Well I jumped in my car last sunday to go for a drive turn the key and nothing. Everything came on like normal but the started didn't even make a noise. So I thought the battery could be low so I threw it on the charger overnight.

Next day jump in turn the key, and the same thing everything came on but no starter. So I decided to roll it down the drive way and clutch start it. Well It works car fires up with no problems.

So then I thought starter, so I decided to try my remote car starter. I set the starter while it was running(because it is a m6), shut it off, press the starter button and it fires up. So it can't be the starter.

So then I thought clutch saftey switch, so I took the harness of of the switch and tried it like that and then I tried it with a wire making the connection, and still nothing.

So then I did a search on here and found out it could be the resistor in the key or the reader in the steering coulmin. I checked the resistance on the key and it came out to 520ohms and according to this it should be good. I then took apart the VATS connector to and put the key in and checked the resistance at the connector to see if it was the key reader. well it showed 520ohms at the connector, so that rules out the VATS system disableing the starter. Or does it????

What else could I check? What wires would I have to test to see if it is my ignition switch, the switch is new but I never replaced the wire harness, also I never did check any fuses, Which ones should I check???

 

Does your security lamp go off after the key is on for a little bit?

I don't know how your remote start is wired in, but here is a schematic of the VATS system components. If you are not getting 12v to the purple wire at the starter when the key is in the START position, you might need to check the theft deterrent relay. It's to the right of the glovebox, under the dash.

 

ya the security light does go out, when I had the VATS connector apart it blinked a bunch of times but i am assuming it was because it was getting the wrong resistance. What does the relay look like? and how can I check it??

 

The relay is here (courtesy of Brent Franker).

If you can read the schematic, I would check for 12v on the yellow and brown wires when the key is in START and you should also get a ground on the yellow/black wire from the BCM. If so, you should also see 12v being output through the relay to the starter on the purple wire.

 

Ignition switch... $34 part from the dealer, PITA to change.

 

Well I pulled out the theft deterrent relay and checked a few wires on it and found:

-The purple was not hot when the key was in start which was what I expected.

-The yellow was hot so that should rule out the ignition switch right?

-The little yellow/black wire did have a ground when the key was in the start position, so the BCM isn't the problm either.

-The brown wire wasn't hot at all (the clutch was pushed in)

so according to the schematic from shoebox the brown wire comes from the clutch switch so I am guessing that there is a short somewhere between the clutch switch and the theft deterrent relay.

I also had a starter/alarm installed last fall, so I guess ill check that connection first. And if that isn't it and I cant find where the short is then what should I do????

Thanks for all the help so far shoebox.

 

Bypass your clutch start switch with a wire and see if it starts.
(unplug connector and jumper a wire between the connector terminals)

 

I have tried that and still nothing. The wire is hot going into the switch too so it has to be somewhere after that.

 

Looks like you will need to chase an open in that brown wire.

 

Well I tried to find it but the aftermarket alarm/starter wires are making it a pain. So I think on monday i am gonna take it back to the place that installed it. I spliced the brown wire with a wire with constant power so I can start it with the key, I also left the clutch switch unattached. Is this a bad idea, or will it be good enough till i get it fixed properly??

 

Shoebox, I saw your reply in this post about the Theft Deterrent Relay. I am having the same problem as Getsome17 has and i'm trying to figure it out. I just posted a new thread and when I when looking for posts about a clutch switch I came across this one. Then I went out to the car and checked again and saw that when i put the key in the ON position and left it for a few seconds, the security light keeps flashing.

Does this mean it is prolly the Theft Deterrent Relay? I am a reasonably experienced home mechanic and do mostly everything myself but when it comes to automotive electrical i am lost. What can I test and how do I go about testing it?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Ryan

 

I know this is old but I'm having the same problem... I pulled the realy out and it has some corrosion on the pin that connects to the purple wire... could that be the source of the problem?

In the meantiem I"m about to borrow a Voltometer...

 

ya once you get the voltmeter it will be easy to narrow down the problem some. If the yellow wire shows 12v the the ignition switch is fine, the brown wire shows 12v then the clutch switch is fine. The yellow/black wire should be a ground if the theft system part is fine.

If all those are good then the purple wire should show 12v which is going to the starter, starting the car. I rigged mine up to start by connecting the yellow wire to the purple wire untill I had time to get it fixed at the stereo place that installed my starter.

If the purple wire is gettign 12v and the car still wont start then your problem lies elsewhere.

My problem was the brown wire wasn't putting out 12v at the relay, yet the clutch switch was fine. So there was a problem between the end of the clutch switch and the relay.

hope this helps

 

Sir,

What was your method for checking the wires? I cannot seem to get a good reading. Better yet I'm not getting anything... I can't find a good ground.

 

If i rember right I used a multimeter and I think I was grounding it to a bolt on the door hinge, I think that the key has to be in the start position for the yellow wire to show 12v. and the clutch has to be pushed in with the key in start for the brown wire to show 12v.