CLUTCH CAUSING ELECTRONIC FAILURE

I’ve a problem with my 1984 Toyota Corolla 1.8 diesel. The car has now covered 270,000 miles and when I get in and turn the ignition on, all the dash lights illuminate as normal. When I start the engine the light goes out as expected but when I depress the clutch all the dash lights come back on. When I lift my foot off the clutch, the dash lights extinguish and the problem does not reappear for the rest of the journey.

Two days before this happened the oil pressure switch was replaced, but I can find no other reason for the problem. The oil level is fine and everything else appears as it should. Graham Osward There may be a couple of different explanations for this occurrence. The first of which is that by depressing the clutch when the engine was cold the engine speed may have dropped sufficiently to allow the ignition light to glow due to the low speed of the engine.

It may also be the case that somewhere on the vehicle, the wiring loom was rubbing close to the clutch operating mechanism and this has caused the problem to occur. This may be either under the dash or near the gearbox.

I would start by ensuring that the engine wiring loom is secure and that at no point is it rubbing close to the clutch operating mechanism. I would also check under the driver’s footwell to check for any part of the loom that may be affected by the movement of the clutch pedal.

Finally, to ensure that the problem wasn’t due to engine movement, I would check the engine mounts and the security of the earth straps and connections.