Where is Nuetral Safety Switch 06 Big Bear 400 4wd?

[JonnyBlaze]

I need to diagnose / replace switch on my Big Bear. It's been intermediate over last few years and finally quit. Nuetral light doesn't come on and have to pull brake in to start. 

[Ajmboy]

Should be similar to 

 

[JonnyBlaze]

Just now, Ajmboy said:

Should be similar to 

 

It's not. 

[Mech]

The manual I looked in showed the neutral switch on top behind the starter motor.

[Gwbarm]

👍

[Gwbarm]

Just out of curiosity, where did you find that information. 

We kind of had this manual discussion a little before, i agree there is great information there, information that you couldnt do the job without. But when it comes to something small like this i looked until i was tired of looking and didnt find it. I looked through the table of contents, i looked through the engine section, i looked through the electrical section, never did see where its locaated how to test it or replace it. I know im not as sharp as i used to be but i looked hard and i was using a Big Bear 400 manual. 

[JonnyBlaze]

6 minutes ago, Gwbarm said:

Just out of curiosity, where did you find that information. 

We kind of had this manual discussion a little before, i agree there is great information there, information that you couldnt do the job without. But when it comes to something small like this i looked until i was tired of looking and didnt find it. I looked through the table of contents, i looked through the engine section, i looked through the electrical section, never did see where its locaated how to test it or replace it. I know im not as sharp as i used to be but i looked hard and i was using a Big Bear 400 manual. 

I think I found it here. See pic. No idea how to test or replace it. Obviously clutch cover has to come off but no idea how it's mounted. 

[JonnyBlaze]

Where?

[Gwbarm]

I did find this video, doesnt say what year, and i have never seen a Big Bear professional, so im not sure if its different from other 400s.

 

 

[Mech]

#6 Gw. There's generally, pretty early on, a page or two showing where all the main components and electrical bits are, in most manuals, but in this case I found the info in the wiring and cable routing.

And, I didn't check but as far as I know if the bike will start with the brakes applied, but won't start because there is no neutral light, then it means everything's fine except the neutral switch or it's wiring.

[JonnyBlaze]

10 hours ago, Gwbarm said:

I did find this video, doesnt say what year, and i have never seen a Big Bear professional, so im not sure if its different from other 400s.

 

 

I've seen that video. Mine doesn't have that fuse or I haven't found it yet. 

[Gwbarm]

Thanks! I did find it in the cable routing, i think it showed the light, and did see it mentioned in the electrical section, never did find where it was located ,  I will look again at the beginning and see if i missed it. I was looking in a 2000 manual, but should be close to the same.

I think you are right about it being under the cover, thats where i thought it was, but the few videos i saw show it different, like the lug sticking out with a wire attached, like the old 350s had.

[JonnyBlaze]

So apparently the clutch has to come out to replace it. Not worth the hassle. 

[Mech]

Well, since it still seems uncertain where it is I looked in a parts diagram and it shows it being an oval shaped plate with two bolts and one wire, and it looks like it's on the right side of the engine.. but it's unclear where, presumably it will be on the end of the shift barrel/drum, which would be near the lower rear.

[Gwbarm]

I think i ended up determining that it was under the cover, mine started working again kind of off and on so i never did fix mine, i started working on something else and forgot about it, and this post jogged my memory. Im not sure what that big bear is that i posted the video on but said it was a 400 and his is definately in a different place, must not be a US model, thought you might recognize it.

[Mech]

Yeah we've seen them inside that right side cover, which is what it looks like in the parts diagram.

[Gwbarm]

All the 400s iv seen has been under that right cover, but the one in the video, big bear 400 professional, which i have never seen before, showed it being screwed directly into the transmission housing like the 350s were and the Bear Tracker in post #2.

[Mech]

#13 Johnny.. The first thing to try is pull the brakes on and see if it will electric start. If it does then the rest of the circuit is right and you just need to fix the neutral light.

That plug on the engine has two wires and one is for neutral and the other is for reverse. They both earth to the engine when they are on. If you test and figure which is the neutral and which is the reverse wire, then you short the appropriate wire on the bike's loom to earth it should light up the two lamps. If the neutral lights wire doesn't make the bulb come on then it might have a wire problem.

 

[Gwbarm]

That is a lot of work just for the neutral light. I decided to wait and replace it when i redo the clutch.