Car Won't Start....

Mavrick · Jun 1, 2004

The motor will not crank with the key. With the key on, the pump primes etc. When i try to crank it with the key, i get nothing at all.. after 2 seconds of holding the key i get 1 single click from the passenger side of the engine bay. I bought a new selenoid (old one wasn't at fault anyhow), and the car fires right up when i jump the selenoid.

All my grounds are good, i get power at the selenoid with the volt meter.

I think it has come down to either the clutch safety switch, or the ignition switch. How can i test these? I would like to bypass the clutch safety switch to eliminate that... how do i do that?

I'm lost.. the car started fine 6 months ago. All i did through the winter was hide the wires only on the passenger side, new fuel pump, wired some gauge lighting to the fuse panel.. thats about it.

TheUser · Jun 2, 2004

could you maybe check power at the ignition wire when someone turns the key? Ignition switches are not very much (10-15 I think) and are pretty easy to install as well, if you want to try that. Make sure you put all of those wires back on your solonoid...including the push on connector that goes on that screw..isn't that the ignition wire?

Mavrick · Jun 2, 2004

Ya the push on one is the trigger (ignition i guess). I'll try that, i think there's a recall from ford for the ignition switch anyway?

jrichker · Jun 2, 2004

Mavrick said:
The motor will not crank with the key.

I think it has come down to either the clutch safety switch, or the ignition switch. How can i test these? I would like to bypass the clutch safety switch to eliminate that... how do i do that?

Look that the clutch pedal arm. On top there is a switch with 2 wires. Jump them together and you have bypassed the clutch safety switch.

MAC'n89Blckstng · Jun 2, 2004

Could just be a bad battery connection. Are the battery terminals tight on the battery? That has happened to me before and it was just a simple tightening/replacing of the battery terminals. The original terminals from Ford are known to corrode (spelling?) and no longer hold a connection to the battery. Go to Sears hardware and get two new bolt on terminals, they're 3 bucks a pop. Might as well start replacing the least expensive stuff first. Hope this helps.
Later,
Jesse

Mavrick · Jun 2, 2004

Battery connections are fine, i've cleaned them all up with sandpaper, the whole bit.

jrichkerr.. on top of my clutch pedal arm, there are two harness' with like 4 wires each... whicih ones do i jump?

jrichker · Jun 2, 2004

One's for the cruse control, the other is for the starter. Look for a Red/Lt Blue wire.

Mavrick · Jun 2, 2004

Ok. One last thing...

I found the red/lt. blue wires for my clutch safety switch. There are 3 of them going into the one plug. Do i tie all 3 of these wire's together and put the plug back in (with nothing leading out of it)?

jrichker · Jun 2, 2004

According to the diagram above, 2 wires are aready connected together. All you should have to do is to jumper the two pins for the switch connector together. I haven't had the connector off, so I cannot say from personal experience.

Mavrick · Jun 2, 2004

Ok cool, thanks man. Sorry for my stupidity

MAC'n89Blckstng · Jun 2, 2004

Did you try starting it by connecting the two sides of the solenoid with a screw driver? Its kind of shady but worked when my car was having weird starting problems. And also about the battery terminals, the part that corrodes is actually the clamp itself, The wire is basically dipped into hot lead and then the lead "freezes" to the wire. After time the wire inside the lead clamp will corrode and no longer hold a connection.

Mavrick · Jun 2, 2004

MAC'n89Blckstng said:
Did you try starting it by connecting the two sides of the solenoid with a screw driver? Its kind of shady but worked when my car was having weird starting problems. And also about the battery terminals, the part that corrodes is actually the clamp itself, The wire is basically dipped into hot lead and then the lead "freezes" to the wire. After time the wire inside the lead clamp will corrode and no longer hold a connection.

Thats what i meant by "jumping the selenoid."

HISSIN50 · Jun 3, 2004

Mavrick said:
Ok. One last thing...

I found the red/lt. blue wires for my clutch safety switch. There are 3 of them going into the one plug. Do i tie all 3 of these wire's together and put the plug back in (with nothing leading out of it)?

Mav, this sounds familiar no? here is my post from your other thread:
http://forums.stangnet.com/showpost.php?p=4225203&postcount=12

so you have one connector with two terminals? stick a blade fuse in the connector (bridging the terminals - a blade fuse just happens to fit nicely). since it is now all bridged (what the clutch switch did before when you depressed the clutch pedal), you dont need to plug the harness back in. the fuse is in the way anyhow.

this will by pass the switch and allow further diagnostics. be sure to fix the switch if necessary (ahem, i would never recommend removing a safety feature).

good luck, Mav.

