1995 Camry with no back up lights
 

Is the problem the Neutral Safety Switch? Will trans fluid leak out when I remove it? Can the NSS be opened and cleaned or must it be replaced?
Is a replacement NSS basically a plug and play unit or must it be adjusted. Does the car have to be in neutral or park when replacing.

Bulbs on each side were checked and are in working order. Thanks in advance for the advice! :)

Suggest first checking the wiring harness in the trunk where it transitions from the chassis to the truck lid. This area is of the harness is prone to flexing with trunk lid usage resulting in damaged wiring.

Thanks for the advice. I always interested in the simple fix. I'll give it a go!

So did you find the problem? I have a 2000 Camry V6 and I'm having similar issues and can't get it fixed so far. Check engine light is on, the R lights up on dash when brake pedal is applied, brake lights go out on the truck lid when brakes are applied, reverse lights go out when brakes are applied. Also getting a shudder at about 20 mph when braking and rpm drops. I removed the park neutral switch and replaced it, nothing. Took it back to trans shop, had the seal and convertor replaced recently. The owner says its not the trans and he says shudder is from the wheels. But I have no shudder if I shift into neutral. I was told its electrical and the cost starts at $100 up to thousands of dollars. Took car home and will look for broken wires in the trunk. Does anyone have a link to the wires back there. Any suggestions? Anyone have this same issues? Thanks for the help.

You may have more then one problem.

Brake light wire runs to a combo tail/brake light out sensor unit which can go bad. Location on drivers side wall of trunk. This unit is what turns on the light out icon on dash.

The wiring harness going from the chassis to the trunk lid can become damaged from flexing, check this area for damaged wiring that can cross circuit electrical power.

Brake light system is not tied to dash R light except perhaps through damaged wiring or the failed light out sensor which might back feed.

Reverse lights are not tied into brake light system. Switch is part of Park/Neutral switch on trans shift lever.

Assuming no one rewired the car, look for damaged wiring or other wiring issues. Check out the light out sensor.

If check light on, best to download codes.

As to shudder. Shudder only when brakes applied.

What do you mean by RPM drops as in car is slowing down?

What happens if car slows down without braking, still shutter as RPM drops?

Any shake in the steering wheel or brake pedal when brake applied?

Ok thanks. I will check the wires and the light out sensor. Shudder happens when car is in drive and I'm applying brakes to come to a stop. If I shift into neutral then I get no shudder. If I stop without using the shudder is still there and the rpm's still drop. No shake in steering wheel or brake pedal, so I know it eliminates warped rotors.

Also all this happened at the same time. car was working fine and then all these issues came up. I removed the park neutral switch and it was filthy and I was not able to remove the 6 screws in the back to clean it, so I ordered a used one and nothing.

Also is there a way to test the brake light out sensor? I found it, thanks for telling me where to look:) I saw so used working ones on ebay for like $15, or should I get new ones from like advanced auto?

I've been reading the thread on earnhardt13nov's issues. For me the backup light noop problem I had was the wiring harness in the truck, driver's side. Easy fix. Earnhardt13nov mentioned a "shudder" problem and my '95 Camry is experiencing a similar problem.


When I stop at a corner or traffic light, car in gear, everything vibrates. If I throw it into neutral, it smooths right out. Also while traveling at 45-50 mph, if I step on the gas to accelerate, the car vibrates, struggles to increase to the desired mph (little to no power), and finally when it DOES get up to the desired speed, runs nice and smooth. If I attempt to "step on it" while doing anywhere from 55-70mph, it still vibrates/shudders with little to no power until it finally gets up to speed. Again, runs like a charm once up to speed.


I'm really leery about bringing this to yet another mechanic as the last guy that checked it out (mechanic #2) said, "the car runs fine". That was after mechanic #1 replaced the fuel filter, wires, plugs, and distributor cap with no change in symptoms. I brought it back and mechanic #1 said, "I road tested it and it runs fine". You know how a person knows how their car runs? Well I know my car and the car does NOT run fine! Perhaps the two problem are unrelated, maybe not.


Engine? Transmission? Appreciate any advise or suggestions.

For Feedatime. What engine model?

Try turning off the over drive.

What happens to RPM when stepping on gas. Stays the same, increases but no increase in speed, etc?

As to Earnhard
Do you get the same taillight and R light on problems with the cars lights are on?

On box, find Red and Green/Red wires. Press on brakes and determine if 12v is now at both wires.

For R light problem, unplug Park/Neutral switch and determine if this changes anything.

As to shutter. If car is allowed to coast to stop in gear, shuttle still happens? At what MPH does shutter start. RPM is some number, the drops to idle and in between shutter?

I get the same problem with lights on.
What box?
I will check the park neutral switch and will also check the shutter.
Thanks for the help.

