Rav Won't Start

January 5, 2017

Hey folks, I am new to the board. I have a 98 Rav 4 with <250k miles on it and still going strong.

A few months ago I went to start it and it wouldn't start. The electrics worked fine (I had just put a new Battery in and cleaned the terminals a few weeks before). It seemed to me as though it wasn't sensing that I was depressing the clutch. Well, I was busy and a few days passed and when I went to mess with it, it started fine. I took it in and had the starter, alternator and Battery tested and everything was fine. Along I went on my merry way.

Fast forward, here I find myself with the same issue. This time I was convinced that the clutch interlock switch was the problem. I just replaced it with a new one and... wait for it... nothing. Same problem.

I am now out of ideas.

Recap: when I put the key in and turn, all electricals come on (lights, radio etc) when I press the clutch in and turn the key the rest of the way - nothing. As if I hadn't depressed the clutch at all.

I did notice another switch aft of the clutch that the clutch presses when it is not being pushed (hadn't seen it before, but it seems to be working). Regardless, unless you guys have some better ideas, I suppose I will replace that next.

Thanks in advance.

January 6, 2017

Rather than guessing, I suggest you should test these switches with a multimeter before changing them - with the ignition off, unplug the switch and test using the ohms range.Get a helper to operate the clutch pedal.

You could be in the right area, but the problem could be a damaged wire.

On the other hand, it could be a bad contact within the ignition switch (only works sometimes). Or a sticky starter solenoid.