Neutral Lite Malfunction After Tranny Recall

[joe camarda]

Well after my 01 V11 Sport spent 6 (SIX) months in the shop for a trannie recall I finally got it back about two weeks ago

 

The good news is that the trannie now works smoothly...no missed shifts or false neutrals after about 300 miles.

 

But, my neutral indicator lite is malfunctioning. Initially it worked fine. Then (almost immediately) it came on, and stayed on in 4th gear only. Now it is on constantly.

 

Then my hi-beam indicator lite went out!

 

Is this a simple fix? Wherein Brutus lies the poison? In the trannie (Gawd help me!) or elswhere?

 

Should I return the bike to the shop (which is two hours away) that did the recall work for a (hopefully) free repair . Or is it a job that any competent (local) shop can handle?

 

TIA, Joe

[Guest Nogbad]

Blame them regardless and take it back......

[Kiwi Dave]

Access to the neutral switch is easy, and it can be quickly determined whether the switch has gone faulty (quite common), or something more sinister. From memory, I recall that oil escapes when the switch is removed, so be ready for this.

[al_roethlisberger]

Blame them regardless and take it back......

50271[/snapback]

 

 

 

heh heh now ....we share the same dealer, so MINE IS FIRST!!

 

 

Yeah, saw your bike there Joe. Sorry to hear it too so long for the trans recall. What was the delay? Parts??

 

It seems like I see more of my NorCal friends' bikes than the guys themselves these days But, I'd just check the bulb for the high-beam, as those sockets and bulbs are keeee-rap.

 

As far as the neutral light, I'd say just ride it some more, and don't park in neutral. I bet it loosens back up. Mine consistently stuck if I left the bike parked in neutral, but as soon as I started religiously parking it in gear(any gear), it almost never stuck again.

 

al

[DeBenGuzzi]

Sometimes my neutral light doesn't kick on but then I put it back in gear and back in neutral and its always worked. Really I know I don't need a light I know when its in neutral the green light is a dummy indicator to me.

[jrt]

^^^ that's odd.

 

You can check it's operation pretty quickly. Disconnect the wire lead, attach an ohmmeter to the brass neutral-switch connector and to ground. Put it in neutral, it should show no resistance. Put it in gear, it should show infinite resistance.

[al_roethlisberger]

Sometimes my neutral light doesn't kick on but then I put it back in gear and back in neutral and its always worked. Really I know I don't need a light I know when its in neutral the green light is a dummy indicator to me.   

50325[/snapback]

 

 

Well, the problem is that in some cases, its not working properly can create a frustrating case of "no start i-tiss" since it is part of the safety circuit.

 

 

BTW, I agree that these behaviors are odd, for the very reason that the switch is so darned simple. I guess the design is flakey though, as it indeed is simply a plunger switch that rests in a dimple on the selector wheels when in neutral. I guess it just sticks or gets gummed up at times

 

al

[DeBenGuzzi]

Does it really need to be in neutral to start? I've accidentaly hit the starter button once(okay twice) while riding my old bike the horn was on that side(I wish they were more uniform) and it did try to engage I was cruising had the clutch in but not in neutral I think if the stand is up and the clutch is in you can start it in gear. But I may have to test this maybe its not true.

[Alex-Corsa]

Does it really need to be in neutral to start? I've accidentaly hit the starter button once(okay twice) while riding my old bike the horn was on that side

 

Oooops thats a dangerous thing to do because it can damege the ignition AFAIK

 

As far as the theme of the post here, any workshop give garantee to the work their doing isn't it so? The bike should work (at least)as well as before to all parts that don't have to do with the repair and the ones that have to be repaired should be of cource OK after as well.Taking it back and ask for free service to the OK state it was before you took it there is correct.

[DeBenGuzzi]

yeah I don't want to damage anything I just know its possible, and you know how I know.

[todd haven]

Well after my 01 V11 Sport spent 6 (SIX) months in the shop for a trannie recall I finally got it back about two weeks ago

 

The good news is that the trannie now works smoothly...no missed shifts or false neutrals after about 300 miles.

