93' Festiva won't start

[Festiva_Fred]

My 93' Festiva won't start with the key, if you jump the starter it starts right up. The car was swapped from a 5-spd to ATX. Whenever you turn the key to start it, nothing happens. Any ideas?

[challe1]

Is the safety switch disabled..Or did you bypass all of that...

[Festiva_Fred]

Is the safety switch disabled..Or did you bypass all of that...

Didn't disable or bypass anything on the car..

[Mike McKown]

The manual transmission would have a starter interlock on the clutch pedal, the automatic has one on the gearshift lever so it will only start P or N.

[Festiva_Fred]

Ok, whenever I have it in park and turn the key nothing happens at all, but when I have it in neutral and turn the key it makes a "clicking" sound thats coming from underneath the dash, but it still doesn't crank or anything..

[Mike McKown]

Ok, whenever I have it in park and turn the key nothing happens at all, but when I have it in neutral and turn the key it makes a "clicking" sound thats coming from underneath the dash, but it still doesn't crank or anything..

Put a test light on the small wire on your starter solenoid and turn the key to start. If you get a light when you're in "start", you probably have a bad solenoid. I don't know what that "click" might be under the dash but it sounds like maybe your automatic shift linkage might be out of adjustment too..

[Festiva_Fred]

According to the Haynes manual since I can get the car to start by jumping the starter the solenoid is OK.. and the problem is in the ignition switch (which I swapped out for one in good working condition) the neutral start switch, or in the wiring..

[Festiva_Fred]

Is the safety switch disabled..Or did you bypass all of that...

Do you know how to bypass all that stuff? I really just need to get this thing running ASAP so I have a car..

[fattie]

just press in the little button while turning the key , that may work lol

[Mike McKown]

According to the Haynes manual since I can get the car to start by jumping the starter the solenoid is OK.. and the problem is in the ignition switch (which I swapped out for one in good working condition) the neutral start switch, or in the wiring..

Jumping the solenoid doesn't mean the solenoid is good. It means you have by-passed either an open circuit or resistance in the starting circuit and effectively getting a few more starts out of a failing solenoid.

I wasn't clear above but if you put a test light on that solenoid terminal and it lights up when you go to "start" on the switch, it means your starting circuit is intact.

I don't have a manual here so I can't be much help with the location of the switches. If you find them, you can probably tie the in/out wires together and jump out the switch. Still don't know what the clicking under the dash is.

[milehighbear]

lets see in old days we would have gotten a push button switch, run two wires to the solenoid and when we wanted to start car, turn key to start, push button, and away you go, but that's only a temp fix remember, lol

[freshtiva]

On a manual festiva you have to depress the clutch to get the car to start. Since the clutch switch is gone now maybe you need to jump that switch connection. Not sure, its just a stab. Plug your clutch switch back in and depress it and see what happens.

[festivaWES]

clutch depress switch came out with the harness which was swapped for an auto one.