upnorthguy Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Cruising around today (a "snow day" in the DC area with 6-8"). Stopped at the Subaru dealer to buy a another factory key for my ride ( new to me a few months ago). Went to leave and it will not start. Dash lights up and all electrical systems work but the engine does not turn over. No clicking from the starter. New battery when I got the car in Nov and I rebuilt the starter a couple of months ago. I think I can hear the fuel pump turning on and a click from a solenoid from the left of the steering column. I've tried to do some searching but only find issues with the shift lock related to the shift lever not moving correctly. (I'm on my phone which makes searching more of a challenge). Suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john in KY Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 First check to insure the battery cables are tight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Is it an automatic or a manual? I had an automatic that had an issue with the inhibitor switch. The switch thingy on the side of the transmission that the other end of the shift cable attaches to. They go back and make it not start. Try jumping a piece of wire from the positive terminal on the battery to the solenoid post on the starter. It should crank right up. If the key is in RUN, it'll start. Make damn sure it's in park, set the e-brake, etc etc. Don't run yourself over somehow... If you jump power directly to the solenoid post and the starter just clicks, you have bad contacts in the starter. If it's a manual, try the same thing, it could be an issue with the clutch switch or something. Make REALLY EXTRA sure you're in neutral with the parking brake set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorthguy Posted March 18, 2014 Author Share Posted March 18, 2014 Battery cables are tight. I'll have to try the jump from the positive terminal to the starter. (It is an automatic). For kicks, I just went out and tried starting it (after having it towed from the dealer back to my house) and it fired right up - no hesitation, clicking or anything unusual. How very odd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 Not the positive terminal, the spade connector for the starter solenoid. The smaller wire. Since it fired right up it's almost certainly either the starter contacts or the inhibitor switch. When I was having the inhibitor switch issue, it would work fine until warmed up after driving for a while, then it wouldn't start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tirod Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 While the cable connections may be tight, that doesn't mean they aren't corroded enough underneath to create a layer of lead oxide. That is electrically non-conductive, the downside of using lead as a cheap casting metal for terminals. Since they stick up from the interior of the battery, they aren't gas tight and fumes will leak out around them in close proximity. So, for all the noise about maintenance free batteries, the terminals still aren't and likely never will be. They need servicing about every 6 months, scrubbed shiny clean. I get folks in to check their battery, I clamp the tester on the outside of the cable connectors, and the first thing that comes up wrong is that the tester cannot detect voltage. That is directly related to a mild layer of oxide buildup - we aren't even talking the gross green fungus that accumulates on some (and they get away with it!) Clean them up bright and shiny, if the problem goes away, fine, if not, you eliminated the #1 reason 85% of AAA wrecker callouts are billed, and can move to the much more rare causes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
987687 Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 While the cable connections may be tight, that doesn't mean they aren't corroded enough underneath to create a layer of lead oxide. That is electrically non-conductive, the downside of using lead as a cheap casting metal for terminals. Since they stick up from the interior of the battery, they aren't gas tight and fumes will leak out around them in close proximity. So, for all the noise about maintenance free batteries, the terminals still aren't and likely never will be. They need servicing about every 6 months, scrubbed shiny clean. I get folks in to check their battery, I clamp the tester on the outside of the cable connectors, and the first thing that comes up wrong is that the tester cannot detect voltage. That is directly related to a mild layer of oxide buildup - we aren't even talking the gross green fungus that accumulates on some (and they get away with it!) Clean them up bright and shiny, if the problem goes away, fine, if not, you eliminated the #1 reason 85% of AAA wrecker callouts are billed, and can move to the much more rare causes. Yea, you're right on that. I've had more than one case of severe battery smegma causing electrical issues in my car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikec03 Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 To add to what others have said, for the 90's subarus, it could be the starter contacts [or the starter motor], the inhibitor switch, bad battery contacts or other wire contacts, OR low current on the solenoid wire. I had the last one occur on a 95 subaru. It acts exactly like a bad starter- sometimes it starts and sometimes it doesn't. I now have a similar problem on a 97 subaru. Ive already checked the wiring. So, next I going to swap out the starter with a rebuilt one from advanced auto for $68. This is the most likely cause. If the problem persists, I'll then put in a slave solenoid to in order to get a clean 15 v current to the starter solenoid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzam Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 If you're mechanically inclined, buy a set of starter contacts. Or purchase a rebuilt starter and replace the original one. As mickc03 stated I've also had a 95. 97 and 99 that all had he same problem and new contacts cured the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorthguy Posted March 19, 2014 Author Share Posted March 19, 2014 If you're mechanically inclined, buy a set of starter contacts. Or purchase a rebuilt starter and replace the original one. As mickc03 stated I've also had a 95. 97 and 99 that all had he same problem and new contacts cured the problem. As I initially stated, I rebuilt the starter a few months ago so it already has new contacts in it. The battery was new at the beginning of November so I guess there could be a quick-forming layer of five month oxide on there, but it definitely is not the usual white powder repository you see on some batteries that have been in place for years with no terminal cleaning. Thanks for the other ideas. I'll do some more investigating this weekend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Make sure the solenoid wire didnt just slip off the spade on the solenoid. I've had that happen once when I didn't get it plugged all the way in properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorthguy Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 I sanded the battery posts and the inside of the battery cable connectors. I checked the solenoid wire and it was OK. I haven't had any starting issues since, so I'll see how things go. On a possibly related note, last night when driving I noticed the headlights would dim slightly when I hit the brakes which is something I haven't seen before. Once I got home and parked , I tapped the brakes and I could hear a solenoid/switch inside the shifter (AT) clicking as soon as I touched the brakes. Is this some (related?) issue with the shift interlock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 The shift interlock click is normal. Dimming lights is normal. People like to blame this on a failing alternator, but most of the time its just because the alternator is old. Have had many cars do this with no problems from the alternator. My 96 Legacy has done this since I bought it over 4 years ago, alternator still works fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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