Wacky_Pathy Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 So the other day after class, I went to the pathy to go home and boom. Didn't start. Eventually it did and when I got home it hasn't moved. When ever I go to turn it over, it makes one click. The clicking is the orange/brown relay where the fuse box is. Any ideas on what this may be? I'm positive its the contacts on the ignition switch but the dumba$$'s at the auto shop don't know either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 If you remove your clamshell (carefully, they tend to be brittle and half-busted already) you'll find the connections at the back of the ignition cylinder. Big bright solder blobs, can't miss 'em. The one with the black/yellow wire is the starter. I don't remember which is constant +, but you should be able to find it easily enough with a test light. Jumper the starter wire to constant + and it should crank. If it cranks when jumpered, but not with the key, then yeah, your ignition contacts are shot. The manual trans rigs have a proper starter relay that switches power to the starter, and the ignition switch just makes that relay click. The auto trans rigs make the switch carry full power. (There is an inhibitor relay on the AT rigs, but it just breaks the circuit if you've got the trans in gear.) The contacts in the switch wear to where they can't pass enough power to make the starter solenoid go. Some guys have had good luck just adding a starter relay to their AT rigs; the switch may be too worn to power the solenoid, but it might still have enough life in it to power a relay coil. I tried this on a friend's Yota and it worked for a while but ended up stranding her again, so I can't really recommend it as a fix. The proper fix would be a new ignition switch; we cheaped out and converted it to push-button start instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 The relay fix has been working in my wd21 for a decade. Obviously diagnose before firing the parts canon at it, but you're probably on the right track. Clean all your battery and starter connections anyway. Do what slart said about testing the switch, it's pretty easy, and a new ignition switch (this is separate from the lock cylinder) isn't too expensive. Is it an AT or MT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacky_Pathy Posted January 13, 2018 Author Share Posted January 13, 2018 Its a MT. The guys at the shop called and said it the starter which I was correct in suspecting when I towed it in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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