Relay 109, missing terminal?

Trying to diagnose why my car won’t start. Battery is good. Starter is new. Checked power to clutch sensor and I did get 12v there. Checked for voltage on the wire going to the starter solenoid and got 12.3v. So I then checked other posts and got directed towards relay 109. Went under dash and found this..


So, how is the relay supposed to work without the fourth terminal!?!? Am I missing a terminal here? Looked behind the relay connector and I don’t see the fourth wire anywhere. Should there be a fourth wire? The relay itself has 4 prongs, but the diagram on it only shows 3 being used. What am I not seeing here!?!?



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There are only 3 terminals used for relay 109. Looks correct to me.


Does the glowplug light on the cluster light up when you key on? If not the relay is likely bust. It's not uncommon for these to fail (micro cracks in the solder joints)

Does the starter turn the motor over nicely?

If the 109 is acting up, if you were to connect a scan gauge, it would not be able to communicate with the engine controller. If you can communicate, your issue lies elsewhere.

germerican said:

There are only 3 terminals used for relay 109. Looks correct to me.
Does the glowplug light on the cluster light up when you key on? If not the relay is likely bust. It's not uncommon for these to fail (micro cracks in the solder joints)

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I don't think it does. I will double check again...I did see a post referring to it and that's what made me check the connections under dash. I did test with load off the battery and it clicks AND there is continuity with about 80+ ohms, can't remember the actual number. But what should I be expecting on a good relay?

BobnOH said:

Does the starter turn the motor over nicely?

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No, the starter does not even engage or anything, even though there is 12v signal to terminal 50. When I turn key to start, the dash loses power, it goes dead, then when I turn key off, it all comes back.

Nero Morg said:

If the 109 is acting up, if you were to connect a scan gauge, it would not be able to communicate with the engine controller. If you can communicate, your issue lies elsewhere.

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Ok, I will check this too. Thanks.

I also checked relay 185 and I also got continuity when power applied to it. I’ll have to double check the actual ohm resistance although I’m not sure what should be a good #


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Nero Morg said:

If the 109 is acting up, if you were to connect a scan gauge, it would not be able to communicate with the engine controller. If you can communicate, your issue lies elsewhere.

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Well seems like problem is NOT relay 109


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Seriously !? It started!!!! Maybe something was just loose. Hate this car sometimes! Glad it’s good though


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Relay 109's can cause intermentant issues.. and by removing/playing with it you may have brought it back to life. For the cheap cost you may want to replace it.

steve6 said:

Relay 109's can cause intermentant issues.. and by removing/playing with it you may have brought it back to life. For the cheap cost you may want to replace it.

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I noticed that the terminal 50 connector does not have the metal clip around it to hold it tightly in place. I guess I have to replace that or splice one in from the JY. Thanks for your input everyone

If placing a larger load demand in the circuit powers it off entirely it is usually a poor connection issue.
I don't know if you have checked all of your grounds yet, but that wouldn't be a bad decision.
Poor spring tension in a connector can also do wonky things

Typrus said:

Poor spring tension in a connector can also do wonky things

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Yes, I think the spring missing may have caused the connector to come loose and causing car not to start



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Your symptoms also describe a possible bad ignition switch. Sometimes they recover and it starts again. Had 2 bad ones within a year once.

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The picture in the first post to me looks like there's no connector for one of the relay posts.
Maybe a bad picture?

Don't know how the car could start.

The socket at the bottom looks bad, maybe a bad connection.

Theres no # on that terminal, its probably just used to hold the relay in place. The other three terminals are what matters.