Ahsai

Yes, the OP was able to start the car with the autozone starter and it looks like it's an intermittent issue with the y-cable.

You said sometimes it takes a few times for the engine to catch. Does it mean the starter spins at normal speed but the engine just won't fire up? If that's the case, one strong suspect is the crank position sensor.

Does it happen more when engine is hot? I assume no stored error codes?

christallon

Thanks for the response! The engine fires right up. It's like there is sometimes nothing when I turn the key. I then turn key back to 0 and turn back to start again, sometimes it fires right up sometimes nothing. The starter motor never spins on its own without the car starting right up. I can go back and forth several times before the starter engages, then motor fires up immediately both hot and cold. I don't believe it's a hot cold thing but I will be more cognizant of that, although I am afraid to take the car out if I plan to stop somewhere, imagining it will not start again. I have also checked the clutch switch and it appears fine as well. Thanks for you valued assistance. There are no codes that show up at all.

Ahsai

Ok, I know you said you checked your clutch switch (gray) but it can also fail intermittently. I would just remove the clutch switch and jump the terminals with a paper clip and drive the car like that for a few days and see. Of course remember to put it in neutral before starting now that the safety is gone.

If it's not the clutch switch, since it's intermittent, you will need to wire a light bulb to the starter solenoid terminal or at least to the start lock relay pin 87. Make sure you can see the light bulb when you turn the key. The bulb should turn on everytime you crank. If it does not, it means the solenoid in not getting power. If it lights up but the starter does not engage, then it's very likely the starter solenoid is not moving despite being energized.

christallon

Clutch switch appears to be the culprit! I jumped the two wires and presto, the car has started every time so far, and best of all I don't have to depress the clutch any longer. I'm not sure if pulling this switch out of service has any other ill effects, but I always confirm the car is in neutral before I start the car anyway, so not having the switch is a plus for me. I will drive the car around and get it hot and confirm this was the problem, but it feels more direct when the car starts, and I feel this is the likely solution.

Many Thanks!!!! I'm pumped that this may be it. I will confirm in a few days when I am sure it's completely fixed.

Ahsai

Your odds are pretty good I would say If you have a digital multimeter that beeps when testing for continuity, you can bench test the clutch switch. Keep activating it on and off. If it fails intermittently, you will hear a scratchy beep or no beep at all when activated. Hard to catch that with the resistance setting where only the resistance value is displayed.

Schnell Gelb

Christallon,
Thanks for posting that Ashai's fix worked. It is frustrating when we work with someone to fix a problem over many,many posts and then they just disappear. We're left wondering, did it fix it, did he die trying some stupid fix, what?
The best part is that Ashai's fix is simple and clean and requires minimal expertise/tools//risk/equipment. Once you start removing chunks of wiring for testing/inspection and stripping insulation all sorts of complications arise.
Most important, Kudos to Ashai who is so helpful,patient and competent !

Seeeu911

Kudos to Ahsai !

christallon

An ice cold brew and please raise your bottles to Ahsai Many Thanks Man!!! Rennlist Rocks, as do you! Schnell Gelb, funny ****e there, I almost lost most of my swig of beer, through my nose laughing at your post. So true!!!

Ahsai

Thanks guys! Glad to help out and love to virtual wrench/trouble shoot

tim28

Thanks for all the great info in this post. I have a similar issue, and I must be missing something. My car always started when cold. When hot, it would sometimes do nothing, but within 5 tries it would always start. I didn't start it for 10 days, and when I returned, it doesn't turn over. Battery still had 12.4v. All dashboard lights as always, just doesn't turn over at all.
Battery is new and good (12.4v)
Clutch switch jumped (even though it tested good)
Ignition switch seems ok, never had any issues
Starter relay is good. Also tried a new one. (powered the relay, heard the click, and resistance was .01)
Pin 30 on the relay socket has 12.2v when turning to the start position
If I jump 30 and 87 on the start relay socket and hit the key, the starter turns
I checked fuses C1-4 and E1, visual and continuity. All good
Cleaned and checked engine ground. Seemed ok, continuity tested good. I will replace when I get one
Replaced Y harness, as I thought this was the cause of it failing to start when hot. It didn't solve the problem
I didn't think of checking the trigger wire on the solenoid, or anything else while I had access. Rookie mistake, as I had convinced myself it was the Y harness.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance. 99 C2, 100k miles
Tim

Ahsai

Sounds like the issue is strongly correlated with temperature. Was all your troubleshooting done when the no crank occured? If not, it will be hard to draw conclusions.

I suspect the starter or the ignition switch but since it's intermittent (it would fire up on the 5th try even when hot), one way to prove it is as follows. Wire a small 6w bulb between pin 87 of the starter relay and the ground. Place the bulb where you can see it in the rear view mirror when you are cranking.

If the bulb lights up, that means the ignition switch, dme, clutch switch, and the relay are all fine and the starter solenoid should get power. So if the starter is not spinnng, that means the starter solenoid is most likely the culprit (given the new y-cable).

If the bulb doesn't light up when you crank, then your problem is in one of those items listed above. Using the same principle, you can wire an LED (with a 600ohm resistor in series) to the coil pins of the starter relay. Note the correct polarity, pin 85 negative and 86 positive. That will tell you if the dme is activating the relay.

tim28

Thanks Ahsai. Yes, all troubleshooting was done when this no start occurred after sitting in the garage, 75-85 degrees. I do have an ignition switch that I'll get in today, and I'll try the light thing. Thanks again.

Ahsai

Btw, you can also usr a wooden stick to tap on the starter solenoid when it doesn't turn over. It could be a sticky solenoid.

Also, did the dash light dim at all when you cranked and it didn't turn over?

tim28

Thanks again. No, the dash lights don't dim. The ignition switch was replaced with a new one, same results-doesn't kick over the starter. Still have 12v at relay 30. Thanks for the reminder on the stuck solenoid, and a starter is on my list (since the initial issue seemed heat related). So why would the starter kick on the first try everytime when I jump the relay, but not when the relay is in? If it kicks when jumped, wouldn't I at some point found a non dead spot on the starter? Over the course of this past week, I have tried to start it 30+ times with the relay in (no kick ever multiple relays that still test good) and 4 times with it jumped (kicked everytime). Thanks for the response.
Tim

Ahsai

Ok, with more info like that, it sounds more like the dme not activating the relay (but you said you felt the relay clicked though). When you jumped the relay, did the engine fire up? If it doid, it means the dme recognized your key (transponder pill) correctly. Did you ever try a different key?

Note the relay should click as soon as you put the key in the last position before crank AND you pressed the clutch all the way.