Starter or clutch pedal switch?
#1
04-14-2011 | 09:20 PM
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Joined: Mar 2011
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From: Columbia, SC
Starter or clutch pedal switch?
Car started just fine when I left work, stopped at the store and would not start at all. Engine does not turn over at all. I figure it has to be one of two things, the starter or the clutch pedal switch. How can I determine which one is the problem, or am I looking totally in the wrong place?
#4
04-14-2011 | 10:28 PM
As Promised:
I picked mine up at AutoZone, cost about 150 plus 72 core charge which you'll get back. Make sure that your starter is actually bad before you change it so you don't waste money. If you have a multimeter, this will help a lot. I also picked up a cheap one at AZ for about 15 bucks, but it was very helpful.
First, check to make sure you have 12.5 or more volts across the battery terminals. If you're good there, jack up the front end of the car. Use jack stands if you have them. If not, use a hydraulic jack to jack up the passenger side. If you use the regular tire change jack, you're likely to kill yourself while you're under there.
Climb under the front and remove your AC compressor. This will make the job infinitely easier. You don't even need to undo the hoses, they have plenty of slack. It 4 long bolts, 13mm I think. Work the belt off of it and it pops right out. Lay it on the ground out of the way.
Look up in the hole you just created and you'll see the starter and the solenoid on top. You will have two thick wires going to the large lug on the top. Using the multimeter, check to make sure you have 12.5 or more volts against a ground on the vehicle. An easy spot is the bracket on the back of the starter. That's the actual ground for the starter. If you have voltage there, then you know you're good there. Remember, you will have voltage there at all times when the battery is connected.
Disconnect the negative on the battery, then climb back under. Disconnect the smaller wire that goes to the solenoid and let it hang. Reconnect the battery, then have an assistant attempt to start the car while you measure for voltage from the small wire and a good ground. If you have voltage there, more likely than not, your starter needs to be changed. If you don't have voltage, then you have an issue somewhere in the ignition system. It could the the ignition switch itself, the start relay, or the clutch position sensor (manual) or a neutral safety switch (auto).
Removing the starter is easy. Disconnect the negative on the battery again, then unbolt the two big wires from the solenoid. There are two bolt that hold it in to the bell housing (16mm) that are pretty easy to get to. Climb a little further under the car and you'll be able to see the bottom one. The top on is hidden, but not hard to find with your hand, and putting a socket in it is fairly easy as well. Loosen them up a little, then unbolt the bracket on the back of the starter from the engine. Take the bolts out, and the start comes right out. Swap the bracket, heat shield, and little plastic piece on the solenoid over to the new one, and reinstall. Reinstall opposite of how you took it out, pretty simple as well. The only tricky part I ran into was where the smaller wire was supposed to go. On the one I took out, it was to the left (9 o'clock position), on the one I installed, it was reversed. I did 3 days worth of troubleshooting before I figured that part out. The easy way to tell is the "wrong" one has a smaller connector that the one you need to use.
Hope this helps. Good luck. It's really not that bad once you get in there. Let me know if there is anything else you need.
First, check to make sure you have 12.5 or more volts across the battery terminals. If you're good there, jack up the front end of the car. Use jack stands if you have them. If not, use a hydraulic jack to jack up the passenger side. If you use the regular tire change jack, you're likely to kill yourself while you're under there.
Climb under the front and remove your AC compressor. This will make the job infinitely easier. You don't even need to undo the hoses, they have plenty of slack. It 4 long bolts, 13mm I think. Work the belt off of it and it pops right out. Lay it on the ground out of the way.
Look up in the hole you just created and you'll see the starter and the solenoid on top. You will have two thick wires going to the large lug on the top. Using the multimeter, check to make sure you have 12.5 or more volts against a ground on the vehicle. An easy spot is the bracket on the back of the starter. That's the actual ground for the starter. If you have voltage there, then you know you're good there. Remember, you will have voltage there at all times when the battery is connected.
Disconnect the negative on the battery, then climb back under. Disconnect the smaller wire that goes to the solenoid and let it hang. Reconnect the battery, then have an assistant attempt to start the car while you measure for voltage from the small wire and a good ground. If you have voltage there, more likely than not, your starter needs to be changed. If you don't have voltage, then you have an issue somewhere in the ignition system. It could the the ignition switch itself, the start relay, or the clutch position sensor (manual) or a neutral safety switch (auto).
Removing the starter is easy. Disconnect the negative on the battery again, then unbolt the two big wires from the solenoid. There are two bolt that hold it in to the bell housing (16mm) that are pretty easy to get to. Climb a little further under the car and you'll be able to see the bottom one. The top on is hidden, but not hard to find with your hand, and putting a socket in it is fairly easy as well. Loosen them up a little, then unbolt the bracket on the back of the starter from the engine. Take the bolts out, and the start comes right out. Swap the bracket, heat shield, and little plastic piece on the solenoid over to the new one, and reinstall. Reinstall opposite of how you took it out, pretty simple as well. The only tricky part I ran into was where the smaller wire was supposed to go. On the one I took out, it was to the left (9 o'clock position), on the one I installed, it was reversed. I did 3 days worth of troubleshooting before I figured that part out. The easy way to tell is the "wrong" one has a smaller connector that the one you need to use.
Hope this helps. Good luck. It's really not that bad once you get in there. Let me know if there is anything else you need.
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