OK, changed out the Neutral Safety Switch, AKA transmission range sensor last night. Easy job, but messy as all get out. You'll need a drain pan, 1/4 drive ratchet, 6" extension ( 4" would probably work ), small TORX bits ( forgot to check the size ), 1qt or more of ATF+4 ( depending on how fast you are ). Wouldn't be a bad idea to do this in conjunction with a fluid and filter change of the transmission.

1) Set parking brake

2) Block wheels from rolling back on you in case parking brake don't work

3) With engine not running shift to Neutral

4) Slide under the truck about right where the front of the oil pan is for the transmission, on the drivers side. When looking at the side of the transmission casing, you will see where the shifter cable connects to the linkage on the transmission. Right behind it is the Safety switch. It will have wires and a connector on it and will be black plastic with two Torx head screws holding it to the casing.

5) Pull out the Red locking coller on the connector, unplug the wires from the switch. Check this connector for fluid build up inside it. If there is any use electrical contact cleaner in the spray can to clean it out. Once clean put some Dielectric grease on the connector covering the female section of the plug.

6) Remove the two Torx bolts, and be ready for a face full of oil.

7) At this point as soon as you put some pressure on the switch to pull it out, you need to have the drain pan in place to catch the fluid stream that is going to gush out the side of the case. And have the new switch in hand to stick back in place of the old one. Depending on how quick you are will depend on how much fluid you will lose.

8) Insert and tighten the two Torx screws holding the switch in place.

9) Connect the plug to the switch.

10) Push Red locking coller on plug back in.

11) Check transmission dip stick to ensure there is at least some fluid showing on the stick. If not, add some till it just starts to show on the stick.

12) Place gear selecter back in park, and go through the start procedure to start the truck.

13) While placing your foot on the brake pedal, put the gear selector through it's complete range of movement, allowing a moment between positions for the fluid to flow throught the valve body. Once you have done this, ending with the selector in the park position. Double check to be sure the parking brake is still applied, and shift the gear selector into neutral.

14) Now check the transmission fluid on the dipstick, with engine running. Add ATF+4 until the stick reads full, following the directions on the stick.

15) Place the gear selector back into the park position.

16) Release the parking brake, and back the truck up so you can clean up the mess under it, and go for a test drive.

17) Once the test drive is over, set the parking brake and repeat the directions starting with step 14, until the transmission fluid level is at a satisfactory level on the dipstick.

It takes longer to prepare and clean up, than it does to do the change out and test drive. You will notice right away that the movment of the gear selector is firmer, than it was before the change out. The reason for this is that the switch you just put in is also the tensioning device ( detent ) for the gear selectors position on the pawl inside the transmission. So when the spring is weak in the switch it creats a situation in which the ECM does not know what gear the transmission is in, there by causing the no start situation I was experiancing.

***NOTE***

ALWAYS remove the fill bolt first. it's a Allen wrench of size that eludes my thoughts right now. All to often i've seen people drain the t-case first then can't get the fill bolt out.

now after that's been removed, you can safely remove the drain bolt and drain the t-case. i put a larger red funnel under mine to help guide the fluid through the skid plate. after it's drained. reinstall the drain bolt, and start pumping the quoted 2 quarts in. Just as my rear dif i filled mine about 1/4 or so more then the suggested 2 quarts. reinstall the fill bolt. Clean your tools. enjoy

total time about 10-15 minutes.

Basic tools etc. you'll need are , approx. 8qts. of ATF+4/filter,Governor press. solenoid and transducer,1/4' drive torque wrench, 1/4" & 3/8" socket sets, basic metric wrench set, a pick or small screwdriver, a drill with a 1/2" bit for the drain plug kit, big catch pan:thumbup2:, and a paint pen or sharpie,plus whatever I forgot:ashamed:

1) Drop pan to drain the fluid, the easiest way is to go around and loosen them all just a turn, then work from one side loosen the bolts in steps. The idea is to get the pan to drop on only one side to minimize spilling and dump the fluid off a corner- easier said than done. I'd recommend putting a drain plug in the pan while it's off ,to make draining the fluid easier.

2)Pic of the Solenoid and transducer, I used the Borg-Warner 50185 Solenoid upgrade instead of the OEM , recommended because of it's larger magnet, and the difference in my shifts is amazing..

3)Remove the filter and there they are, your going to need a torx bit-T40 I believe and socket to drop it out, but first you'll need unplug the the electrical connectors to the solenoid and transducer, go easy with them ,the hot cold cycles tend to make them brittle.

4)I removed the two torx screws and bolts, leaving the bolt closest to the rear band adjuster in, this will hold the base on the valve body,no risk of gasket damage doing it this way.At this point you can pull gently on the stamped retainer and the governor solenoid will pop out of the base,since its held in a slot in the retainer. The transducer will remain , just make a note of it's orientation and then pull it out as well. If you notice, there is a slot in the retainer that indexes to a groove in the transducer also, thats to hold it in after reassembly

Comparison pic old vs. new.

5) Slide the transducer into the spacer after coating the o-rings with some ATF, make sure that it's turned so that the slot will line up properly with the retainer ,oil the o-rings on the solenoid and slide it into the slot in the retainer.Hold it in the bracket ,and reinstall the opposite of how you removed it,just make sure the retainer is lining up with the slot in the transducer as you guide it in. It should go in easily, if you have to force it stop and verify everything's all lined up, before you go primal on it torque all the fasteners, hook up the connectors and your done! Eezy peezy..

6) Now's the time to adjust the rear band, it's a easy job but it has to be done right,if you don't do it properly, bad (expensive) things are probably coming your way. That being said, crack loose the lock nut, and back it off 4-5 turns so it doesn't bottom out as you tighten the band. Get yourself a 1/4" torque wrench and 5.5mm socket.Tighten the band to 72 INCH lbs then back off 3 full turns ,hold the adjuster (very important) so it doesn't turn as you tighten the locknut-25ft lbs. Here's a couple of tips, use the paint marker on the adjuster to make a reference mark, AFTER you've reached your final torque.Then carefully take note of it's location and back it off the 3 turns. Then after you tighten the locknut, this mark also gives you a positive verification that it hasn't turned, as you tightened it. It's much better to err on the loose side band adjustments, too tight is probably gonna break some parts. I personally like using a beam type wrench so that I can see it coming up on it's final torque, and I also back off the torque values by 10% since it's a worn in band- right or wrong that's my opinion only.

I don't have any pics but,the front band is essentially the same procedure. Its a little difficult to get to and if you have one, a crow foot wrench will come in handy! Back off the lock nut a few turns ,use a torx bit to tighten the adjuster to 72 INCH lbs. then mark it and back it off 1 3/4 turns ( I went 2 turns because of my err a bit on the looser side opinion) then hold firmly as you tighten the lock nut- if you can torque it great! your a better man than I,there's just not enough room in there for my pudgy hands :shrug:a wrench and a torque wrench, just wing it ,it will be fine..

7) Install the filter

8) Pick a spot on the pan where your sure the drain plug wont interfere with anything, drill a 1/2" hole ( at least in my kit) and install per instructions.This kit had a o-ring for the plug seal, only no groove to retain the o-ring when you tightened it, so I replaced it with a fiber washer.Install the pan, tighten the fasteners in a criss -cross pattern and fill with fluid.

9) I started with 5qts. of fluid ,fired her up and let it idle in neutral , and then added more fluid, while checking for leaks, as needed to bring the level up to full.

Your done! Take her for a drive and recheck for leaks , and fluid level..

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