car wont start when engaging the clutch

Does that mean it starts without engaging the clutch?

you can push start it and it would run. but it order to crank it you have to turn the ignition switch and engage the clutch

Pushing on the clutch pedal actually disengages the clutch. So are you saying that when you depress the clutch pedal it won't start? If so the safety switch on the clutch pedal may be defective.

dex, what Bob and I are getting at is.. we may be a little off on the "engaged" / "disengaged" bit.. I'm not trying to insult you AT ALL - as I'm positive you understand the process but may just have the words backwards or that you mean "depressed" verses engaged ;) Not touching the clutch pedal is engaged (just as if you were driving down the road) and disengaged would be to the floor. So I had this happen on my festiva once. You can take a metal paper clip (or expose the wire on insulated ones), undo the connector on the clutch pedal safety switch, put each end of the paper clip into the connector that is wired into the wiring harness (not the switch itself). Start the car. If it works, then the switch is it. If it is the switch, you can honestly probably fix it yourself in a matter of minutes. As the plastic pin is depressed into the switch housing, a bar with a metal piece slides down from touching plastic (open circuit) to touching metal (closing the circuit - telling the car it is safe to start). Mine got a little off track and stopped touching so I had to bend it a bit to make it kind of a friction fit so it wouldn't move anymore. Anyway, go test it out, come on back and let us know whatcha got ;)

I went for 19 years without any problems with the clutch safety switch going out on me, bought the 1999 Saturn SL back in October 1998...with 1 mile on it. Recently, I've replaced that switch 2 times in the past 4 months (Today is April 16th 2018) and now I'm having the same problems again....so I'm going to put a new switch in.....again, the take the old one apart, clean it really really good, then solder a wire between the 2 terminals and then I'll be able to start the damn thing when ever I want too....been driving a standard car/truck waaaaay before they put in those idiot switches anyway!!!