clutch switch delete?

ok, twice now this has screwed me around in the cold and my car wont even attempt to start because of this stupid switch. not happy. im glad it happened at home and not at work because I swear I woulda burned the car to the ground if it left me stranded at work and not able to get home at -35 with a head and chest cold.


I was told I can stick a paperclip as a jumper into the 2 prongs if I take the clutch switch off/out so I no longer technically need to press the clutch down to start the car. I will still press it out of habit and because its in gear, but I dont want that POS clutch switch leaving me stranded anymore.


so I basically take the panel off from by the pedals, find the switch which should be easy, unplug it and stick a jumper wire in there or what? is there anything else I should know/do or is it a pretty simple thing? looking at doing this tomorrow when it warms up to -19. hoodie weather.

1:45 in this video... seems simple.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSr9XGV8hJM


so I basically just jam a piece of wire in here and forget about it forever?

Yep, it's just that simple. Bridge the two terminals in the connector.

I'd do something more secure than jamming a piece of wire into a connector. Might fall out at a bad time.

ill stick a dab of super glue on it too.. not enough to make it permanent but just enough so it doesnt rattle out. glad its that easy. or maybe just wrap it in tape. doesnt need to be fancy and no one will ever see it.

well, did a quick test. I think I got the wire in there... its an awkward angle and I was cold so maybe I didnt get it in right. car didnt wanna fire.. even with a booster pack hooked to battery just incase (which I dont think was needed, battery seems strong, all lights come on bright and quick).


I will try again tomorrow with a different piece of wire.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/10pcs-El...ck-Splice-Lock-Wire-Terminals-Crimp/790632492


Find one of these, no need to even pull the plug out. Just clip on the 2 wires.

went and tried with a different piece of wire... still didnt fire up. it doesnt even try to turn once. pretty discouraging thats for sure. started the day before at even colder temps, drove home. parked in driveway and now it doesnt even want to try.

"get a vw" they said. fml

you got the right one?
one for the cruise cancel switches with small pedal travel
the other one for the starter is only at full pedal travel

mine has the connector cut off and a butt-splice put in its place

[486] said:

you got the right one?
one for the cruise cancel switches with small pedal travel
the other one for the starter is only at full pedal travel

mine has the connector cut off and a butt-splice put in its place

Click to expand...

yeah, it was the exact same one in that video.


part number 1j0 927 189

maybe that is the wrong one?


"Meaning that installing the switch is a one shot deal. If you remove the switch from the car then you will no longer be able to lock the plunger again." I did just press the pluger all the way in and it clicked.... now it doesnt want to retract. is this a one shot deal? did I just mess something up?

"CLUTCH POSITION SENSOR P/N 1J0 927 189


CLUTCH switch 1J0 927 189 C"

https://forums.vwvortex.com/showthr...h-Position-Sensor(Cruise-Control)-replacement


this is as much as itll retract now... uh oh:

so I think I did operate on the wrong one. now ive created another problem by pressing that plunger in on the blue one.... hopefully I dont need that one or I can delete that one too!!! damnit.

Just to cover all the bases, no disrespect, but are you applying the short-circuit properly?
I was trying to see myself doing this and realized I wasn't thinking properly.
You should just be able to short (join) the pins in the plug, and just leave it dangling.
The switch doesn't even need to be there.
(or maybe I'm way out to lunch in which case, file this anywhere)

STDOUBT said:

Just to cover all the bases, no disrespect, but are you applying the short-circuit properly?
I was trying to see myself doing this and realized I wasn't thinking properly.
You should just be able to short (join) the pins in the plug, and just leave it dangling.
The switch doesn't even need to be there.
(or maybe I'm way out to lunch in which case, file this anywhere)

Click to expand...

yes, thats what im doing. BUT, I shorted the wrong plug hence my no start issue still happening.


AND to make things worse, I depressed the plunger of this blue switch and now it wont retract... technically I should of never unplugged this blue one or even touched it in general. it was the grey one above it causing my issues!!! thats what im wondering, does THIS blue switch need to be there? I know the grey one doesnt. im worried af now.

looks like ill be "deleting" both switches now..... I know deleting the grey one will allow me to start the car without pressing the clutch in, BUT what does deleting this blue one do?? EDIT: I think the blue one is related to cruise control... pressing the clutch in kills the cruise control. so not a huge deal.


the link in post #11 on VWortex says "The clutch position sensor (blue) shown above is no longer used by vw/audi. They now use a similar but slightly beefier switch with the part number 6Q0927189 ($35.07). It has a similar ratcheting mechanism as the brake light switch found here

Meaning that installing the switch is a one shot deal. If you remove the switch from the car then you will no longer be able to lock the plunger again."

well I jumped the proper plug this morning.... still absolutely nothing. I am so fking sick of these POS cars failing on me every second week. its always something, never ending bull**** it seems.

Amor Fati!
So somehow the circuit is still open. Maybe the switch wasn't the problem to begin with? I wish you had a good switch to put back into operation, then maybe do a scan for faults. I wonder if something would show up in the CCM or some other POS module?

thats what im thinking too... maybe its my starter or the starter wire?? or ignition?

