i have a 99 cherokee sport and my neutral safety switch is no longer working. every shop i have brought it to i can't afford to have them replace the switch. is it bad for my vehicle if i just continue shifting into neutral to start my car or is this something i need to fix ASAP?

 

It's not hurting anything to start in neutral. You want to make sure you can't start in any other gear, and that reverse lights are working (both functions are tied to NSS).

You might just need to adjust the switch instead of replace it. Do you have a bud that can help you? The NSS is on the passenger side of the trans, and has a nut securing it to the shaft that sticks out the side. Basically its just an arm that brushes against a sequence of contacts, and if the NSS jostles loose it can make problems. Loosen the nut a little and clock it a little bit, while you're friend checks for Park/Neutral start, and then check for Reverse lights as well.

If that still doesn't work, you can split the switch halves apart (clam shell) and sandpaper the contacts, clean the interior, put some dielectric (silicone) grease in it, and reinstall. Most of them come right back no problem.

 

I had some links handy> http://go.jeep-xj.info/HowtoNSSrebuild.htm
http://bc4x4.com/tech/2010/jeep-neut...ty-switch-nss/

 

thank you this was very helpful. i'll have to talk to my buddies at school to see if anyone can help me out. once again thank you!

 

Or you can bypass it with a paper clip. Google search which terminals to jump for your year.
It will start in every gear.

 

I just did mine the other day. It really is pretty easy and a whole lot cheaper than the nearly 300 bucks they wanted for a new one! The whole thing took less than an hour and the only thing I did different from the nice write up above was that instead of tying a string to it so it would be easier to get the wiring back up under the hood, I just unbolted it from the trans and pulled it up from under the hood, then I dropped it back down after I cleaned it up...I have remote start on my Jeep and I just couldn't get the system to jiggle the shifter when I wanted to start it up in the morning.

 

Mine also needs rebuilt. I Just bought a cheapie one off of Ebay for $39. I


plan on installing it and rebuilding the original and use it as a backup, or


take it out and use it as a backup....