trouble starting the 92
 

I'm having trouble with having to turn the key sometimes 15+ times before the car turns over and starts
Sometimes it starts on the 1st time (yippee)
Other times I have to flick the key alot--if I hit the tilt steering lever and let the steering wheel fly up the car might come start on the next try--
--I made a new spare key but the same problem exists
--I don't have alot of things hanging from the keychain so the problem is not the "bowling ball hanging from the ignition" thing
When I turn to the start/on position everything powers up (doorlocks lock,radio comes on,clock illuminates,warning lights pop up, and a click but no turn over)
-Do I have to replace the ignition?
--If I do am I going to need a new key?
H E L P please

Do you get any response from the starter? Does it sound like the starter is engaging the flywheel, but, just won't kick it over? Or, are you getting no response at all?

If the former, there ave been a few members who've had this problem. It sounds like the starter solenoid. One member, who's had this problem for some time, has had the starter replaced a couple of times, trying to fix the problem, to no avail.

I don't know what to tell you beyond that.

All I get is a click... a hard metallic click...no other noise
Sometimes I'll engage the flywheel but because I expected the attempt to fail I'll turn the key back and "lose" the chance to turn the car on and have to start all over again..

check your battery, the cell may be dry.

I don't think the battery is dead because when it turns over it turns over quick & strong--the lights aren't dim--Radio works--etc----I'll check that out nonetheless but I think it feels like the key isn't making contact with whatever it has to make contact with or the starter or ....I don't have the foggiest idea whatever...like I said.......please H E L P !!!!!!!

From what you say, you get the click noise when the key is turned but the engine doesn't crank. That says the key is making contact.

We just fixed this problem on Ray's SVX last week. The good news is, you may not have to buy a new ignition switch or starter. The bad news is, it's sort of a pain to fix.

First off, the ignition switch is held in place by two security bolts. What makes them "security" bolts is the fact that they have no bolt head for you to tighten or loosen them with. If your problem is like many of the others, one or both security bolts have loosened over time and for some reason, this causes the intermittent starts with the "click" being the only sign of life.

On my friend's SVX, the bolt on the driver side had fallen out completely, which was a good thing as the top of the bolt hole isn't open, which would've made it very difficult to remove. The passenger side bolt was about 1/2 way out, but since the top was open on this side, we were able to screw in a replacement bolt from the top and use it to turn the old bolt out. You would think that the ignition switch would feel very loose with one bolt missing and the other one half way out, but the way it is crammed in against the plastic steering column covers, it actually still feels tight. You won't know that it's loose until you remove the covers and have the room to wiggle the switch.

Since you can't tighten the old bolts, you can either buy new security bolts from SOA, or do what we did and replace them with regular allen head M10x1.25x20mm bolts from the hardware store. Don't go too long on the bolts as the driver side hole is not straight through, so if you get a bolt that's too long, you won't be able to tighten it all the way.

EDIT: Just had to do mine today since my SVX started to do that click, no start, click routine. No more embarassement at the gas pumps. :D

KuoH

Bolt dimensions
 

I just re-attatched the ignition switch on my '92, and the dimensions that worked beautifully were M8-1.25-25mm.
Good Luck!

Same Problem?
 

This intermittent start has be happening to me too, although there is no "click." Is it probably the same security bolt issue? Could a bad ground be causing the same problem?



-Mike

This sounds like what happens to some of the 5 speed swaps. We found that not enough power was getting to the starter. Adding a relay that pumps power straight from the battery solved the problem. Search for the thread for more info.

Thanks. I added a second ground from the battery to make sure it's got a good ground. Hopefully my problem is gone.





-Mike