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Neutral switch - confused Neutral switch - confused
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Yamaha Tech Originally the Yamaha XT600 Tech Forum, due to demand it now includes all Yamaha's technical / mechanical / repair / preparation questions.
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  #1  
Old 3 Dec 2008
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Neutral switch - confused
Well, my trusty 34L broke down yesterday for the first time in 20 years. Quick roadside diagnostic showed that it would start and run in neutral, then cut out as soon as put into gear. I found the 'sky blue' wire from the neutral switch, started the bike and pulled the connector - died instantly. OK, thought I, need to bypass an apparently faulty switch.

(pause to park bike, take bus home, get appropriate tools, bus back to bike)

So, broke into the loom and grounded the neutral switch 'input' to the loom. Success, fully operational again, though the (always on) neutral light now seems to flicker more than I remember.

Back home in the evening, I pored over the wiring diagram and I'm a tad confused: according to the layout, the neutral switch *only* goes to the neutral light, and there isn't another connection. So why does it stop the engine?

(p.s. no sidestand switch on the 34L)
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Old 3 Dec 2008
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Switch fun
Hi mate,
does your model have wiring for, but not fitted with a side stand switch? Perhaps you have a short/open in the circuit that would normally go to the side stand switch?
Regards,
Dave
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Old 3 Dec 2008
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Hi
There was a thread on here a few weeks ago about netural switches from what I rember the netural switch just stops the starter from working(if the bikes in gear) and should not stop the engine from running if it is running.
There may be a switch on the clutch lever as well, as the bike can be started when in gear if the clutch is pulled in.
The blue wire that comes from the netural swith passes nthrough the engine case and some heat protection cover this cover can wear away after 20 odd years and the wire gets very hard and brittle and can snap.
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Old 3 Dec 2008
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Left hand engine cover. under the front sprocket there is a switch there that looks like a sparkplug and a small cable that connects to it... clean them both from any rust or whatever....

Vando
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Old 3 Dec 2008
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The nuetral and clutch switches are not designed to stop the engine...

The side stand switch is designed to stop the enging ... (On some models - if the bike is not in neutral OR if the bike has the clutch pulled, again on some models of bike!)

You have a problem with the side stand switch .. if it has been romoved then it is with the wiring for the sidestand switch .. or its relay, if it has one.
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Old 4 Dec 2008
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There's no sidestand wiring on the bike, but there is definitely something else going on - its now cut momentarily on me 3 times (always at full throttle) since I bodged the neutral switch, so I'll get the multi-meter out this w/e and give it a thorough going-over. More later ...
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Old 4 Dec 2008
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Get a wireing diagram for your bike.

Look at the supplies and grounds for the ignition system on the diagram - then find and check them on the bike.

Then look at the sensing coil (trigger is another word they use for it) on the diagram then find and checkj it on the bike. Same with eth ignition coil (get to the spark plug)

If they all check out .. check the connectors on the CDI box .. well connectors anywhere that take ignition wires ... 90% of the faults are connectors?

Good luck.
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Old 4 Jan 2009
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Well, I finally got time to look for the fault, and, no suprises, it had nothing to do with the neutral switch.

To cut a long story short, the ground wire running from the coil/chassis into the wiring loom had broken.

I assume that the grounded neutral switch was then the only path to ground for something or other, so when that (correctly) went open-cct (i.e. not in neutral), the CDI got a bit confused. So, remade that connector and 'voila', everything's back to normal.

And a happy New Year from the sunny South of France
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Old 4 Jan 2009
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Glad to hear it's up an running like it should!


Safe driving!

Vando
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