Pontiac Repair: 2002 Aztek Neutral Safety Switch, neutral safety switch, master mechanic

Question
QUESTION: Todd, How do I get at the Neutral Safety Switch on my 2002 Aztek 3.4L?  Have already replaced the Stop Light Switch.  Problem was and still is intermittently won't start in Park, must Depress Brake Pedal and shift into Neutral to start.  Since the Neutral Safety Switch is located on top of the Transmission and space is very limited for access it obviously is a difficult procedure.  Any help will be greatly appreciated!  Thank you, Bob

ANSWER: Hi Robert:
There is no real easy way to get to this if you take the air tube off between the engine and the air cleaner you can get better access down to the switch but ther  are no tips todo the job It's just tight and universal joint sockets work well in tightplaces like that. you will have to take the linkage off the top of the shift shft to get the switch off the shaft. good lcuk :)


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Todd,

Just to let you know the problem was abraded wires in the harness at the High Pressure A/C line due to improper routing of the wiring harness.  The bundle was forward of the the vertical A/C line and this caused the Anti-lock brake bundle to be stressed and the bundle passing the High Pressure A/C Switch to rub until it eventually wore through a wire or two.  The Technician that found the problem is a Master Mechanic and specializes in drive ability problems.  He has over 30 years experience in this area and since I am an Electrical Engineer by profession I know that he knows exactly what he is doing.  

I fully appreciate your reply and I thought it would be wise to inform you of what caused the problem.  Initially, he connected the Scanner and found many problems of lack of communication between the 7 modules on the bus.  Once the wiring difficulties were resolved all 7 modules were and still are communicating properly.  This information may well be of help to you in the future.

Yours truly,

Bob

Answer
Hi Bob:

I have seen this before on that cars and grand prix's as well. It's not a new issue. If you would have mentioned other warning lamps going on and or dash lights cutting in and out I could have pointed you in that direction. ususaly when that happens the first warning lamp that turns up is for ABS. I can't say that I have seen that harness cause a no start condition but all things are possible depending on the orientation of the wires in the harness where they rub through to ground. Well Thanks for the reply back and glad you were able to find and fix the problem. :-}