When I push the clutch in and turn the key to start my car there is about a two to three second wait before the cars starts. It used to be instant. Is this a sign my
battery
or starter is about to go and that I should replace it soon? I have 24K miles on the odometer. Thanks.
How old is your
battery
? They don't last very long and would be the first place I'd look. They can test it for you at almost any auto parts store without even having to take it out of your car.
I had the same problem last year. It was fixed by replacing the clutch switch.
It's inexpensive and easy to replace (5-10 minutes) - if your car cranks strong I would try the switch before the
battery
.
My car is 3 1/2 yrs old so I'm hoping it's not the
battery
. I'll try replacing the clutch switch and see if that works. It's strange though... it doesn't happen all the time.
Thanks for the replies.
Replace the
battery
in the key.
Guarantee it's the clutch switch. Your symptoms are classic. I personally just decided to bypass it with a short wire and two spade connectors, but you can also just replace the switch with a new one. Do it soon, or you could find yourself stranded somewhere with a car that won't start!
Interesting. I'll use key 2 for a few days and see if alleviates the issue. Thanks.
If the clutch switch is the problem wouldn't the error message pop up on the multi-function display telling you to push in the clutch?
Seems like I started seeing that message after this had progressed more (ie there is some sufficient time delay that occurs prior to that message displaying). If you hold the key long enough and it thinks the clutch isn't depressed, it shows up. But initially, when the start delay was only a second or two, I don't recall seeing the message.
I suppose this symptom could be something else, but my money is on clutch switch. It's just so common in our cars... some people here are on their third or fourth switch now.
If the switch is inexpensive to fix I might as well replace it now. Is it a DIY or do I need to take it in? I'm pretty handy with most things but I've never been comforatble with electronics.
If the switch is inexpensive to fix I might as well replace it now. Is it a DIY or do I need to take it in? I'm pretty handy with most things but I've never been comfortable with electronics.
Its a simple enough fix but if you disconnect it first and bridge the teminals in the connector with a piece of wire, that will determine if the problem is the switch or not.
Simple enough DIY - assuming you do yoga and are flexible enough to work in a tight space.
Agree with the suggestion to just bridge the connection first and see if it fixes your problem. Why not?
If it's the same switch I'm thinking of, I disabled it a couple of years ago by removing the spring. It was throwing my timing off so I removed it but kept it plugged in. Unfortunately my cruise control was disabled as well. The added benefit was that the hill assist was disabled too.
Could it still be the switch then?
I might wait then and bring it up on my
next
service before my warranty expires in April. The car had been bullet proof since day 1 so I'm not expecting any surprises. But you're right, might be worth having them give it a good once over in the spring.
Clutch switch got the same
