My 1990 ford festiva 5 speed, does it have a safety start switch
Asked by lhonaker Mar 12, 2014 at 06:59 PM about the 1990 Ford Festiva L
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
My 1990 ford festiva 5 speed, does it have a safety start switch and if so is it as the clutch pedal presses a button or is it where the key goes into the ignition - Sometimes when I try to start it all I get is a clicking sound - I keeping smashing the clutch to the floor real hard and turn the key on and off until it starts - What is causing this?
9 Answers
Could be a ground from the engine to the body. Depends on the click, but a decently loud click would be the starter popping the gear out but not enough to spin the engine. The clutch switch also provides power to some of the fuel related parts, iirc. It is a very simple switch though, so you can take it apart and bend the tabs to make it work, etc. Start there and keep us posted :)
I haven't got to it yet - Been working on the Mustang and the weather isn't good today - I'll try this evening or tomorrow if the snow stays away - Thanks
that's cool - and understandable about several projects going on. Just checking in. I had a weak ground that did this to me - on the passenger strut tower - and it created a click, no turn situation. I'll be watching for your reply.
Hey thanks for helping - I fixed this by tapping on the clutch switch and it's starting every time now - Either a short in it or it's going bad - Thanks
There is a slide inside, so that after a certain point there is contact along the entire range of the clutch, and sometimes it gets a little out of shape or misaligned and won't connect. I took mine apart for this reason and fixed it. It's very simple to realign and only has like 3-4 pieces, if you have any future issues with it. Another reason it wasn't starting is because that switch cuts fuel pressure / fuel circuit if it isn't closed. Are you on fordfestive . com ? Later bud :)
Hey Walth - Thanks - I may take it apart just to make sure its sliding as it should - Hey, do you know if/how I bar bypass that switch without issues?
I think I checked mine with a small piece of wire / paperclip. That's all the switch is doing, is jumping those two wires. You should be fine jumping it. I think you're jumping just to check -- but as a general disclaimer for the interwebs, I would recommend only jumping it to check operation, not as a more permanent means to starting your car, for several safety reasons. Just sayin. :)
I agree, jumping that switch I think will cause the manual vehicle to start while in gear - lol I'll look into the jump/cross over and see what happened -
