Wiring up the neutral switch in a Ford Falcon manual conversion
Wiring up the neutral switch in a Ford Falcon manual conversion is a commonly overlooked item. In this quick guide we show how to wire it up.
Most people don’t realise the ECU needs a signal to know whether the car is in gear or neutral. This helps with idle speeds, and fuel cutoff when coasting amongst other things. To assist with this, the T5 manual has a neutral switch as shown in the picture to the right.
Neutral Switch ECU Pins
The following table outlines which pin the switch needs to be connected to.
| Model | Pin Number |
|---|---|
| EA, EB, EL (I6 & V8) | 30 |
| EF, AU (I6 & V8) | 64 |
Wiring the switch
There are only two pins on the switch; one should be connected to earth and the other to the ECU input. Use the PRNDL sensor wire from the Auto loom to connect these up and you shouldn’t even need to run any new wires!
What effects on drive ability would I have if the switch was constantly connected to ground?
You would find idle behavior issues and return to idle would not behave correctly. The ECU has strategies to prevent a stall when coasting for example.
Cheers,
Jason
what if my gearbox does not have a neutral switch on it? ie; an older gearbox?
You should find all E-Series T5s have the switch.
I have an Au v8 5 speed manual without the switch.What do i do in that case?
Wire it up per factory.
Are you able to use the signal return wire that’s used next to the gear selector wire as the earth or do you have to make a new wire running to earth
SIGRTN should be fine mate.
I’ve wired my neutral switch up via the wires already at the gearbox.
It does prevent me from starting the car in gear but is there a way to wire up a clutch switch to allow the car to start in gear as long as the clutch is being pushed?
I have cruise control so I’ve already got the cruise control switch mounted in the factory location.
Also, as I’ve wired my switch up using the wires at the gearbox do I still need to run a wire to my ECU?
The starter inhibitor and neutral switch are different things. Grab a workshop manual and follow the diagram for a factory manual. The ECU expects a neutral signal on the gear position input so it can control idle properly.
What if I were to use a factory manual loom, would this eliminate any issues?
Yes, or simply reviewing a workshop manual and wiring it the same.
G’day Jason, So I’ve done a manual conversion and when I’m going back through the gears to slow down it jerks very badly! It has a crow s3 cam and j3 from you to suit with a manual tune. I have the start wire earthed and thats it. The ECU isn’t getting a neutral signal at the moment as i haven’t got that yet. Thing is when i removed the J3 it didn’t jerk anymore?
Hey Kim,
I’d say the manual tune on the chip is allowing the idle to drop quickly, which could be the cause. Getting the neutral input should help.
Best to email us for this kind of detailed question in the future.
Cheers,
Jason
Thanks Jason, I might send it back for a tune later.
I’m trying to learn how to tune myself.
Kim,