Mavrick · Jun 3, 2004

Ya, i put a blade fuse in there and tried it out. Now my problem is worse. You know how your key has position 1 (fuel pump primes etc) and position 2 (start the car, springs back to position 1). Now my position 1 gives me a seatbelt light and an amp light (battery is charged), and position 2 primes the pump and tries to start the car (still no crank, but i get that click of the relay). This must be the ignition switch??

PS sorry for overlooking your other post hissin, i just didn't have that thought in my head at the time.

sublime29 · Jun 3, 2004

My 88 had the ignition switch recalled.I got a letter in the mail.I took it to dealer and they gave me the new one free.It was easy to install but you need a star bit with the whole in the middle.I would say that is your problem or the wiring for the ignition switch.Take you stang to the dealer to see if they will lokk at your car and see it has the factory switch and give you a new one.Like I said I got a letter for the recall but I am the second owner.

HISSIN50 · Jun 3, 2004

sublime29 said:
It was easy to install but you need a star bit with the whole in the middle.QUOTE]
aka a tamperproof torx bit (torx bit with hole in the middle). just said it in case you go calling around for one.

Mav, about my other post. no problem - i knew i had said it once, and that is why i had not replied to your new thread. but once you brought up the clutch switch stuff again, i figured i would try to help again. i know im not the most articulate guy (people can PM me for a decoder ring - to figure out what im trying to say. LOL).

with the blade fuse, all you are doing is making an electrical connection (helping to close a circuit) - it should have nothing to do with the mechanical functioning of the ignition switch.
i agree with Sub - and i know you know about it - the switches were a recall item and prone to failure. the nice thing is that they are cheap nonetheless. i would swap that thing out and see what happens. check your harness real quick while you are in there.

i need to call the dealer myself and ask if the switch in my 88 has been swapped too. i know at the first sign of funkyness from it, im swappin it nonetheless.
you could check the clutch switch for proper closing, but i would leave the switch bridged, and once it starts, try hookin it back up and if it does not start, then you know the switch is bad. it sounds like the switch is probably ok (or in the crank position, if you have 12 volts at both terminals of the switch [when it is connected properly], you know the switch works).
good luck, Mav.

riceater89-5.0 · Jun 3, 2004

if u can start it by jumpin the solenoid, but cant get anything turning the key, did u check the starter itself, that is exactly what it would do if the starter has gone bad, not sayin thats it, but its definately where i'd start

Mavrick · Jun 3, 2004

riceater89-5.0 said:
if u can start it by jumpin the solenoid, but cant get anything turning the key, did u check the starter itself, that is exactly what it would do if the starter has gone bad, not sayin thats it, but its definately where i'd start

Dude, that means the starter is GOOD and the problem is elseware.

I ordered a new ignition switch, so we'll see how that goes. If this isn't it, then ill have to chase wires!!

riceater89-5.0 · Jun 5, 2004

on the contrary, a lot of people think the same way, but i promise, if u can jump the solenoid it is the starter, i jus had the very same problem on one of my mustangs. i thought the same as u before i had that problem, my dad told me it was the starter after we jumped it like that, i was skeptical, but i changed the starter and it fired right up, all im sayin is give it a shot, if it doesnt work, i will gladly admit i was wrong, and u can always take the starter back if u in fact dont need it. jus tryin to help

HISSIN50 · Jun 5, 2004

riceater89-5.0 said:
on the contrary, a lot of people think the same way, but i promise, if u can jump the solenoid it is the starter, i jus had the very same problem on one of my mustangs. i thought the same as u before i had that problem, my dad told me it was the starter after we jumped it like that, i was skeptical, but i changed the starter and it fired right up, all im sayin is give it a shot, if it doesnt work, i will gladly admit i was wrong, and u can always take the starter back if u in fact dont need it. jus tryin to help

im not trying to be antagonistic, but that logic does not make sense to me.

the solenoid connects battery juice to the starter cable. if one wanted to, they could connect a jumper from the pos battery cable to the starter itself. same pathway.
if he has to jump the solenoid, that suggests the solenoid itself or the wiring upstream is at fault (depending upon how the solenoid is jumped - if the trigger wire is touched to the battery lug, the solenoid is ok and the wiring to the trigger is at fault. if the lugs have to be jumped, the solenoid is bad).

as long as it can be started, the starter is good. correlation is not causation - you might have had poor grounding, a dead spot on the starter, a poor starter cable connection or some other factor that allowed swapping the starter to fix your car, and we are happy for ya. BTW, when you jumped your solenoid, your old starter worked? when swapping parts, you may have inadvertantly remedied a bad connection, etc. if the car starts everytime with by passing the solenoid, the starter is not at fault.

but what you said would be misleading to future searchers and is bad info, IMHO. like i said (and have said before, im here to learn and try to help. bad info is a dis-service to all).
perhaps we are missing some info from you, that was left out about your situation, so it is not making sense to us (or atleast me).
good luck to all.

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