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Car wont idle when clutch is released

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Old 04-13-2009, 05:23 PM
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Default Car wont idle when clutch is released

I just put a clutch in car, and it idles fine as long as I hold in clutch, but once I release it, it dies. Its in neutral the whole time also. Does anyone have any ideas?
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Old 04-13-2009, 05:42 PM
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is it on jackstands?
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Old 04-13-2009, 06:09 PM
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ya, its in the air. Could there be something wiring related? I pulled my motor for some engine work and just put it back in. It dies when I put car in gear also, before I release the clutch. Basically I start up car with clutch depressed and when I let it out it dies. Or Ill start up car and have clutch held in whole time, put it in a gear, and it dies before letting out clutch also.
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Old 04-13-2009, 06:33 PM
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Check the wires going to the top of the transmission.
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Old 04-13-2009, 07:09 PM
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well it is the sensor on the top of clutch pedal, whenever tab was pushed in from pedal being released it quit. So I removed the sensor off of bracket. Anyone have ideas why it would do that?
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Old 04-13-2009, 07:40 PM
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What year is your Miata?
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Old 04-13-2009, 07:47 PM
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91
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Old 04-13-2009, 07:47 PM
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Bad clutch switch maybe?
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Old 04-13-2009, 07:51 PM
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there's something up with teh two white connectors on the top of the tranny, the clutch switch and neutral safety switch.
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Old 04-13-2009, 07:56 PM
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alright, thats what Im thinking, Ive swapped connections around a few times. I hope I dont have a problem with where they go into the tranny.
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Old 04-13-2009, 09:05 PM
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Do you really need the wires from the transmission hooked up? When I did my 6 speed swap, I did not plug any wires in. As far as I can see, the car runs perfectly.
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Old 04-13-2009, 09:11 PM
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Im gonna try to run it without in a sec. Ill let everyone know
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Old 04-13-2009, 09:54 PM
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well I can get it to ide fine, but its having issues when I push it into a gear it dies before I release clutch.
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Old 04-13-2009, 10:25 PM
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Originally Posted by Braineack
there's something up with teh two white connectors on the top of the tranny, the clutch switch and neutral safety switch.
+1, on the clutch switch....

the neutral safety switch forces you to push the pedal when you turn the car on...

the clutch switch has a little spring inside... mine went bad when i was bleeding the clutch, i guess pumping the clutch a bizillion times finally killed it... you can take it apart and fix it with a spring from a clicky pen...

there is a write up on here for it... i'd try that first, since it is a virtually a free fix...
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Old 04-14-2009, 07:51 PM
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neutral switch
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Old 04-14-2009, 08:24 PM
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I had a similar problem before in my integra and I had accidently put the disk in backwards like an idiot. I have also had the wires on my 93 Miata unhooked ontop of the trans and my car worked fine just didnt have any reverse lights. But I'm not sure if ur car is the same. Hopefully its just ur switch.
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Old 04-14-2009, 09:02 PM
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Sounds like you have your neutral safety switch hooked up wrong or it is bad. The switch as i recall is supposed to be closed @ neutral and open any other position.

I actually just went over a tranny swap from an auto to a MSM 6 speed last weekend and the neutral safety switch was an issue for me too. I opened up an old thread that you can search on... i think is was found doing a search for neutral safety switch and it had full schematics on NA and NB cars.

Good luck and cheers,
Prospero
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