ohioboxster

It's a 6 speed, 2002 TT with 46k miles on it, purchased February 20th of this year. I've put about 1,500 miles on it my first month of ownership.It sat all night and all day, I jumped in it this afternoon and took about a 10 minute drive. The car sat about 1/2 an hour, when I got in it to leave it wouldn't start.

Turn the key and I can hear the fuel pump turn on, volt gauge reads 12, but nothing, not a click. It doesn't feel like the ignition switch is bad, I've replaced one of those before and this didn't have the same symptoms. I tried to start the car probably 20 times. I tried to start it in neutral, 1st, moved the shifter all around, pressed the clutch in and out about 50 times. I ran through a checklist in my mind of what needs to happen for the car to start. At this point the clutch is really hard to depress, it feels like I'm pressing on the brake pedal.

I reach under the dash, feel around and get my hand on what feels like a micro switch. I click it a few times, try the key again and it fires right up. The clutch is easy to push in for the entire ride home. Once I get it in the my garage I turned it off and restart it up about 5-6 times without incident.

Didn't have a whole lot of time to take a look at it, but the switch felt really loose. I get online and start my searching. I'm thinking the accumulator and slave are going bad, but I've also read if the car is off and you depress the clutch several times it will become hard to push.

I'm off a couple of days so I'll check it out later today. I'm not sure if it was just dumb luck that after I clicked that switch it happened to start. I didn't have to hold the button in for the car to start. This has me thinking it's not the switch. Maybe it was just dirty and I freed it up?

I know this is a lot to read, but wanted to answer all the questions I thought would come up.

Thoughts?
___________

neanicu

Aftermarket alarm.
The switch shouldn't be there. These cars don't have it. It could have had an aftermarket alarm at some point and the switch is from that.

Macster

Never had a no start problem with my Turbo but with my Boxster the source of the problem turned out to be a bad clutch interlock/safety switch.

Unless you are quite limber or made of rubber I can't believe you managed to reach down to and behind the clutch lever to wiggle the clutch interlock switch, so neanicu's idea about an aftermarket alarm is a very good idea.

From your post it reads like the accumulator is bad, that is it won't hold whatever it is supposed to hold after the engine is shut off.

My info is that after the engine has run some time (20 seconds) and then shut off that one should be able to fully depress and release the clutch pedal many times (20, 25, or more -- the numbers vary depending upon the source of the numbers) before the pedal gets hard.

Keep an eye out for signs the slave cylinder is going bad. The signs I had, well, the sign was the plastic panel/cover under the front trunk lid which covers a small fluid reservoir had fluid stains on it. The Porsche tech told me the present of fluid leaking from this area was a sign the slave cylinder was bad.

Sincerely,

Macster.

ohioboxster

My car has been sitting for several hours, I went out and pressed the clutch 10 times and it didn't get hard to depress.
Here's a picture of that switch

SSST

That was going to be my guess, and that's the switch you took a picture of. It may be starting to go bad.

ohioboxster

I think this is for sure the problem, once I crawled under to have a better look I could see the switch is just kind of barely hanging on. I think it just came loose, jumped it for now going to run around a bit today and see what happens.

Thanks

ohioboxster

Looks like it was that switch, I haven't had a single issue with it since. I'm going to crawl under there and try to tighten that switch down and reconnect it.

Macster I guess you must be talking about some other switch as I can assure I'm not made of rubber. Well, there has been the occasional issue after a long night of drinking...

I didn't see that Adam guy posting in my thread yet about me being a whiner or complainer, guess this one met his approval or he's away getting that stick removed...

PAULUNM

Just jumper the wires for the clutch switch, or tape the switch in the closed position.

Nice to not have to depress the clutch to start the car. Supposedly less bearing wear on the IMS... That's the theory I've read...

ohioboxster

That's a good idea too, I already jumped it though.

Macster

Not clear to me how depressing the clutch during an engine start results in IMS [bearing] wear. If so one wonders about pressing the clutch say to up/down shift at higher rpms other than start and idling rpms.

As for not having to depress the clutch to start the engine...I grew up and learned to drive during a time when there was no clutch interlock switch and every driver was aware of this.

Nowadays, manual transmissions are fast becoming less common and but yet every (modern) car so equipped requires the clutch be depressed before the engine will start. I do not let anyone drive my cars, but the techs where I have the cars serviced, still I'm concerned that should I override this safety switch that an unknowing tech expecting this car to behave like all the rest might forget to shove in the clutch or at least check the transmission is not in gear an instead immediately get in and crank the engine and have it start and the car move with likely unpleasant results.

Sincerely,

Macster.

PAULUNM

That's well above my pay grade. I'm sure you can find it via searching the forum.

Simi_911

So far I have not had any damage to the car when i take it in, but it is nice to see the look on their face when they ask me..."Did you bypass the clutch switch?" I usually let my car warm up for a few minutes, so it's nice to not have to get in and press the clutch to start. I do always look at the shifter before I turn the key tho...wouldn't want my car inside the house.

Kevin

It takes less than 30 seconds to bypass the switch. A few seconds longer to reconnect. It's nice to have the engine fired up and running to get oil pressure to the slave, and more importantly the rear thrust bearings prior to engaging the clutch.