Car wont start after fire

DOes it crank? If not, look at the clutch safety switch under the dash (on the clutch pedal's arm). You might have bumped it while doing the clutch cable or when stuff burned.

Good luck.

Make sure your starter hasn't come loose (may not be related to the fire). I had that happen on a '67 Stang - hit the starter and it just whined because it wasn't engaging the flywheel. Or, if your starter was actually in the fire there is a good chance it got cooked and may be bound up inside.

Pull your computer out and open it up. I had a small electrical fire from an old sub woofer power wire that hit a ground and it fried my computer but i didnt know it until i took it out and opened it up.

Ok, so if it starts on a compression start, but not via the starter:

Put a test light on the slide-on connector on top of the starter solenoid. Have someone crank the car and see if you get 12 volts at that terminal. If you do, skip to B below.

If not. grab the clutch safety switch on the back of the clutch pedal and disconnect it. BE VERY CAREFUL HERE. MAKE SURE THE CAR IS IN NEUTRAL, THE E-BRAKE IS ON, AND FOLLOW ANY AND ALL OTHER SAFETY PRECAUTIONS. YOU WILL BE DISABLING THE SAFETY CONTROLS WHICH KEEP YOU FROM STARTING IT IN GEAR.

Bridge the terminals on the safety switch (a blade fuse works). see if the car will start. If not, put a test light on the connector you have in your hand and see if you show 12 volts during cranking at one of the terminals. If so, the switch is likely bad.

If not, check the ignition switch itself. The crank wire is pink/whi IIRC. Check your schematic to be sure. Make sure the wire did not burn. Also make sure the lock cylinder is engaging the linkage to make the car crank.

B). Now going backwards, if you actually had 12 volts at the slide-on wire during cranking:

BE VERY CAREFUL HERE. MAKE SURE THE CAR IS IN NEUTRAL, THE E-BRAKE IS ON, AND FOLLOW ANY AND ALL OTHER SAFETY PRECAUTIONS. YOU WILL BE DISABLING THE SAFETY CONTROLS WHICH KEEP YOU FROM STARTING IT IN GEAR. (had to reiterate in case you jumped down here without reading it above).


Touch the slide-on wire to the battery lug of the solenoid. Does the car crank?

If not, Using a large screwdriver, etc, touch both big solenoid lugs together (be careful, it will spark, etc). If it cranks now but not when touching the slide on terminal to the battery lug, and you had 12 volts going to the slide-on connector, the solenoid is likely bad.

Do be sure to restore the clutch safety switch and all connections to the way they were before so as to retain all safety features of the starter interlock circuit (so it wont start in gear, etc).

Good luck.