no neutral light, no start. no ground?

my bro-in-law has an 06 660 that won't start due to not having a neutral light.
i think it's some kind of safety lockout or something.
he also can't start it in gear, even with the brake pedal depressed.

if he takes off the engine cover and jiggles a few wires, the neutral light will come on, and it will start.

somebody suggested jumping the solenoid (to bypass safety features) but he doesn't want to because kids could start it in gear.

Steve? anybody???

My neutral light has never came on but still starts fine.

08Rhino450SE wrote:

my bro-in-law has an 06 660 that won't start due to not having a neutral light. i think it's some kind of safety lockout or something. he also can't start it in gear, even with the brake pedal depressed.

if he takes off the engine cover and jiggles a few wires, the neutral light will come on, and it will start..........

The first thing that jumps out at me here is 'jiggle a few wires'. It would seem that there is some sort of continuity problem in the wiring. Look carefully at what wires respond to the jiggling and look carefully at what is happening at the ends of the wires. If you can catch the connection that is 'fixing the problem', then dig deeper and find a way to make a permanent fix. You are looking for frayed wires, broken insulation, corroded crimps or corroded/loose connections, and whatever....... A flashlight and perhaps a magnifying glass can be helpful. This can be an irritating procedure, but be patient and careful. You will likely be rewarded.

Here is a good report on fixing a flakey Neutral sense switch: https://hotrodrhinoforums.forumotion.com/t839-simple-n-light-fix

has he tried to start it in gear with the brake pedal pressed down? They will start that way also.

duh.
i saw the post about the flakey neutral switch last week but didn't read it because i thought it was about the light switch on the dashboard.
anybody have a part no. for the switch?

would that also affect the brake pedal switch that doesn't work when you try to start it?

thanks guys!

08Rhino450SE wrote:

.............would that also affect the brake pedal switch that doesn't work when you try to start it?..........

It will not directly affect the operation of the brake switch signal. There is a diode separator in the circuit, but that is a subject for later.

It could be that your brake light switch is not working either. The most common problem is the brake light switch being misadjusted. With the ignition switch on, press the brake pedal down hard. The brake lights at the rear of the Rhino should come on. If not try actuating the switch itself by hand, to see if you can make the brake lights come on. That switch is located on the other side of the firewall from the brake pedal pivot point. If you study how the switch is connected to the linkage you should be able to see how to adjust it.

thanks, steve i'll check everything over and geterdone.

08Rhino450SE wrote:

thanks, steve i'll check everything over and geterdone.

Alright, keep in mind that when you jiggle the wires the neutral light comes on. That means that the problem is close at hand. You just have to track it down.

As far as the neutral switch itself, the report goes into cleaning and resurfacing the switch contacts. The switch is likely repairable if that turns out to be the issue. It is conceivable that wiggling the wires is moving the switch contact ever so slightly and making the contact achieve a connection?

SteveS wrote:

The switch is likely repairable if that turns out to be the issue. It is conceivable that wiggling the wires is moving the switch contact ever so slightly and making the contact achieve a connection?

yup. i think the switch is the culprit, and jiggling the wires is a secondary issue.

i've looked at the parts diagrams and haven't been able so far to come up with a part number.
have you been able to find the part no.? it might be wise to order a spare before i go digging into it.

08Rhino450SE wrote:

SteveS wrote:

The switch is likely repairable if that turns out to be the issue. It is conceivable that wiggling the wires is moving the switch contact ever so slightly and making the contact achieve a connection?

yup. i think the switch is the culprit, and jiggling the wires is a secondary issue.

i've looked at the parts diagrams and haven't been able so far to come up with a part number.
have you been able to find the part no.? it might be wise to order a spare before i go digging into it.

James seems to be into getting stock on common repair items. Perhaps he will chime in and give us a hand?

Well, this is what I found. Pretty spendy for such a cheap looking thing

I got this by searching in 2004. Its likely the same throughout the years, but probably worth a closer search for your particular model and year.



http://www.partshark.com/fiche_section_detail.asp?section=744974&category=utilityvehicles&make=YAMAHA&year=2004&fveh=20256

SteveS wrote:

Well, this is what I found. Pretty spendy for such a cheap looking thing

I got this by searching in 2004. Its likely the same throughout the years, but probably worth a closer search for your particular model and year.



http://www.partshark.com/fiche_section_detail.asp?section=744974&category=utilityvehicles&make=YAMAHA&year=2004&fveh=20256

yeah, really. cranked up the google machine and it seems to be a pretty common condition. talk about grounding a green & white wire fixes it also, but you don't retain the neutral or reverse light on the screen.
thanks for the help, STEVE!

08Rhino450SE wrote:

yeah, really. cranked up the google machine and it seems to be a pretty common condition. talk about grounding a green & white wire fixes it also, but you don't retain the neutral or reverse light on the screen.
thanks for the help, STEVE!

Be a bit skeptical about the green/white wire "fix". That is for a problem with the Reverse sense switch and not the Neutral sense switch. People do tend to get the two things confused. The green/white wire has nothing to do with the Neutral light coming on.

UPDATE: pulled neutral switch. previous owner had siliconed it into a wrong position and there was major "scoring" wear. replaced the switch and it's working like new again.

(one thing, though, it is on the DRIVER'S SIDE of the engine. it has been referred to as on the right side of the engine and that was confusing to me)

thanks for your help, guys, y'all rock!

That's great maybe this would fix mine too!

08Rhino450SE wrote:

........(one thing, though, it is on the DRIVER'S SIDE of the engine. it has been referred to as on the right side of the engine and that was confusing to me).........

Yeah, that should have been stated as the 'CORRECT' side of the engine.....

CustomizedRhino13 wrote:

That's great maybe this would fix mine too!

quite possible, grasshopper. next time you're under the hood, take a look. it's on the driver's side:

08Rhino450SE wrote:

UPDATE: pulled neutral switch. previous owner had siliconed it into a wrong position and there was major "scoring" wear. replaced the switch and it's working like new again.

(one thing, though, it is on the DRIVER'S SIDE of the engine. it has been referred to as on the right side of the engine and that was confusing to me)

thanks for your help, guys, y'all rock!

My bad guys, it is on the drivers side. I should have paid better attention and took a few more pics. I always get confused on explaining sides. Since my fix, I have taken it back off to clean it again and it seems to work a lot better. I think proper linkage adjustment is key also.

foyota86 wrote:

.......I always get confused on explaining sides...........

Me too, especially when listening to talk about Politics. I have yet to figure out what is Left and what is Right, and why that description came to be. Something to do with Wright and Rong? Is it backwards politics in England, where they drive on the Rong side of the road? Oh, that reminds me, you have to specify the Nationality when you say 'Driver's side'....... It's just a no win situation all around, so shut your trap and show me a picture!

I'm pretty sure you never want to be on the left. So I guess you could go with the right and the wrong side of things. Just my politics.

08Rhino450SE wrote:

CustomizedRhino13 wrote:

That's great maybe this would fix mine too!

quite possible, grasshopper. next time you're under the hood, take a look. it's on the driver's side:

Thanks I'll take a look at it, is this the part you can clean the terminals also or just replace?

yes, mckay, there's more info on the other neutral light post:

https://hotrodrhinoforums.forumotion.com/t839-simple-n-light-fix