Gear-engaged switch?

[fiatmike124]

Can someone explain the purpose of the the gear-engaged switch on the manual transmission? I have found very little info on this switch and i dont think it is needed. Mine has the wires broken off and I am trying to determine whether to attempt to buy a new one.

When rebuilding the 5 speed, am i the only one who had trouble tightening the phillips head machine screws on the transmission that secure the mainshaft output bearing (and also used on reverse idler gear shaft)? Almost impossible to not strip the phillips heads since it requires an impact wrench and I believe the screw holes are tapered.

[BEEK]

that switch is part of the emissions system, from what i remember it sent a signal to keep the idle from going too low between gear shifts to reduce emssions... basically useless... you can forget it and never miss it, even in an emissions test..

the screws you speak of, i use a phillips bit on my impact, just press in tightly when removing. the rev idler shaft does not need to be removed for any reason during a rebuild. the screws use a lock washer, so the dont have to be super tight either.