Weird switch above the clutch pedal?
 

I know that there is the clutch switch to be able to start the car only when the clutch is in (for "stupid" americans not used to manual tranny's. Well, you are kinda used to auto except imports like the 7 and so, no offense).

Anyways, I have a switch opposite of that one as well, which currently goes through a hole so it isn't pressed in when the clutch is out.

Now, rumors I have heard say that you can start even the US cars without pressing the clutch down, is this switch something that doesn't cause the cold start to work or something?

Just asking, as this switch makes no sense.

Thanks

Forgot to mention, my car is a US model, so I can currently only start the car when the clutch pedal is pressed in like US cars.

But as I heard someone talking about, if you press it in you start the cold start procedure, if you don't, the car doesn't. Which I guess this switch does have something to do with.

Same goes for the 5th switch, wth is that? :O I connected it when swapping connector on my ECU, but I don't know what it does.

The upper clutch switch tells the ECU that you have disengaged the clutch, it helps to prevent stalling when coming to a stop with the clutch pedal depressed. It also disengages the cruise control. It has nothing to do with the cold start procedure.

Darn. Is it EU editions that got the non-coldstart thing then? I can swear I read about it on this forum or on the mazdarotaryclub somwhere, but I can't remember where... So basically the only way to start the car is to press the clutch pedal in?

What about the 5th switch then? Anything useful?

The upper clutch switch does not prevent the car from starting, the lower clutch switch does that. The ECU has nothing to do with starter engagement, you can remove the ECU from the car completely and turn the key, the starter will still turn.

You can bypass the lower clutch switch with a jumper wire and the car will start without depressing the pedal. However this is a safety item.

5th gear switch goes directly to the ECU also. All of this is covered in the factory service manual.

Oh hell no, it's easily bypassed.
The clutch interlock switch is the one hiding all the way up behind the pedal and is a bitch to get to.
Fortunately, you don't need to.
There is a rather long pigtail coming from the switch that connects into the main harness, the connector is easily seen and accessed.
Unplug the connector and jumper the two wires on the harness side of the plug...and that's it.

All that switch is doing is passing current to the starter circuit.
Jumpering the wires tells the circuit that the clutch is always pressed in, so it'll always start.

As I said, it is for "stupid" americans used to auto trannys. In Europe we are born bred and cornfed with manual trannys :P

Were does that pigtail come out, in the car itself? Under the dash or does it go outside through the firewall? Haven't exactly looked at this stuff yet, it is not THAT annoying (except when you are out of gas and need to run the car on the starter to get it off the road :P )

News Flash...................It is us "stupid" Americans answering your newb questions.

Why don't you climb under your dash and take a look?

...and put gas in your car.

News flash: Give a any amcar guy a car with manual tranny, and laugh. Unless it is your car of course.

THAT is why there is a switch in AMERICAN cars, not EU or J-spec.

Now that this is in the clear, I got no idea where this pigtail is, it can be under the dash, it can be in coming through the firewall. Well, I do now, as you said under the dash, but still.

And try climbing under your dash when it is 5 inches of snow on your car, still snowing like that for the next week.

I am just asking, I never said I actually could check NOW. The more I get answered at once, the less searching I have to do. It takes you 10 seconds to say "the pigtail that comes out under the dash" instead of "the pigtail there, you know where it is". But it can take me ages to find it as the PO has done some shabby work, and I am far from the only one with an RX with shabby work done on the wiring and harnessing.

//Rage out

Way to make friends pal. Good luck getting help on this forum since 99% of the people here are "stupid" Americans driving MANUAL trans cars.

Way to try and make fun of Americans when your Euro trash brain cannot figure out how to bypass a simple switch...BTW I own nothing but manual cars :-P.

Top switch on my car crapped out so I removed it....my up shift light now longer comes on and cruise doews not shut off when the clutch is depressed. It was really hard for my American brain to get used to this but a few months of practice and I figured it out.

