'01 t & c 3.8l: park/neutral switch function

Question

Hi there...wasn't sure how to go about this. I had asked a question a couple of weeks ago about a no crank situation in my 2001 tc 3.8L and didnt know how to or if I could, add to my original question. We have replaced the starter, starter relay, ignition switch, battery, checked all of the relays and fuses...all of this is in my original question to you. We were basically down to the PCM and the neutral safety switch. Tried a new pcm..made no difference. So now we're on to the neutral switch. we finally know that it's located INSIDE the tranny , NOT on the outside as we had been told repeatedly by many people trying to help us out. It's apparantly supposed to be located above the valve body. Husband has the tranny pan dropped and fluid collecting, but he has no clue what the internals of the tranny look lik . if you could help us figure out exactly how to get to and replace the neutral switch, it would be greatly appreciated !! We can't locate any diagrams, pics or any info as to what the valve body looks like or how we go about removing it in order to get to the neutral switch. Thanks in advance for any help !!

Answer

Hi Jennifer, I found your earlier question where you said that you had tried jumping pin 10 on the trans range plug to ground and couldn't make the starter crank. But did you try jumping simultaneously BOTH pin 10 and pin 5 to ground and see if the starter would then work? Both those pins are to be grounded by the range switch when in P and N. So try simulating that and let me know what happens. I can copy some pages that show the inside of the trans from an '04 manual I have on CD and attach them to an email. But before doing that, let me ask if he has verified that the PN safety switch's function is indeed broken inside the transmission? The above double ground test checks the wiring and the PCM and TCM, here is the other check that tests the internal PN switch proper: simply remove the 10-pin plug on the side of the transmission and then use an ohm-meter (or continuity tester) to check whether the reading between pin socket 5 and ground is infinite in all the gear positions except P and N and is 0 ohms when the trans gear position is in P and in N. The same should be true for the readings between pin socket 10 and ground. The measurement should be taken between the pin sockets on the transmission and the external case of the tranmission (ground). If this is the case, then the problem is NOT in the transmission proper. So please do that before going any further. Let me know. If you prove to your satisfaction that there is a problem with the range sensor inside the transmission then send me a PRIVATE question where in you tell me you email address. Then I will send the pages you need. Be sure to list the address in the question text area and click the box to make it PRIVATE. Please 'rate' my answer (see below). Thanks, Roland