Part 2: PNP Removal

[cambiecbc]

The car runs fine after all the computer code reset. Thanks!

[LamboSE5]

Good to hear cambie

[sashamarar]

Hello from Portugal guys. My Volvo's automatic gearbox is also bugging sometimes with that flashy arrow appearing from time to time, so I decided to put the hands on the PNP switch and clean it up. My plan is to clean it rather then buying a new one but today I came across a big problem. It seems like that here in Portugal nobody sells nor knows what Dielectric grease is. So, my question is: Will the normal vaseline serve for this purpose instead of Dielectric grease? Waiting for reply. Thank you. Sasha.

[Ozark Lee]

I would avoid Vaseline, I fear it would gum up to much.

Dow Corning has a distributor in Barcelona that should be able to point you to a place to buy it:

ANTALA INDUSTRIA, S.L.

+34 93 4746666

What you are looking for is Molykote G-5008.

...Lee

[bwoodbury1]

I found a simple method for PNP alignment that worked great.
I bought a 99 cent tweezer from the store.
Leave on the plastic end cap, it makes for a tight fit.
Slide them over the alignment nut and then angle the point down to the alignment marks.
It worked first time out of the box with perfect alignment.

Brian

[polskamafia mjl]

I like this method. How is it working so far? Everything still fine?

[mrvolvo58]

Very well done. Just the section on getting the connector apart was worth its weight in gold.
Couple of comments. Rotating the switch to either extreme didn't turn off the reverse lights at all with gear shift in reverse. However, I found that taking a small metal ruler and laying it up against the flat on the transmission post served as a very good "tool" for aligning. I put it in neutral, set the ruler on the flat and rotated switch until parallel with index line. Is now working fine.

[Marcobrick]

I could not get the reverse lights to go out in either direction, they stayed on the whole time. I adjusted until it would crank in Park and Neutral and used the tweezers to confirm. It will be a few days before I get to drive it as I have a lot of other stuff to do while the airbox and the turbo plumbing are out of the way.

[SharifaS701998]

with this problem that i have how come there are no warning lights?

[whoa]

Thanks!!!

My reverse lights were out and stopped benefitting from scrubbing the gear shifter back and forth a bunch, and while I don't often need them to see, I dreaded backing into someone or getting a ticket when I wouldn't have time to do the job myself. I had done this job on my father's Jeep Cherokee, so I figured I wouldn't need to look at a write up. But when I got the switch out of the car and saw the little sheet-metal box pinching the unit together I ran to the computer to get the courage to just pry the thing off.

I used fine grit sandpaper to clean up all the copper conductors---both the sprung contacts and the arcs they scrape against. Made em nice and bright. One of the sprung contacts was grooved, and so I kept sanding until it was flat. I stretched the springs a bit, but I really doubt that's a big deal.

I matched the worn spots on installation, put almost everything back together (plugged in the airflow sensor to avoid setting a code), and checked the reverse light. (I did this solo by using jumper cables to connect the battery, taping a piece of paper flapping next to one of the reverse lights and watching the glow on the paper while I shifted the gearshift in and out of reverse.) It was perfect first try.

One other thing. When we did this on my dad's Jeep, it was difficult to pry the switch off the tranny shaft. Evidently many people end up breaking the soft metal of the part of the switch that surrounds the tranny shaft when they pry it off. That could ruin your day in a hurry. (In fact if your car is essential to you I would recommend having a new switch on hand; return it if you don't need it.) What helped then was to clean up the shaft before starting to pry it off---sandpaper is great, you're just removing dirt and corrosion. The Jeep's switch is more exposed to the elements than the Volvo's, so that might not be an issue. But I cleaned up the shaft anyway to be safe, and the switch came off super easily.

Again, thanks for the write up!