect the running of the car at all.

The timing of the car is forever changing when driving anyway, but obviously base timing should be set to 15 to start with and this is done with a timing gun and car in neutral with a functional neutral switch.

Basically without a neutral switch, the idle will be around 850 - should be 750, but thats with the timing at 15 (neutral switch operated).

To correctly set a car up (base idle and base timing) without a working neutral switch I believe you need to short pin 47 at the main ECU to earth and this is the same thing as the neutral switch operating. Engine should be warmed through too. Then once base timing is 15 and base idle is 700 (idle valve electrically disconnected with either consult/datascan or unplugged) car is set up. Then when the idle valve is reconnected idle should be around 750, then when you un-earth pin 47? idle will be around 850 because timing jumps back to 25

Hope this makes some sense! But basically you can have a perfectly healthy car without a neutral switch! Many auto-manual conversion are running like this.

Also does not effect cruise control at all.

Thanks, I managed to get the old one out eventually so going to replace it with another, throttle bodies appear to be sticking slightly and not letting the tps go low enough to set the soft closed for the tb's, hoping to sort that and the switch, set the idle and stop the damn thing from continually cutting our :wack: