so about a month ago i was driving to work. i made a pit stop and then the teg would’nt start. all power, no crank. i was at a loss, so i pushed it to the mechanic down the road. by the time i got it there, my legs where on fire and i was in no mood for any BS. the mechanic walks out to my car, puts the key in the ignition, and fires the motherf*cker right up. you can imagin my frustration at this point. so he takes it into the bay and emerges 15 minutes later telling me he can’t find anything wrong. so i drove away unsatisfied.
low and behold i went to pick up my daughter from her mother’s house yesterday and the teg did it again… all power, no crank. i messed with it and messed with it originally thinking it had something to do with my POS alarm. again i left unsatisfied WITHOUT my car this time. i’m now pissed cause i know i have to go back there and deal with her… i try to keep my distance from her as much as possible, lol. ANYWAY… so i when i got home, i spent hours reading old threads regarding this issue and printed up a BUNCH of threads to refferance during my fix attempt. so today, i bought a starter just incase. when i got to the teg i decided to try cranking it up just for shits and giggles… no luck. so before i started bangin on the old starter or removing it to have it tested, i started listening to all of the sounds inside the cabin first. i heard the fuel pump, the starter relay and my clutch pedal squeek with reminded me to check the clutch interlock. so i climbed down there and began feeling around. to my surprise, i found an open hole on the clutch pedal arm with a sensor trigger poking through it. hhmmmm… so i climbed out from under the dash and looked around on the floor for any broken pieces… found nothing. for the hell of it, i engaged the clutch and turned the key expecting to listen to the sounds again. instead, i heard the sweet sound of my engine cranking, turning over and running. SWEET!!! but really not… i solved nothing. i have no idea what the problem is now. i know it can just happen again at anytime.
can anybody rule anything out or pin-point anything for me based on this info?? i know it kinda throws a monkeywrench in the equation with there not being a plunger for the clutch interlock and the car still starts.
also, there was no clicking coming from the starter motor itself when it wouldn’t start. but since it started, does that rule out the starter being bad??
When you say “all power but no crank” which of the following do you mean?
Car has power, gauges light up, but starter does not turn.
Car has power, starter turns but engine does not fire and run.
If I’m reading correctly, #1 is what is happening for you. And if that’s the case then you can rule out anything to do with the ignition or fuel delivery systems. Unless you have multiple problems.
So, if that’s the case then you just need to follow the whole system related to the starter. The starter is clearly not 100% bad, it will work, at least sometimes.
yes, #1 is what i’m explaining. as far as the clutch interlock switch goes… how is it possible that there is nothing engaging/disengaging it and the car will still start?? would that rule it out too or does that pose another issue?? again, this is only the 2nd time this has happened since i bought the car back in october. also, i BELIEVE its the starter relay that i heard clicking. the sound was coming from the “right-side of radio, inside the dash” area. so would that rule that out as well??
I’d like to help on this. Before you start buying expensive parts, CHECK all your grounds to see if its corroded and worn. The main ones are the battery to chassy ground. The valve cover to chassy ground.
Make sure theres good connection on the battery terminals. You might have to clean them out. Check for loose connections on the starter motor and solonoids.
Second inexpensive test is what Colin mentioned. Use a mulimeter to do some electrical test.
Colin-chime in and show him how to use it. I gotto go back to work.
When you turn the key does the relay under the dash click it is to the right of the heater. If you do not hear it click it is most likey the Ignition switch. You do not have to change the hole thing just the back part of it.
When your car will start do you have to have the clutch pushed in? If not then someone has by passed the interlock switch. Not a bad thing just means the car will start with out the clutch being push in like in the old day.
Also mean no need to look at the interlock just the ignition switch and starter
need to be checked.
sorry i haven’t responded back. i think i solved the problem. the other day it refused to start so i looked over everything and then decided to smack the top of the starter. bitch fired right up after that. so i replaced the starter and so far so good… no issues.
yes, the relay clicks
also, whats wierd is the switch is missing on the cluth pedal arm, yet the car won’t start if the clutch is not engaged, as if the switch was working. the car only starts with the clutch engaged.