I dunno... I dont even know where the starter is. its cold out, im sick and frustrated. im on the phone with canadian tire roadside assistance right now and having it towed to a local TDI guru in Lethbridge, an hour away. already called him, he seems up for the task and figures hell have it running tonight. I give up. I need this fixed by tuesday for work.

Even if your clutch switch is not good, and your starter is no good, you should be able to roll-start the car.

Turn the key on, put it in 2nd or 3rd gear, put the clutch in, get it rolling, and pop the clutch. You’d need help to push it, or a hill.

If you’re on your own, put it in neutral, get it rolling, jump in, press the clutch in, put it in gear, and then pop the clutch, with the key in the on/run position, of course.

One of the benefits of a manual transmission. You can still start the car if the starter motor doesn’t work.

It could also be the #3 (upper) relay went bad, as it and the clutch position switch are the only components in that circuit - and of course the ECU...

awesome guys, thanks for the relay info. thats good to know. I read that another fix was jumping relay 37 to 80 or something like that so maybe thats all it is is a bad relay? im hoping its that simple. got the tow truck booked tomorrow for noon.

where did you get the screenshot of the relay info? is there a digital service manual floating around somewhere out there?


I thought about bump starting it but thats kinda scary... the driveway is steep enough but id have to do it backwards (is that even possible?) and hope the front tires got traction. and if it doesnt start then what? ive got a dead car in the middle of the road.


canadian tire is gonna tow it tomorrow (and 4 more times this year im sure) up to 250km for $99 so thats pretty good.

I will let you guys know what my mechanic figures out tomorrow! hoping its not the starter ($$$)

also FYI for any future readers... I was told a mini fuse is the perfect size and shape to use as a jumper in that plug instead of a paper clip/hair clip/mechanic wire that I was using.

the plunger on those needs to be either in or out when you twist them, I forget which
also, they will only return when twisted back in to the bracket
they are some overcomplicated junk for sure

since it's still not cranking I'd be looking at the little exposed braided wire from the starter solenoid to the brushes

that plunger on the blue switch I think is shot, its a one time deal. this one is for my cruise control so not overly important.



update: it warmed up a LOT overnight... -19 yesterday to +4 today. the car started fine this morning, with NO clutch needed. so I know my clutch switch delete did in fact work. I know for a fact its not my battery being weak/dead/cold. car started very strong with no hesitation this morning, and it started very strong a week ago at work at -32 after sitting for a week.... but sitting in my driveway overnight at -28 made it not even attempt to start. very weird.



I have no idea what happened. its done this twice to me before where the cold wont make it start, but once it warms up itll start again. BUT, the cold generally doesnt bug it... its started at -30 a dozen times no problem but once in a while it wont even attempt to start no matter what I do. almost like the starter freezes or something in my ignition, or the cold effects a wire... but only sometimes!!!!





either way, I still had it towed to my mechanic. I cant risk it doing this at work. hopefully he can figure something out because this just doesnt make sense.

I wonder if you could use a jumper wire from the battery to starter solenoid.
Just to get it running in an emergency.
That would let you know if it's a starter problem.
Intermitant problems are the worse.
I hope it acts up at the mechanics so he can figure it out.

glow plugs?

FWIW on the blue clutch switch for cruise control (also makes for revs dropping faster during shifts when it is recognized correctly) is able to be reused so long as you do one of two things:

Before twisting the switch out for removal, press the clutch pedal. Keep the pedal held down far enough so that the plunger on the blue pedal is not making any contact with the pedal. It will "reset" during removal if you do this, plunger will come out to full extension.

If you dont do this and attempt to reinstall the switch without the plunger extended out all the way, you will encounter increased resistance during reinstallation. If you force it through anyway, you will absolutely break the switch.

If you did not happen to remember to press the pedal before removing the switch, you can usually still salvage things by pulling the plunger out all the way before you attempt to reinstall it. But I would argue that pressing the clutch pedal prior to removal will result in more consistent results in being able to reuse the blue switch.

I found this out the hard way after breaking many switches myself attempting to install used ones that came in auto to manual swap kits... and whoever pulled the parts didnt realize those tricks either.

As ever, my advice comes from experience of "been there, broke that numerous times before I figured it out."

Matt-98AHU said:

FWIW on the blue clutch switch for cruise control (also makes for revs dropping faster during shifts when it is recognized correctly) is able to be reused so long as you do one of two things:

Click to expand...

I knew my car felt different when I drove it after removing that blue switch. shifting gears just felt different.


this is why I hate working on my car, no matter how simple it is I always manage to screw something up or break the simplest things.

Car also started fine today after sitting for 2 weeks straight. was -20 when I started and it was fine. it only seems to not want to start sitting in my driveway at home in the cold days. beats being stranded at work I guess.

Thanks to STDOUBT for the link to the relay diagram for the 98 Jetta. I've had this trouble before but it has "fixed itself" and I don't have the extreme temperatures to worry about.
Over the years I failed to get a 98 Jetta manual. I have coverage up to 1997 and then again starting in 1999. HOW'D THAAT HAPPEN???
So the stupid clutch switch is the gray one, and the cruise control is blue? I diving under tomorrow and doing the fix.
again, Big thank you!