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Clutch starter disable switch

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Offline SNAFU

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Clutch starter disable switch
« on: January 09, 2006, 02:16:12 PM »
My 97 Kick had been getting increasingly harder to shift because the clutch wasn't disengaging fully and I had to mash the clutch pedal hard on the floor to engage the starter.  I adjusted the cable where it connects to the trans yesterday and now I have a lot of pedal and it shifts fine, but the starter still won't engage.  I had to park it on a hill last night.  It looks like there is a switch at the top of the pedal but its a normally deperessed push switch that extends as soon as the clutch pedal starts to move.  This cannot be what was causing me to have to jam the pedal to the floor to get it to crank.  Is there another starter disable switch somewhere, like inside the clutch?

Thanks!
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Alan

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Offline jzap

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Re: Clutch starter disable switch
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2006, 04:19:55 PM »
I had the same problem with my '96.

You can adjust the switch by unplugging it, backing off the jam nut and turning the switch in the mounting threads.

I couldn't back mine off far enough, so I made a 3" jumper with a piece of wire and two spade connectors, pulled the plug off the switch and pluged in the jumper across the plug.

No more problem...
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Offline ack

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Re: Clutch starter disable switch
« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2006, 06:26:10 PM »
What zjap sez!

There are no other switches in that circuit.  Many folks simply bypass the pedal switch in parallel with a switch mounted on the dash where there is an empty pad for an uninstalled accessory control (like between the steering wheel and the door).  However, the best thing to do is to grab one off a '97 (or just about any TracKick) at the salvage yard and replace the one you have.

Nothing beats the satisfaction of fixing it yourself!
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Ack

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Offline HotRod

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Re: Clutch starter disable switch
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2006, 09:46:21 PM »
Or hide a switch for it somewhere for an Anti-theift device. ;)
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Offline SNAFU

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Re: Clutch starter disable switch
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2006, 06:46:02 AM »
Thanks but I don't see how the pedal switch I saw could be the problem because it was positioned at the top of the pedal travel, in other words right when you start to depress the pedal it would release the push plunger.  I had been having to press the pedal hard to the floor for the starter to work.  I have a old friend who now runs a trans shop look at it and he said they bypassed the switch (he didn't know if it was the one I described) and still no go.  I guess it could be something unrelated that just happened to go out when the clutch needed adjustment.

The switch you guys are referring to, is it how I described mine or something that would engage only with the pedal to the floor?
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Alan

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Offline chet

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Re: Clutch starter disable switch
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2006, 09:16:57 AM »
my '91 has two switches on the clutch one I jumped and it did nothing! So I started looking and up high under the dash it looks like some magnetic style of switch. I want to jump it too but its stuck way up there.
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Offline BigPig

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Re: Clutch starter disable switch
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2006, 11:34:36 PM »
Quote from: HotRod on January 09, 2006, 09:46:21 PM
Or hide a switch for it somewhere for an Anti-theift device. ;)

That's exactly what I did with my '89 Kick Soft-top to prevent theft.  Cheap, simple and VERY effective! :D
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Offline Shredder

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Re: Clutch starter disable switch
« Reply #7 on: January 11, 2006, 03:52:55 PM »
Quote from: SNAFU on January 10, 2006, 06:46:02 AM
Thanks but I don't see how the pedal switch I saw could be the problem because it was positioned at the top of the pedal travel, in other words right when you start to depress the pedal it would release the push plunger.  I had been having to press the pedal hard to the floor for the starter to work.  I have a old friend who now runs a trans shop look at it and he said they bypassed the switch (he didn't know if it was the one I described) and still no go.  I guess it could be something unrelated that just happened to go out when the clutch needed adjustment.

The switch you guys are referring to, is it how I described mine or something that would engage only with the pedal to the floor?

