My partner (who drives a Neon) and I went to Pull a Part in Olympia, Wa. to ****** some parts for both our cars. I needed another engine cooling fan and a camshaft pulley (don't ask about the pulley), and a console switch to operate my sorry ****, good-for-nothin' foglights. Well, I came across an overdrive switch for the 86 Maxima. I cut the wire from the harness and took the switch with some of the wire on it(you guys sould know what I was going to do). I take apart my center console to install the switch and there it was.... the exact wiring harness I cut from the junkyard! The Maxima in the junkyard was an 86 automatic, and I drive an 86 mannual transmission. This maybe stupid, but I was thinking, a 86 5 spd with overdrive? So I plugged it up. I don't notice any difference at first, so I turned it off. Now my question for the "experts" is it harmful to my car if I leave in plugged up and turned on? Take it off cause it is not neccessary? Or are there any Maximas out there that has an 5 spd with a overdrive? Any answers?

 

The fifth gear in your transaxle IS the overdrive. The switch and harness are probably from assembly line efficiency. There are several manufacturers that would run a complete wiring harness in all cars. Then, when some options weren't installed, the harnesses were just tucked up out of the way.

Hooking up the switch will do nothing for you. It should actually connect to anything.

It could also be possible that your car was originally an auto that someone swapped a 5sp into. When they did that, they may have just tucked that harness in, rather than cut it out, and cause a problem with the ECU - which most likely wasn;t swapped.

 

Thanx for the intel, I will disconnect it in the morning and use that for my next set of fog lights (that I need to buy).

 

aiight....First of all...ya don't need the switch. Ya got the 5th gear. Second of all, how ya install it anyway?

Anyway, the Overdrive doesn't really boost ya performance anyway. All it really is doing is dropping your engine performance. Overdrive "on" cuts back on air & fuel mixture for economical uses. Like ya save on gas and pollution. Overdrive "on" also drops your RPM's.
BUT, with Overdrive "off" it actually gives your engine full performance. It helps ya in slopes and hills or just basically boosts your engine performance. More power to the ***!

Peace.

 

well, I've aleady pull the switch out, then use the switch for my driving/fog lights. Thanx anyway.........................