 

But, my neutral indicator lite is malfunctioning. Initially it worked fine. Then (almost immediately) it came on, and stayed on in 4th gear only. Now it is on constantly.

 

Then my hi-beam indicator lite went out!

 

Should I return the bike to the shop (which is two hours away) that did the recall work for a (hopefully) free repair . Or is it a job that any competent (local) shop can handle?

50268[/snapback]

 

Joe,

Have you contacted the dealer who performed the recall?

What is their response.

 

I may be a simple matter of bulb for neutral light(doubtful)

or more likely, a crapped out neutral switch(I keep a handful in stock)

Not their fault.

Perhaps they will replace it if you buy the part?

(The sort of thing we'd do in the

situation described)--

Or send you a switch on a SWAG? With the option to return the switch

if it doesn't fix the prob.

It's not a big job, and the travel time is considerable.

 

Hi-Beam bulb--

I would suspect totally unrelated. They weren't even close to the area.

 

My big wonder is how an 8.8 hr warranty job could take 6 months.

That concerns me more than the neutral light.

[joe camarda]

Todd,

BWOE... (I'll give u the Readers Digest version): When shifting from any gear to any other gear my 01 V11 Sport developed a tendency (at about 4 K miles) to shift into N probably 10% of the time. I brought this problem to the attention of a dealer in Sacramento at just about the same time the factory recall was announced. This was while my warranty was still in effect.

 

The Sacramento dealer jerked me around on the recall and in the meantime my warranty expired, but since it was a factory recall I wasnt too worried (BFM#1). Then the Sacramento dealer dropped Guzzi.

 

So after my warranty expired I brought it to another dealer still thinking that the shifting problem was a result of the defect which prompted the recall (BFM#2). This dealer opened up the trannie (for the recall) and determined that my shifting problem was due to a sloppy hole in the trannie side plate which had deformed and was allowing a lever to travel too far and thus caused the false Nuetrals ( a design that Guzzi has since re-designed). But my warranty had since expired.

 

So the service manager at the second dealership talked back and forth with somebody at MGOA (Meredith, I think) who determined that (and this is the really heartbreaking part of this overly long and sad saga) - I was out of luck because there was no documentation of the sideplate problem that predated the expiration of the warranty. So all that took awhile. Then the service manager ordered the part and we waited and we waited and...waited some more. Finally I just told them to bring the defective part to a machine shop and have it fixed. Then the service manager got fired or quit at just about the same time the shop moved to another city (San Jose) about 50 miles FURTHER away from me. My bike was moved dissassembled to the new location. Then the throttle bodies couldnt be synched and after about 3 weeks they discovered that their special machine/instrument used for synchronizing had been damaged in the move.

 

So the recall (which was done) cost me six months and about $350 (USD). And yeah, I'm pissed off at MGNA (but oddly enough I believe the second dealer did his best given the move and all) and will probably not buy another Guzzi beacuse of the shoddy treatment I suffered at the hand of MGNA.

 

So thats that...(arent you glad you asked) but two quick postscripts: (1) I am glad to get the V11 Sport back and thoroughly enjoy it! and (2) I bought a 96 Honda VFR during the six month absence of the V11 Sport and set it up nicely with Givi bags and other "stuff". Thanks for letting me ramble and rant. , Joe

[dlaing]

heh heh now  ....we share the same dealer,

50289[/snapback]

Is your dealer located near the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot?

[DeBenGuzzi]

Is your dealer located near the Santa Cruz Mystery Spot?

50371[/snapback]

They have one of those in Wisconsin dells as well, They are Soo lame

[Alex-Corsa]

Well what can I say , look guys if you ever need spare parts just take the situation in your hands and drop a call or email to some reliable MG parts seller such as AGOSTINI or to Stein-Dinse-Stein-Dinse_English-Info at least to any other trustee parts seller of your own experience and get the parts to do your job after you can go to any workshop to fix the problem.

Dealers and so on are reluctant on buying parts (or they just wait for a big order to fill in place and then they order)-and that's absurd.