Do you have cruise control? Some cruise control systems have a switch at the top of the pedal.   Shuts off the cruise to prevent you from blowing the engine when the clutch is depresed. The other switch engages only when the clutchis pushed all the way in. It is difficult to get at. Push the pedal with your hand and watch up under the dash. It should make contact just as you reach the bottom of the stroke.
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DAC1138

Re: Clutch starter disable switch
« Reply #8 on: January 15, 2007, 09:40:58 AM »
I have a 1996 sidekick JX (4 door). I began having this problem about 6 months ago. Sometimes my car would start, sometimes it wouldnt. My dad and I determined it was this switch not being activated because the metal slate that pushes the plunger in wasn't making contact. So we fixed it. We thought it was just a chepa piece of metal and it was bending. That wasn't the case. What was actually happening was my clutch pedal cross-shaft was actually twisting and bending and ripping apart. Eventually, my pedal just broke off of the assembly. I showed it to all of my friends who know all about mechanics and machinery and they all gave me the same response, "those pedals shouldnt break like that." So I got a replacement pedal from the suzuki dealer. I installed it all with my dad's help and got it running again. No problem. Here I am, 6 months later, and I had the same symptoms. My clutch won't shift into/out of gear and the pedal has almost no resistance as it once did. Then...it snapped...again. This time from the other end of the shaft, so it wasn't the same problem. It actually broke at the base of the shaft. It looked like a real shitty weld job. It was really really thin. I had my friend's dad weld it back together for me and I'm back into driving.

Anyway, I just wrote this long essay to inform you of the potential problems you might face. Has anyone else here had any clutch petal problems like this?
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Offline MRDEAN40

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Re: Clutch starter disable switch
« Reply #9 on: January 15, 2007, 12:48:30 PM »
I'm having this problem as we speak.  My 96 4dr. has the same symptoms, getting harder to shift and dosen't want to start. I have a call into the local dealer to see what a new clutch pedal will cost me. Can anyone tell me how hard it is to remove and replace the pedal?
« Last Edit: January 15, 2007, 12:56:44 PM by MRDEAN40 »
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DAC1138

Re: Clutch starter disable switch
« Reply #10 on: January 15, 2007, 07:33:04 PM »
Quote from: MRDEAN40 on January 15, 2007, 12:48:30 PM
I'm having this problem as we speak.  My 96 4dr. has the same symptoms, getting harder to shift and dosen't want to start. I have a call into the local dealer to see what a new clutch pedal will cost me. Can anyone tell me how hard it is to remove and replace the pedal?

I ordered the pedal from the dealer, and it cost me about $120. They needed my VIN number so that they could determine where the car was made (canada or japan). It took about a week for them to get the part in. Getting the pedal assembly out isn't that hard at all. You have to lay on your back and look up into the dash. You'll need a socket wrench with a 13mm socket (i think that was the size) and a socket extension. That's about it. You have to take off the dash panel as well. In total, there's only about 9 bolts you have to remove. There's 4 around the brake master cylinder that you have to remove from the firewall, and 4 straight ahead if you're looking straight up into the dash. Then, once the dash panel is off, if you look to the left there is a single bolt that looks very hard to reach and at an odd angle to get with your socket wrench. You have to remove that bolt. That's about all there is to it. Make sure you disconnect the cabled underneath as well. The pedal assembly should pull right out from there.

Just take lots of breaks if things get frusturating. Your arms will get very tired after you've been in there for a while. A flashlight will come in handy too when you do this job. If you order the part from the dealer, make sure the weld looks okay on the base of the pedal. I'm not a welder or a mechanic, but I could see just by looking at the pedal that it wasn't a strong enough weld to begin with.
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Offline crikeymike

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Re: Clutch starter disable switch
« Reply #11 on: January 15, 2007, 08:14:23 PM »
The easiest way i've determined to bypass the 2 prong switch at the top of the clutch pedal is to pull the 2 wires, and hook that onto a standard fuse that the sidekicks use.  It's the perfect size and right type of spade connectors, and is easier than making up a wire contraption.  I had to do this on the trail one day when the switch was failing, and it fixed the problem immediately.

I've kept it like this ever since so i can start the car thru the window if i need (like in the garage), with just having the shifter in neutral.

The cruise control switch idea is a new one i haven't heard of before, but sounds like it definitely could cause a problem.  Normally the brake pedal and/or the clutch pedal will turn off the cruise control.
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