Clutch required to start??
 

So I read the attached in the manual. But my car starts without the clutch being depressed.
Is this wrong?

It's not supposed to.
Maybe someone tried to install a remote start and defeated the safety interlock.

yes the clutch needs to be depressed to start. all manual cars have a clutch safety switch. yours must have been bypassed. why someone would do that I dont know. your car would surge forward or backwards if the clutch wasnt depressed and you turned the starter

If it was in gear and started yes.

It must have been bypassed. What should I look for?

see that black and orange thing near the top of the pic?


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...bd351aae30.jpg

thats the switch itself. sortof right above your ankle when your foot is on the pedal


https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx8...067004ddc6.jpg

thanks for that, I'll get under and take a look

Hopefully the bypass isnt done at the ignition and it is this switch

So I located the switch.
I was hoping to find it disconnected and a wire jumper shorting out the switch.
I guess it's not that simple. What should I be checking now?

Is there any other place that a clutch switch override would be done?

What would happen if say the switch was faulty? Would that Gove an engine light with appropriate code?

Thanks

Try taking the switch out of its bracket and see if you can start the car without depressing the switch. Maybe your clutch pedal isn't coming up as far as it needs to in order to deactivate the switch. See what happens when you try to start the car with the switch out and let us know what happens. I've had many strange issues with this switch that ended up needing an adjustment for it to know when the clutch was depressed.

And if its only an adjustment that's needed, you shouldn't get any check engine light since the switch still works...

Its been awhile, but that black and orange one isn't the one you are looking for, its that black one with the grey plunger. The clutch pedal should depress this black and grey one all the way in order for the car to start. To be honest, don't know what the black and orange one does.

It doesn't look like you even have the black grey switch in place. Start following the harness to see where somebody put it!