Non-Start Issue: Help Needed

[truegearhead]

My car is very modified (including the wiring) but the key has still allowed the lights and starter to work (the rest of the car is run on a stand alone ECU). Recently I started the car as I always do, pulled it out of the garage and then tried to restart it several minutes later. The gauge lights come on, but the starter does not engage and the non of the lights including the brake lights work. I was able to jump the starter and get the car to run (on the stand alone system). I thought it was the ignition switch (so replaced it, with no luck), then I thought security system fuses (but they aren't blown), any other ideas?

[truegearhead]

Folllowup Question...the only real problem is the lights. Of course I could rewire the lights which is my plan A, but if I knew what module needed power for the brake lights to work (for example) I could manually run power to it. (this is a very cut up racecar with a V8, so the solution can be creative)

[blue62]

Originally Posted by truegearhead

Folllowup Question...the only real problem is the lights. Of course I could rewire the lights which is my plan A, but if I knew what module needed power for the brake lights to work (for example) I could manually run power to it. (this is a very cut up racecar with a V8, so the solution can be creative)

Start with any fuses you may have incorperated into the system.
Check the starter relay if you still have one.
Then the the battery cables.
Could be a simple as a loose or corroded connection.
Such as where the negative cable attaches to the body.
Use a DMM and start tracing your main circuit out.

[Homeoboxter]

Could it be some bad ground connector around the pedals that makes the brake lights and the clutch switch both faulty?

[78F350]

Originally Posted by Homeoboxter

Could it be some bad ground connector around the pedals that makes the brake lights and the clutch switch both faulty?

This is what I suspect - the clutch switch for the non-start. I seem to recall that you had a brake light issue a while ago, but I don't remember how that resolved.

Check the clutch switch to ground connection, then put a jumper in place of the switch if the ground is good.

[Homeoboxter]

Originally Posted by 78F350

This is what I suspect - the clutch switch for the non-start. I seem to recall that you had a brake light issue a while ago, but I don't remember how that resolved.

Check the clutch switch to ground connection, then put a jumper in place of the switch if the ground is good.

Yep. He actually says the brake lights don`t work in the first post, must be something at the pedal area. Or not

[78F350]

Originally Posted by Homeoboxter

Yep. He actually says the brake lights don`t work in the first post, must be something at the pedal area. Or not

Yes, the first post. ...and also in 2022.

Back in '22 it wasn't really clear to me if he fixed the issue. If it has been carried as a problem since then, it could be completely unrelated to the current non-start issue. Or could be

[truegearhead]

haha, you all right. Same problem, it was never fixed. I didn't realize I already had a post. This will terrify you all but I got through the rest of the season hot wiring the starter and mounting G activated bike lights to the back of the car to work as brake lights...I'm not proud of it. I was able to finally figure it out last night. It was a bad ground on a relay that I installed to power a power distribution block in the rear of the car (so it actually had nothing to do with the factory wiring). Sorry again for the duplicate post.