Stocker

So I went to go to work this morning and the car wouldn't start.

:: sigh ::

It seemed like the clutch switch wasn't doing its thing and letting the starter go. I beeped the alarm (which has an ignition interlock) again to be sure that wasn't it.

I went under the dashboard & pushed the clutch-disengaged switch with a finger and turned the key. She starts!

???

This is what's left of the little plastic pad that used to push against the clutch switch. I found these pieces on the floorboard. The very biggest Stocker fans will remember the one that came on the brake pedal from my manual trans. donor car (for the brake switch) also disintegrated, and I went with the pad off my auto brake pedal.

Until I can get a new pad for the clutch switch, I have to manually actuate that switch every time I want to start the car. That should be fun if I kill the engine with a missed shift in traffic! They are $0.96 each at the local dealership. I'll take TWO! laugh.gif

JonGTR

I would bypass it. Just leave it connected full time so you dont have to engage the clutch to start the car. If you are the only one driving it, then why not? Leave it in nuetral. Thats one less clutch engagement that shortens the life of the POS TOB.

mannyr

same thing happen to me all you have to do is move the switch forward. instead of replacing that Little pad you can use one of those little black plastic interior trim push pins. Like the three hold. the plastic piece that runs along the door sill. You can get those from any auto parts and you can push it in the little clutch hole

Stocker

JonGTR, I almost ran my F350 into the back of a BMW once, because of a failed neutral safety switch. I was distracted and tried to start the engine with the transmission in granny-low gear (used to help keep the truck from rolling when parked on a slope). I think I'll just make sure the switch works. Especially since I went to the trouble of running the wires for it during the auto -> manual conversion.

mannyr, that right there is why America won the War to End All Wars (and the one after it): Ingenuity! One of the trim fasteners from elsewhere in the car, pulled out with a pocket knife, would do the trick quite nicely if you were unable to get a proper replacement from the dealer.

Fortunately, I got in just before they closed. $1.04 including tax and 30 seconds' labor later and I was back in business! For those that don't work on their own cars, please note that I just saved about $80 and a couple of hours waiting for the repair to be signed off. Thanks to Jesus for the mechanical inclination!

mannyr

Stocker, Sorry to be off topic but just wanted to tell that I too my self i'm prowd to be mechanically incline. I cringe when I see people getting ripped off for services or any type of labor that are just basic things. If they took one bit of time to learn, to examine the problem at hand they could fix it themselves and take pride on what they do . I'm not putting anyone down and I'm not saying everyone should be able to do complex internal engine work. But I hate to hear stories of $600 tune ups. for doing simple maintaince things like, changing air filter,plugs,wires,flushing radiator, stuff like that, and how willing people are to pay for that, when they are physically capable of doing it themselves . Let me give you another example I have a 17 year old cousin that lives with his parents. The parents pay $80 a month for pool service on a very small pool,and $180 a month for lawn service on a fairly small home as well. For the pool all you have to do is scrub the sidewall with a brush, clean out the pool filter,take out the leaves, and replace or wash the paper filter, very similar to a car filter, Add chlorine tablets to a floater, And take a sample to the near buy pool place so they can tell you what chemicals to use. Which in their case is usually one small bag of chlorine powder. This work takes 20 minutes. The lawn between one person would take tops 2 hours with a push style mower. When I asked my uncle how come he doesn't ask him to do it. His answer was that his kid does not not how to do it and wont do it a good job. How is he going to to learn how to do it if they never give him any chores or labor to do around the house. My little cousin is physically capable of doing this work. Yet he takes no interest neither does his dad inspire any of it. And I think that is a sad thing. Let's not forget how forget how people in todays America, love throwing everything away because they claim is broken. You talk to old timers, and that was not the case before. Most people would do basic maintaince work in their car, cut their own lawn,clean their pool,Do repair work on their house. Is not about the money. But about taking pride in working physically hard to accomplish something. I am very glad that I learn these things from my step dad as a kid. My step dad is very educated and not stingy at all about his money, but there is not one stone he wont turn to fix a problem. Man I remember fixing my bycicle brakes, changing an inner tube in a tire at 10 years old. All because of the things he took the time to teach me. The kids around the block would pay me to change their inner tubes or patch them. And I would charge them $10 and it felt so good because I would think to my self, wow it so easy yet they have no idea or even try to learn how to fix it. From that more and more kids and their parents would come to get their bikes fix. I even started doing tune ups, lol. Adjusting gears,greasing chain,changing tires, lol the funniest thing. I think I would make $50 a week sometimes. and as a 10 yrl you can do a lot with $50. lol. So yeah I'm very proud to be a jack of all trades, From mechanics to cooking to computers, fishing, anything that comes my way.

Stocker

holy block of text batman!

I'm not proud, I didn't make myself or pick my parents; I'm just glad. (edit) and grateful (/edit)