My car does not need the clutch pedal to be depressed to start...if you do not want to deal with the cold start procedure start your car in gear...don't forget to press the clutch (sarcasm).

On this forum maybe, wander outside the RX7 areas, and be amazed. But you are americans, so you should know :)

On the nicer hand, doesn't help to start the car in gear, same thing as in neutral.

And some numbers to prove it: 1.500.000 cars with autotranny, 98.000 with manual. Mid-Europe: 460.000 with automatic, 1.400.000 with manual. Just to have that cleared. The switch is in America only because Americans are used to having automatic transmission so they don't have the car in gear and start it without pressing down the clutch pedal and running through their garage door :)

The starter interlock switch (the one we've been discussing) has nothing to do with the cruise control.
That function is handled by the switch on the back of the pedal (closest to the outside of the dash).
Removing the interlock shouldn't have affected cruise at all.

@jimmydanny:
The pigtail/connector will be around where the hood release is.

Where did you get those numbers? There are WAAAAAAYYYYY more than 1,598,000 cars on the road in the United States (try ~62 million, registered.) But don't trust me, I'm just a stupid american.

The only statistic I easily can check is used cars, as this is the only info I got on hand in EU and US readily available.

The numbers can be skewed a bit, but not that much, there are WAAAAAAAYYYY more cars with auto than manual in the US. If not, why would there be a switch on the clutch at all?

Any idea why the cold-start won't go away when the car is in gear? I always have my car in gear as an extra parking brake, and it always engages in cold-start, annoying @ 4am when neighbors are sleeping.

EDIT: And I am asking clokker specifically because he actually gave me straight forward answers, nothing else :) The ""stupid" american" was in "" for that reason, not stupid, but "stupid". Used to auto tranny, which is why the switch is there.

But if any of you have any possibility of keeping the trash-talk away, please answer the question if you do have an answer for it :)

Wait, wait you are saying that because there is a neutral safety switch on American cars, that there has to be "WAAAAAYYYYY" more automatics than manuals in the US? That is some of the strangest logic I have ever heard hahah. Are you fishing here or are you being serious?

Don't ask people questions while insulting them and expect to get a straight forward answer, maybe that does not click for stupid Norwegians" lol

And yes, it does make sense. And also, why is there approx 14 times more automatics in the US for sale than manual geared ones? Hmm, I wonder why? Which car brands has used automatic gearboxes since the 50's? May that be Chevy, Ford, Buick, Dodge and these? May this be the stock choice on these cars? Yes it can be.

That's what I am basing this on. And this is something most people know, that in the US, automatics is the first choice.

IT is a Safety Feature.
The reason why they put that switch there is so that when the Americans start their car up that they don't RUN OVER any of the Thousands of Europeans Sight Seeing in the USA!
Don't burn the bridge Jimmy!

this fucking guy, lol

go ask the smart folks in Norway next time

While we're at it, since I probably will be banned anyways.

Well, that might be because you can't run over any of the americans, they are too fat to be moved by a car anways.

Which ecu are you using? Is it one that is going to look for the clutch switch to cut the AWS sytem?
If it's a mix of harnesses, ecu's and sensors, it's going to be tough getting help.

You seem awfully courteous to your neighbors while being condescending toward the majority of the people that could help you out.

You can interpret data any way you want.
Ex. automatics now shift faster than manual cars and have better fuel economy due to having 7+ forward speeds. Thus everybody in every country that buys more manuals can't drive fast and isn't environment responsible and ruining it for the rest of us.

Wow

Ban the troll, why let him get away with this?

Meh. Lot's of Americans ARE fat, and lots of cars here ARE automatics....

The switch isn't there because people can't drive manuals. The switch is there so you don't lurch forward in gear as you start the car while checking your e-mail, texting and yelling at your kids.

But don't go insulting the guys who are here helping you. I'd try to make fun of Norway as a retaliation... but... yea... It's cold and dark up there?......Eh?