94 7a-fe clutch/starter

[97sport]

howdy, corolla newb here. my girlfriend (lives 4 states away) has a 94 5sp with the 7a-fe and recently had the clutch replaced by a dealer. shortly after this, she said the car "wouldn't start on the first try." battery checked fine, terminals checked ok. took the car back to the dealer and was diagnosed with the microswitch which senses that the clutch is pushed in to allow starter engagement was bad, so it was replaced. didn't solve the problem. i was in town for 2 days and drove the car and it definitely isn't the battery and i don't think it's the ignition switch. if you release and then repress the clutch, eventually it starts, usually on the third or fourth try. i'm not too worried about her getting stranded ebcause it's so predictable, but it's annoying.

the question: is there linkage that can be adjusted so that the switch gets tripped accurately each time? could this be a wiring problem or corrosion on the contacts on said switch? long-shot that the replacement microswitch was DOA? help me out!

[Chris Corolla S]

The switch that allows the car to start when the clutch is depressed is a simple mechanical push-button. It is similair to the one that turns on the dome light when you open your door.

If you put your head down by the pedals you will see a little relay box with a black button. The back of the clutch pedal pushes it in. Maybe it is loose or the wiring to the back is loose.

[97sport]

thanks for the reply. i'm more scared that when the stealership put the new clutch in, they didn't get it to sit flat on the dowels and the reason the car thinks that the clutch isn't in the proper position is because the clutch truly isn't in the proper position. but that doesn't seem as likely because, like i said, sometimes it starts, sometimes it doesn't. it worked fine for about a week, been going downhill progressively since. i'd like her to just take it back to the dealer but that would put her in a pickle, as that's her only car.

sigh.

[Chris Corolla S]

It's the pedal itself that tells the car the clutch is disengaged. The pedal would not be touched when the clutch is replaced. If the clutch plate wasn't fully disengaging, you'd feel it because it would try to go forward when you gave it gas with it in gear and the clutch pedal depressed. You'd probably also notice a burning clutch smell.
Just look at the little switch, because something obvious might be wrong with it. You can press it with your hand to see if it starts like that.

[RedAE102]

My first thought on this is the starter itself. Contacts are likely worn, and need replacing (starter solenoid contacts, not switch contacts). My '93 started this over a year ago. Disassembling the starter and cleaning the contacts made the problem go away for a year, then it returned. I was going to just replace the contacts, but my mum insisted she would pay for a rebuilt starter, so I went down to the auto electric shop that rebuilt my alternator and had the starter rebuilt.

[97sport]

i guess the starter could be privvy to giving up with 175k (ROUGH) miles on it. i'll see if she can look into that.

while i'm thinking about it, i gotta give it to toyota on this one. any car that can put up with the neglect and abuse this thing has seen, and still run nearly flawlessly at 175k deserves major props. totally influenced my decision to get a toyota over a honda.

[Chris Corolla S]

Originally posted by 97sport
while i'm thinking about it, i gotta give it to toyota on this one. any car that can put up with the neglect and abuse this thing has seen, and still run nearly flawlessly at 175k deserves major props. totally influenced my decision to get a toyota over a honda.