I recently had the unfortunate experience of an oil leak through the Neutral Safety Switch located on the bottom (near the Oil Filter) of my 2008 Triumph Bonneville Black. The function of this switch is to sense when you are in Neutral, and turn on the "Green" light on the instrument panel. The problem that can happen over time is that engine vibrations, etc can cause the insulating material inside this switch to come loose and allow engine oil through it. The telltale signs (if you are lucky) is a small oil drip on the ground to the right and rear of the oil filter. Always check the source a leak like this! What can be done about this issue if it happens on the road? You can remove the switch with a 14mm deep socket wrench. A small amount of oil will come out, but not all of your engine oil. There would be enough left to continue riding. If you carry a bolt size 10mm x 1.25 thread pitch at about .50 inches or 10-13mm long, you can plug the hole with that. The wire that normally attaches to the sensor can be tied or taped to a nearby frame member and grounded. This will cause the green light to stay on all the time, but you will be able to start the engine and shift until a replacement switch can be installed.
Here are the parts you may need to order to replace and repair this issue:
Here are the parts you may need to order to replace and repair this issue:
- Neutral Switch #T1190282 = $48.74 (I noticed that the replacement switch I received had a different design than my original... so maybe Triumph improved on the original design -- one can hope!)
- Washer, M6 #T3550546 = $1.56 (This little part is very important!)
- Subharness, Neutral #T2500339 = $30.52 (this is the wire lead and special connectors that connect the switch to the main wiring harness.)
