Starter problems again...
Thread Starter
warm butter on toast
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 6,485
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From: The boonies, CT
Starter problems again...
Ok, my car sometimes refuses to start again. Explanation:
I'll get in the car put the key in press the clutch in and turn the key. Nothing happens. No starter ticks, slow cranks, nothing at all just dead silence.
Fuel pump primes just fine.
Batery is sending 12v to the starter.
Battery has 12v.
All the electrical components work just fine.
Main relay is good.
If I feather the clutch just to the point where the clutch switch engages and keep making it cross over so the switch makes contact I can get it to start after about 30 seconds or so.
The car can be push started with ease.
This happens off and on and I don't get it. Jafro told me to clean the battery terminals and the connectors and it actually worked last time. So I tried it yesterday when this happend and it still wouldn't crank over.
I can't really hit the starter with a hammer because my intake is over it and it's 10pm and like 10 degrees outside so I'm not willing to remove any parts in the dark.
It cranks REALLY slowly now when I do get it to start. (That's a new thing that just started happening yesterday.)
I'll get in the car put the key in press the clutch in and turn the key. Nothing happens. No starter ticks, slow cranks, nothing at all just dead silence.
Fuel pump primes just fine.
Batery is sending 12v to the starter.
Battery has 12v.
All the electrical components work just fine.
Main relay is good.
If I feather the clutch just to the point where the clutch switch engages and keep making it cross over so the switch makes contact I can get it to start after about 30 seconds or so.
The car can be push started with ease.
This happens off and on and I don't get it. Jafro told me to clean the battery terminals and the connectors and it actually worked last time. So I tried it yesterday when this happend and it still wouldn't crank over.
I can't really hit the starter with a hammer because my intake is over it and it's 10pm and like 10 degrees outside so I'm not willing to remove any parts in the dark.
It cranks REALLY slowly now when I do get it to start. (That's a new thing that just started happening yesterday.)
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 114
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If you can finagle the clutch and eventually get it to start, is it a clutch switch? I'm not familiar at all with how the car senses the clutch is in, but it has to be depressed to start the car, no matter what gear its in, yes?
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 135
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From: Salem, OR
Check your engine grounds and engine harness ground. Also, could be a bad ignition switch or clutch switch.
The clutch switch is above the clutch pedal. The easy way to test the clutch switch is to unplug it and jump the wires together. Make sure the car is out of gear and turn the key, if it starts or tries to start with the clutch pedal out you switch is bad or misajusted. If your car has cruise control there are two switches I believe the start clutch switch is white and the cuise clutch switch is yellow?
The ingition switch is attached to the back of the ignition key lock assembly. Remove the lower and upper steering column covers. Then using a small phillips screw driver unscrew the two screws that hold the switch on. Use a flat head screw driver in the pac-man shaped hole and turn to start the car. If the switch seems sloppy or turns from the start position to and goes back to the accessory position the switch is bad.
The clutch switch is above the clutch pedal. The easy way to test the clutch switch is to unplug it and jump the wires together. Make sure the car is out of gear and turn the key, if it starts or tries to start with the clutch pedal out you switch is bad or misajusted. If your car has cruise control there are two switches I believe the start clutch switch is white and the cuise clutch switch is yellow?
The ingition switch is attached to the back of the ignition key lock assembly. Remove the lower and upper steering column covers. Then using a small phillips screw driver unscrew the two screws that hold the switch on. Use a flat head screw driver in the pac-man shaped hole and turn to start the car. If the switch seems sloppy or turns from the start position to and goes back to the accessory position the switch is bad.
turning u inside out
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,545
Likes: 0
From: cortland, ohio
id get ur system checked.get the thing down to advance auto and have them due a check with there batery tester. by doing that it will help pin point the problem a lil better. or pull the starter and get it tested. if its between like 10-15 volts or amps its good, cant remember which
I'm made of meat!
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 3,580
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From: Richmond, VA
At this point, I'd suspect the battery. Having 12v of stored power isn't what's needed to start a car. Having AMPERAGE sufficient enough to crank the motor is what's needed here. You can store 12v of power all day long, but if there's not enough current to rotate the crank/cam/distributor/oil pump/water pump/alternator/AC/PS (if equipped), compress the valve springs, spin the weight of the flywheel and overcome the drag of dry rings against the combustion chamber, etc... you won't be starting that motor with that battery. Cleaning the terminals is a band-aid. Usually that fixes the problem by allowing more contact for whatever amperage is available, but if it crops up again, it's not the contact that's limiting the cranking amps. You may have a dead or dying cell in your battery.
Jump it, drive to Advance/Auto Zone/Pep Boy's/wtf ever and they'll perform an electrical system diagnosis for free. They use a tool that actually puts the electrical system under load with the car running, and it finds the weak link. A voltmeter won't answer problems related to amperage, but that tool will. Once they find the problem, their diagnostic time pays for itself when you buy the part you need.
My bet is that in your case... it's the battery. :thumbup: but get that diagnostic done before you take my word for it. I've had that problem a dozen times thanks to excessive draw from audio equiment and accessories. I used to rock 1150w x 3 amps, active crossover, head unit, 10CD changer, 13 speakers in a Toyota XTra cab without a capacitor, backup battery or isolator. It ate 9 batteries in the 10 years I owned it, and each time they did pretty much what you described. I've claimed more warrantied batteries with one vehicle than most people will in a lifetime. It was usually preceded by excessive corrosion on the + terminal from the draw.
Jump it, drive to Advance/Auto Zone/Pep Boy's/wtf ever and they'll perform an electrical system diagnosis for free. They use a tool that actually puts the electrical system under load with the car running, and it finds the weak link. A voltmeter won't answer problems related to amperage, but that tool will. Once they find the problem, their diagnostic time pays for itself when you buy the part you need.
My bet is that in your case... it's the battery. :thumbup: but get that diagnostic done before you take my word for it. I've had that problem a dozen times thanks to excessive draw from audio equiment and accessories. I used to rock 1150w x 3 amps, active crossover, head unit, 10CD changer, 13 speakers in a Toyota XTra cab without a capacitor, backup battery or isolator. It ate 9 batteries in the 10 years I owned it, and each time they did pretty much what you described. I've claimed more warrantied batteries with one vehicle than most people will in a lifetime. It was usually preceded by excessive corrosion on the + terminal from the draw.