LOL, I was bitten by an infamous clutch pedal stopper pad today. This is the one that allows your clutch (Inhibiter) switch assembly to function when depressing the clutch pedal while starting the engine in your manual transmission car.

If you have a six speed CL-S and it has not happened to your 13+ year old car yet, you may want to give it a quick condition check because it will leave you stranded. I found mine in multiple sticky pieces on the floor right after my car would not start today.

The Acura/Honda part # is 46505-SA5-000; Pedal Stopper Pad. O'Reilly's and Advance Auto have a Dorman #74015 Brake Pedal Pad that will work.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Genuine-OEM-...-/400628441899

https://www.amazon.com/Dorman-74015-.../dp/B001C6JCTQ

I had to drop the clutch pedal bracket #28, held by three 12mm bolts, as an assembly after detaching the two electronic clutch switch connections and detaching the master cylinder rod at the pedal. The assembly will come out with patience. Pop in the new upper Pedal Pad and reinstall.

Any where you see a #5 on the link below one of these pads is interacting with some kind of switch. Be it the clutch (Inhibiter) switch #18, clutch switch assembly #19 or stop and cruise switch assembly #4.

PEDAL for 2003 Acura CL

 

Sucks that happened but good that it was cheap! Did you feel the difference right away?

Another common part that goes out ive seen is the ground cable that connects to the trans.

 

Yeah, it sucked big time. Especially when it is 95f with 95% humidity and you have to fit yourself under the dash trying to figure WTF is going on. The remnants of the OEM plastic pedal stopper were soft enough to put your finger nail through. It may not be as big an issue for the northern folks; however, the heat down here eats plastics and this one, when it goes, will ruin your day.

To say the least, if you don't have some sort of road service subscription, one will feel it immediately in the wallet in the form of a tow, hehe.

 

Looks like Nissan uses similar technology:

 

Wow, $15 for that rubber stopper from Nissan. And I thought Honda clips were expensive...

 

this happened in my TL-S yesterday...
You can bypass it by reaching up and depressing (try Prozac) with your finger and contorting to turn key in the ignition.
Funny enough, I've dropped the assembly before to weld the broken bracket but never changed that pad.

When the car wouldn't start, I kept looking at the missing LOWER pad thinking, wouldn't the switch think the pedal is depressed now...WTF...
but after a quick search I realized there's an UPPER one that operates mechanically the OPPOSITE way.

Anyway, appreciate the parts search, I'll put OEM in for this simple thing.

 

Okay so I'm a little confused @zeta
the diagrams I'm finding all list the OEM part number YOU listed...
3 of them, right? brake pedal, upper and lower on clutch but they all list that.
NOW, why I'm confused is that that's a white plastic item and the one that failed was dark blue and designed slightly differently.
Did the white OEM part number just replace all of that?

Reference this amazon knockoff part set for reference on picture...
I just don't want to have to do this job twice for something simple.

 

#8 below; Pedal Stopper Pad (White) 46505-SA5-000
My guess is the 'white' replaces the almost 20 y/o 'blue', from the factory, you found on the driver footwell floor?
One (cone shaped rear) for #5 - Clutch (Inhibitor) Switch Assy. (This is the one that will leave you stranded, should it 'sh!t the bed' at an inopportune moment.
One (cone shaped rear) for #7 - Clutch Switch Assy
One (cone shaped rear) for #6 - Stop & Cruise Switch Assy (Rear brake lights constantly on after ignition turned off, cruise control not working? Check this stopper pad, it may have perished before replacing the #6 - Stop And Cruise Control Switch Assembly.
The different shaped 'black' (rubber-like, small flat rear, ) pedal stopper pad #9 - 46505-SA7-000 is for the #1 DBW accelerator pedal.
In a pinch, one could use this in place of the white rear cone PSP (Clutch Inhibitor Switch) to get the car back on the roadd.
Hope that helped with the confusion?

 

You always come through, thank you, Zeta.
Yes, that's exactly right...white probably replaced the 18 year old bluish black that disintegrated.
I was likely confusing with the black stopper that I figured was the pad...
I'll order a set...
the weirdest thing I couldn't figure out was how the missing lower clutch one would NOT make the car think the clutch was depressed at all times...which is LIKELY why they
use the upper inhibitor to decide that.
I COULD also just wire them together to be able to start without putting in the clutch, but I don't need that added possible problem in the future. I'll order 2 of the oem white ones now.

 

My guess is it's all about MT clutch pedal position for safety?

From what I understand the lower 'Clutch Switch Assy'; aka the 'Clutch Pedal Position Switch' corresponds / interacts, via the ECM, with the Cruise Control functionality as well as the 6MT's 'Reverse Lock-out Solenoid.

If you are using cruise control at highway speed, in the 6MT, shift body position in the driver seat and one of your feet accidently hits the clutch pedal (changes its position) the cruise control will turn off and the car slows, same thing with the brake pedal.

In addition, the clutch pedal position switch would 'activate' (in some ECM electronic way beyond my scope ) the MT's reverse lockout solenoid, if the car is moving forward and one accidently / inadvertently tries to shift into reverse gear before coming to a full stop; thus, protecting the manual trans & reverse gear.

As you know, the up high location clutch (inhibitor) switch (purple arrow), probably ties in when all clutch pedal stopper pads are in place and functioning; however, as soon as one of the pesky plastic pads (inhibitor switch) crumble/deteriorate and is out of position, it screams, Hello! You are not starting the car without making me happy, lol.

The funny thing, in relation to testing procedure below, is the 'technical' writers of the FSM overlooked including a simple 'while you are there' statement to check the pedal stopper pads during any 'testing' procedures.

 

I appreciate that, man.
and YES, that is exactly the purpose of it.
Pedal DEFINITELY comes out to pop in the pad under the inhibitor?
I kept having random no start issues...thought maybe ignition switch...then maybe starter...then starter relay...
battery was dying too and had a bad connection...
swapped new battery, bought a starter relay...SUPER intermittent.
Go to the store to run an errand and bam, will no longer start no matter what combination of voodoo I do...
BUT I see a bluish broken piece of nylon the floor mat. HMMMMMM...
I get down there, start studying the pads...clutch one is gone on the bottom but I keep thinking, that allows pin out which makes the car think you ARE depressing it...so why would that prevent start?

Anyway, I finally figure out there's a higher one (Thanks youtube)...I reached up with my ring finger and was able to reach back around myself to turn ignition with left arm and got it started.

Got 2 of those white OEM ones on the way...was going to get the cheap amazon stuff but for something that lasted almost 20 years and leaves you stranded, worth the extra money for OEM.

 

That's what I had to do because I could not contort my old body (even with the seat at its most rearward position), like a pretzel, and get my arms up under that area high enough for the inhibitor pad replacement.
As a result, I thought think smarter, examined the clutch pedal install procedure & opted to be patient and just remove the clutch pedal assembly.
It took longer; however, more doable for my situation.
Though, I must say, I have 'read' (somewhere on here? not sure, maybe the interwebs) that some peeps opt for a permanent solution in the form of welding a penny, IIRC'ly, over that particular inhibitor PSP hole to avoid ever having to deal with it again, lol. So there's that notion, as well.


Well done!
OMG, that would have made for a good picture, lol.

 

I was highly motivated to continue to claim that the car "never leaves me stranded" LOL.
Thanks again, Z...I'll try and figure out what I'm trying to get to and see if I can do it in place.
the OTHER fix is probably to bypass the switch altogether but not a smart idea on a manual car.