Starter relay switch

The starter relay is usually located in the engine compartment. It is probably mounted on the starter.

Check the contacts on the starter relay for wear. If they are worn, look for replacement contacts at an auto parts store.

Bypassing an ignition switch (hot wiring) will not take care of a relay problem. The 2 are not related. No offense, but you should not be tinkering with or trying to modify the electrical components in your car if you don't know the difference between a relay and a switch or the function of a relay. If you try to bypass a relay, you'll melt the low current wires.

No offense taken. The car belonged to my uncle who is an electrical engineer and has worked on many electronic things for 30 years. He had taken out the ignition switch or relay out of the vehicle to prevent his daughter from driving off with it. Since than that big blue fuse looking thing under the dash has caused him problems. Using multimeters and other electronic gadgets he has detemined that is the problem. This is a direct quote from him: "According to this, the relay coils connect to the clutch cutoff switch. So, that might be an easier place to connect a wire. If you can get to that switch that's on the clutch pedal somewhere, run a wire from the side of the switch that's ON when the pedal is in, to the pushbutton." Good luck....

I doubt your uncle removed the ignition switch. It is way too difficult to casually remove and replace.

This is a direct quote from him:

Your uncle's solution to prevent his daughter from driving off with the car was obviously a poor one if it caused ongoing problems.

Do you actually know that the start position on the ignition switch is bad or is someone just guessing? Ignition switches rarely fail in Toyotas.

A more common cause, like I said previously, is worn contacts on the starter relay. Another probable cause is a poor connection to whatever relay or component your uncle was removing and replacing. Those components are not designed to be routinely removed and replaced and don't have strain relief for that.

I was actually with him when he did this. Had to get a wheel puller and was definately a difficult task. With a multimeter he discovered that was the problem. So, instead of replacing that, it may be easier to by-pass it.

Im sure at the time it wasnt his intention to harm the vehicles electronics.

I am guessing, but my uncle is quite sure.

If it was the starter relay, wouldnt there be a clicking noise when the key is turned? I remember on my old Mustang, I had to replace the starter solenoid (maybe not the same thing in a newer car) all the time. All it would do is click.

In any case, the car is now starting again. As a test, I took of the starter relay under the dash and replaced it. The car had the same problem. So now what I believe I have to do, is run a switch from the starter relay so that when the ignition fails, I can hit the switch which will push the contact in the starter relay and start the car.

You're saying that your uncle got out a wheel puller and removed the ignition switch every time he got in and out of the car just so his daughter wouldn't take it for a ride? No offense to your uncle, but if he pulled the ignition switch every time he got in and out of the car just so his daughter wouldn't take it for a ride, he has no business working on cars. Removing the ignition switch actually makes it easier to steal. That is like removing the lock from your front door so nobody will pick it or jimmy it open. He may have removed the lock to check it but if he was removing it and replacing it or some other component to keep someone from taking if for a ride, the car is probably ruined and will be an electronic nightmare to diagnose in the future.

If he is indeed an engineer, it would be obvious that whatever component your uncle was removing and replacing was not designed for that purpose, with proper retention, strain relief, and removal and replacement cycles.

The ignition switch is probably bad because your uncle used the wheel puller on it. That is the wrong tool to use, like opening a window with a hammer - it only works once. Are you sure you aren't a very clever troll? No real engineer is stupid enough to use a wheel puller on a starter switch unless he was a car theif who didn't care if he ruined the switch.

A bad starter relay will not necessarily make a clicking noise.

What you probably need to do is to replace the junction block where the starter relay plugs in because all the connections and soldered joints in the JB are probably ruined from the plugging and un-plugging or better yet, get rid of the car because it is probably a fire trap.

Dude, you seriously need to read more carefully. The wheel puller was used to take off the steering wheel to get to the ignition switch for troubleshooting after trying to start the car. I really shouldnt have to explain all this to just answer my question about how to bypass the switch in question. My uncle removed the starter relay only to prevent the daughter from driving which at this point had no bearing on the ignition switch. He did not plug it in and unplug it all the time. It was removed once. My uncle has his own car. It just so happened that the ignition switch went bad during the time when the car was not in use. So maybe when the daughter was away not being able to drive the car, a little mouse or bug got into the steering column and ate a wire causing it to ground out occasionally. You dont know my uncle in any way shape or form, so please dont accuse him of being stupid.

I did read carefully.

I had posted:

Your reply was:

You did not mention that he had to use the wheel puller to remove the steering wheel and implied that he used the wheel puller to pull the ignition switch. The subject of the sentence immediately preceeding the mention of the wheel puller was the switch and since you did not name a new subject, the implication is that the subject is still the switch.

I apologize for insulting your uncle. Like I said above, your post implied that he used the wheel puller to pull the ignition switch, which would have been a stupid move.

As far as the ignition switch goes, if the insulation on the wiring to the switch is damaged by rodents, bugs, or whatever, the best course of action would be to use some silicone tape or shrink tubing to repair the insulation. By the way, if a live wire is being grounded, you should be popping a circuit breaker or a fuse. Is that happening? If the ignition switch itself is damaged or bad, replacing the switch is probably easier than trying to bypass it. You can save the lock cylinder and install it in the replacement switch so you don't have an odd key.

If you do want to bypass the ignition switch, you would have to identify the circuit that is closed when the switch is turned to the start position, separate those wires from the connector to the switch, and install a momentary contact switch rated for the amperage flowing through the circuit in series with that circuit. This approach allows you to continue to use the key to turn the ignition on and off and lock the steering column. Running the wires from the clutch safety switch or neutral safety switch (depending on your transmission) will not engage the starter.

I got a multi meter and ran a wire from the 12v side of the starter relay to a pushbutton and than found an empty fuse slot which there was