Car won't start!...and it's not the Steering Lock...

wheee!

First of all, the clutch switch may look identical to the ASCD switch.

Internally, the clutch switch is two sets of 'points' that do not make contact in the resting position. When you depress the clutch, the plunger goes into the switch and allows the two sets of 'points' to contact and create the closed loop required for ignition. Basically telling the car that the clutch is fully depressed.

The ASCD switch can be configured in exactly the opposite condition. Closed when at rest and open when pressed.

THEREFORE: Tracie's issue may indeed be the switch you are looking at . The one that determines that the brake pedal is fully depressed before allowing the car to start. At rest or pedal not pressed, the switch is resting open at the top of it's travel. When she steps on the brake to start the car, it closes the switch and changes state. Sometimes the contacts are fully touching with the pedal pressed and the car starts. At other times, like my clutch issue, the contacts or points have become oxidized and are not making full contact. I would pull the switch, open it, and sand the points lightly. That's all I did to fix mine!

Again, this is me hypothezising as I have not seen Tracie's issue before either. That and no one in Canada owns an auto....

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JARblue

Can be configured that way or is configured that way? If the ASCD brake switch is closed at rest, then your cruise control scenario makes perfect sense.

Since the clutch switch interlock switch that enables the car to turn on is open at rest, it would make sense to me that the 7AT brake switch operates similarly. With the clutch pedal, I can push it 95% to the floor and the car still won't turn on. If the AT version requires that you push the brake far enough to enable the brake lights, then it follows that the stop lamp switch is the likely culprit. Someone with a functioning switch in their AT could check this by pushing the brake pedal but not far enough to trigger the brake lights and see if the car turns on.

If the ASCD switches are indeed closed circuit at rest and are responsible for permitting the car to turn on, you should be able to turn your car on as soon as the pedal (clutch for 6MT, brake for 7AT) travels far enough to open the switch circuit, which would be barely any travel at all.

Of course, your scenario where the ECU reads the position of both switches makes sense as well. The pedal barely has to be pushed to open the circuit of the ASCD switch, but the pedal also has to be pushed far enough to close the circuit of the second switch.

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