Car suddenly won't crank over?!

[Torqstr]

Ok this is really odd, and trying my patience. I just spent a couple of hours drilling out the old key cylinder and installing a new one because my clutch switch went out and I kept on trying to get it to start, so the cylinder broke.

Ok, the cylinder is replaced and the clutch switch's plug is jumpered. I start the car up, drive up and down the street, no problems at all, good as new. Well I get in it a minute ago and go to crank it up. It starts to crank like normal, then halfway through cranking up just suddenly stops spinning. Now when I try to turn the key my lights come on, I hear the little relay clicking, but the motor doesn't even try to spin. It acts just like it did when the clutch switch went out. So in other words it's acting exactly as it would if you tried to start it without the clutch pressed.

I've inspected all fuses, and even tried re-jumpering the clutch switch. Nothing works.

What in hell could it be now??

[cp[mike]]

the ignition switch on the back of the cylinder wiggled loose?

[Torqstr]

no.....because then when I'd turn the key it wouldn't go into ON position and the lights wouldn't come on.

Like I said it's acting EXACTLY like when you try to start your car with the clutch not pushed in. (assuming you have a manual with the clutch switch still in place)

[cp[mike]]

no.....because then when I'd turn the key it wouldn't go into ON position and the lights wouldn't come on.

Like I said it's acting EXACTLY like when you try to start your car with the clutch not pushed in. (assuming you have a manual with the clutch switch still in place)

which would be EXACTLY like if the starter part of the ignition switch was messed up.

theres a series of components and wires related... ignition switch, neutral safety switch, starter/solenoid, and all the wires between them. while it could be any of them, id place my bet on the ignition switch, as thats what you most recently messed with.

[Torqstr]

hmm, I'll go pull it off of the back of the cylinder and check...but I don't see why it'd suddenly be messing up since I was uber careful with it.

If my main relay suddenly went would it do this? And if it did would I still be hearing it making it's clicking noise in the dash when I try to start the car?

[Torqstr]

ok, I yanked the actual switch off of the back of the cylinder and tried with a screwdriver......still the same thing, turn to start and it just makes a clink sound (like the relay in the dash) and nothing happens.

I tried cutting the ends off of the wires going to the clutch switch plug and twisting them together to make sure they are making good contact. They are definately making good contact now. Still same thing. I tried it with them no together, same thing.

Is there something that these clutch switch wires go to that could have burnt out??? Please I need to get my car running in the next hour!

[Torqstr]

well, I know the main relay SHOULDN'T cause this problem. if it was the main relay the car should crank but not start, my car isn't even cranking. When I put the key in III should I be able to hear the fuel pump pretty easily if I stand near the gas tank with the cap off? Because I couldn't hear anything at all.

I tried banging on the starter, that didn't help either.

PLEASE, I'm grasping at straws here! If there's one thing that drives me crazy it's when my car is broken, but I don't know WHY! If I know the clutch is busted, cool, I'll change it, but I hate not knowing what's wrong. I can't sleep at night.


Here's my list of possibilities right now:

ignition switch (since I did change the ignition cylinder today)
starter solenoid/relay (can't figure out WHERE IT IS located??)
starter itself (but I would think the starter would at least CLICK)
wiring to starter
clutch switch (it's currently hotwired together...don't see how this could still be the problem)
main relay (is it even POSSIBLE that this could cause a no-crank situation?)

What do you guys think is the most likely situation?

[Torqstr]

Ok, check this. After hours of diagnostic checks here is what is happening:

TRYING TO START WITH KEY
New ignition cylinder & key turn fine, at II radio comes on, at III CEL, OIL, and BAT lights come on, turn key to spin over engine......nothing happens except for a little click comming from a relay somewhere under the dash (not from the main relay). The starter does not click, or whine, or anything else.

TRYING TO START WITH KEY IN III POSITION & PUSH-STARTING CAR
I turn the key to ON (or III) then put it in neutral and start pushing, then jump it, slam it in first and pop the clutch, she starts right up! Turn her off, try the key-only method, and get nothing again.

I assume I'm right in concluding that it is NOT the main relay at this point. If the main relay was out i would assume that the car would not start.

So that leaves, Starter, Starter Solenoid (where is this damned thing anyway?), and ignition switch.

[blackcb7]

check the wires going to the starter, and i think there is a starter fuse, not sure on that one though,

[Torqstr]

can anyone verify that? It does kinda seem like a fuse (or relay) suddenly burnt out since the first time it did this was halfway through cranking the car, then it just dropped dead.

[blackcb7]

check all the fuses first. use a test light or pull them out

[Torqstr]

first thing I did

[blackcb7]

the wires around the starter, are they plugged in, there is a big one and a little one,

[Torqstr]

my starter has 3 wires...

two attached to large bolts and one small one clipped onto a terminal. They all seem to be attached but that doesn't mean they aren't corroded or in some other way messed up.

Oddly, though, when I jumped the terminals with a screwdriver the starter spun, but didn't spin the whole engine, it just whirred like it was spinning fast.

[blackcb7]

do you have power at the starter?