How do you remove the neutral safety switch in my 1999 Toyota Camry?

Answer 1

Removing a Neutral Safety Switch from a 99 Camry

First unplug the wire group from the top of the unit while using your thumb to press in the locking tab. Use a 12mm socket to remove the bolt from the shifting arm ( the part where the cable goes into) Then remove the nut from the shaft that goes through the switch ( other end of shifting arm). I used a cresant wrench to remove the large nut that is also on the shaft. Make note of the position of the special washer behind the nut and put it back on the same way when you put the new unit on. It has spines poking out from the edges of it for perposes I don't know. Use a 10mm socket to remove the two mounting bolts from unit. In a perfect world, you should be able to pull the unit streight out by hand. I pulled a couple units off a some Camrys in the junk yard and the fist one was pretty stubborn. A friend used a lond pry tool and broke the plastic back of the housing and ripped out the switch mechanism ruining it. I used a flat head screw driver on the back of another one carefully twisting the tool back and forth as if to loosen or tightening a screw and it slowly came out. The old unit I removed from my car I rocked it by hand from the 6 o'clock to 12 o'clock position and it came out pretty easy. You basically put everything back on the same way you took it off reversing each step. It took a while for the check engine light to go off and stayed off so far.