There is a light sensor box on drivers side wall of trunk. Brake and tail lights connect to it. When one light fails, sensor on dash comes on.

Ok so I removed the brake light sensor box, I have no brake lights and the R does not light up when brake pedal is applied and R does not light up either and the dash sensor is not on either and the kicker is the shudder is gone when brakes are applied around 20 mph and the rpm's do not drop either. I got another brake light sensor and when installed the sensor light on dash is gone but the R is still coming on when brakes applied and the shudder is back again too. So Toyomoho what the heck do you think is going on with my camry? I will try to unwrap the wires by the driver side hinge in the trunk tomorrow, hopefully I get lucky with a broken wire. Also I have no shudder when I don't apply the brakes and car comes to a stop, like going up hill. Thank you for all your help.

Wiring problems are of course difficult to diagnose, more so over the internet. But will give it a shot.

If removing the box eliminated the shudder problem and RPM drop consider this making progress in narrowing down the problem area.

Guessing a wiring problem, short, two wires now touching due to damage, bad ground point of a wire, ?

Many people have just removed the box and rewired around it. However, a bad box affecting transmission or engine operation is new to me, but not to say it can't happen.

For now, it appears some circuit(s) connected to the box have a problem. The task then becomes finding this circuit(s).

By disconnecting circuits you may be able to determine which one(s) cause your problem.

Suggest starting by disconnecting the wires going to the Gauge fuse and dash indicator light. It is possible power is feeding back through the fuse into the dash causing strange problems. Be sure to tape over these wires as they will be hot when ign switch is on.

If you want, also rewire the brake switch wire directly to the brake lights wires to bypass the box.

Then go for a test run where at least you should have brake lights.

My guess is this may solve your problem, but?

You can then try a combination of wiring connections Gauge, upper brake light, etc. to find out what eliminates the problem and causes it. Also determine what works. As in brake light no longer goes out when this or that wire is connected, disconnected, etc.

Then if possible physically inspect the wiring of those circuits.

The wiring for the box is below. This doesn't mean your car may not have different colored brake and tail light wires. For these inspect the wiring to the bulb sockets for colors.

Green/White = From stop light switch.
Red = upper brake light.
Red/Blue = Gauge fuse.
Yellow/Green = Dash light indicator, then goes to Gauge fuse.
Green/Red = Lower stop lights.
White/Black = Ground.

The box White/Black wire and lower brake lights grounds connect at a junction box. The upper brake light ground wire runs to its own junction box. Both boxes then run to ground AND are also connected to each other by wire. If you think it is a brake light circuit ground problem check ground connections (ohm readings) between all light grounds.

For the taillight wiring of the box:
Green wire = incoming power from taillight switch.
Green/Orange = tail lights

Like the brake light ground wiring. All taillights that receive power from the box have their grounds wired together and have multiple chassis ground points.

If the issue is the Gauge fuse or indicator bulb wiring not sure what to do. As a temp fix can wire brake and tail switches direct to appropriate lights. Then leave Gauge and indicator bulb wiring disconnected but tape over as these have power.

Many an owner has done just this when the box become a source of too much frustration.

Try the above then post back with results.

Thanks for the great advice Toyomoho. I will check it tomorrow.

Thank for the reply toyomoho!


Mine is the 2.2L 4 cyl, Camry LE w/ac. Took it for a run yesterday and found it made no difference if the OD was engaged or not. The shuddering problem seems to be speed specific. The vibration seemed to be slightly more pronounced with the OD engaged.


When I step on the gas, the RPM increases accordingly and the car struggles to increase the speed while shuddering.


Crazy as this may sound, I find the problem to occur most notably when I hit the 50-55mph range. While in that speed range if I put my foot to the floor sort to speak, the car shudders like crazy, slowly increasing speed until I lighten up on the pedal after getting up to the desired speed.


Addt'l info: Timing belt has never been changed (car has 41K original miles driven by Grandpa all these years!). I can't emphasize enough that the problem is most prominent at the 50-55 mph range. Could this be a mechanical front end problem?


Thanks in advance for your opinion!

Sometimes the EGR valve opens too much. If can find the vacuum line to the control valve on top of the EGR valve, disconnect it and plug the hose. This will turn the valve off.

Or plugged emissions converter.

Perhaps a bad coil. Spark should be white in color and able to gap 1/2 inch of air.

I had the same problem no Reverse lights or R lighting up on my shifter. I have a 1993. It was a problem with my Neutral Safety/Backup Light Switch. See attached pictures of the problem areas. What I did was sanded the one bar down that had the grooves to make it flat again. Then use like 1000 grit to give it a smooth finish. Then use the electrical grease it all up.
Also don't worry NO transmission fluid will come out when removing.

Also attached is the diagram to test your switch.