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Clutch Start Switch

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RamenPride

20+ Year Contributor
2,642
91
Aug 18, 2002
Virginia Beach, Virginia
I dropped my car off at Pep Boys for an alignment and inspection. Anyway, it failed for some burned out bulbs and a "transmission issue" that they can't fix. When I asked what it was, he said "the car starts without the clutch being pressed" and I would need to take it to a transmission shop ROFL

I disconnected the clutch start switch, but forgot to plug it back in. Anyway, now that the car is back on the road and I'm back in VA where we have annual safety inspections, it's a pain to plug/unplug the switch every time I take it somewhere (every time meaning once a year for inspection, and for alignments). I want to hook up a switch instead of having to reach up and under the dash every time. The thing is, there's not much room and the wires are so short I'm not sure how I would even cut/strip the wires so that I can add wire to a flip switch. Anybody know if there's somewhere else to do this that's more easily accessible?
 
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Well if you don't mind the factory alarm no longer being able to disable the starter, you could put a switch in series with the starter relay's green/black wire (which will prevent the starter relay from disabling the starter - note that starter relay when activated disables the starter on a MT).

Or you could put a switch across the starter relay's black/red (either one) to it's black/yellow (which bypasses the relay when switch is on).
 
I put a switch on the clutch safety switch wiring on my 05 EVO, since the track tests it every time I go. When you cut one of the wires, there should be enough there to add your own wires to the switch. I used male/female disconnects so I could easily put it back to stock to sell it (and gets you some length back), but there are a number of ways to do this. It is a tight spot to work, you just have to deal with the aggravation and discomfort for a couple minutes. I'm sure you could find the other end of those wires in the schematics, but that will be more time and aggravation that doing it under the dash, and there's no guarantee those wires will be any easier to get to. Without looking I'd guess it's in the radio/console area on a DSM.
 
Well if you don't mind the factory alarm no longer being able to disable the starter, you could put a switch in series with the starter relay's green/black wire (which will prevent the starter relay from disabling the starter - note that starter relay when activated disables the starter on a MT).

Or you could put a switch across the starter relay's black/red (either one) to it's black/yellow (which bypasses the relay when switch is on).

I forgot to mention that I installed a pushbutton starter that completely bypasses the stock relays (basically using a 12v switched source from the ignition switch to trigger a relay wired straight to the starter solenoid). However, I need to wire it (temporarily) so that it still requires the clutch pedal to be depressed in order to start. I figured I can just mount a momentary switch somewhere on the clutch pedal arm, but if I could use the stock wiring that would be better/easier.

It sounds like I can just tap into /hook up a wire at the starter relay to turn on the relay I've added for the pushbutton starter. Would I tap into the black/yellow wire that bypasses the starter relay with the switch engaged, or is it the red? Just trying to clarify which one has current going through it once the clutch pedal is depressed.
 
On a MT the starter relay only activates to DISABLE the starter (ie. when clutch pedal is not pressed or factory alarm inhibits it). So if you put all the original wiring and relay back in, you should get what you want. You can still have an override switch that opens the circuit of the starters green/black wire which will allow starter to work (ie. starter relay won't activate). Note that the starter relay must be in place for both these cases.
 
On a MT the starter relay only activates to DISABLE the starter (ie. when clutch pedal is not pressed or factory alarm inhibits it). So if you put all the original wiring and relay back in, you should get what you want. You can still have an override switch that opens the circuit of the starters green/black wire which will allow starter to work (ie. starter relay won't activate). Note that the starter relay must be in place for both these cases.

:thumb:

Thanks for your help, I think I've got it figured out now (maybe...). So, basically, the un-depressed clutch start switch (or factory alarm going off) completes the circuit, which turns the starter relay "on" and prevents the starter from engaging (and stepping on the clutch or disconnecting the clutch start switch breaks the circuit turning the relay off).
 
Still having a problem here, and can't get the car to pass the state safety inspection. The whole on/off switch is on hold until I get it resolved. I plugged the clutch switch back under the dash (it was actually plugged in the whole time). I had installed the push button years ago because of a no-start issue (starter wouldn't crank whether or not the clutch was depressed). Anyway, when I turn the key there is voltage through both black/red wires as expected. However, with the harness connected to the starter relay, I'm still getting 12v through the black/yellow wire (that I'm assuming goes to the starter solenoid). This is with the clutch switch plugged in and without the clutch pedal being depressed. So basically, I've "fixed" the problem from years ago, and the car will start with the key (I hooked up the black/red to the wire from my push button starter that goes straight to the solenoid), but without the clutch being depressed...... The starter relay is actually new, a generic RY342. I haven't tried the stock/old relay, which I guess would be next. My next step will probably be the clutch switch, but it looks like there's no way that can be replaced without removing the pedal assembly. Any ideas (ie. easier ways to fix this)?
 
Figured I'd reply here instead of starting a new thread.... Anway, I've narrowed the problem down somewhat. Not sure how I was getting voltage through the yellow/black wire with the clutch switch un-plugged a few days ago, but did some fiddling and now I'm getting voltage through the yellow/black wire only when the clutch/clutch switch is depressed. It's a good start, but the only problem is I'm only getting 6 volts, which is not enough to get the solenoid to engage the starter. I thought the starter relay might be bad, but switched it out with the new one with the same result. I'm getting 12volts through both the red/black wires at the relay, so not sure what's causing the drop in voltage. The only thing I can think of is a bad ground and/or clutch switch.
 
Yes, it is near the clutch pedal.

On vehicles with cruise control, there is the 4-wire brake light switch and a 3-wire, 2-pin connector right next to it that is left open, in addition to the two 2-pin connectors for the clutch pedal switch. If for some reason you hooked that connector to the cruise switch on the clutch pedal, it would activate the brake lights when the pedal was pressed. That's about the only thing I can come up with, though. Check the wire colors running to each switch on the clutch pedal.

EDIT: Here's a nice picture illustrating this. The black box shows the 3-wire, 2-pin connector explained above. Note that the 4-wire connector, red box, is plugged into the brake pedal switch.

The yellow box is the cruise control deactivation switch. The blue box is the switch for the starting circuit.

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Also, you may want to download these for future use. The Haynes is a good point to start from but the factory manuals are the way to go:
 
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