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Hi all. I have a 98 2ltr turbo Rex. Started last night but then stalled. Now motor still turns over but have no reds on the dash. Plus I can't hear the fuel pump kick in like normal. Any clues to what it might be please

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Try spraying starting fluid into the intake (unhook the air filter box and spray into the tube) and see if it'll fire or not. If it fires, check fuses, then check if you have power at the fuel pump connector or not. No power, check relay. If there is power, fuel pump might be bad.

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Thanks guys. I have checked my fuses and they all seem OK. Still doesn't explain why I have no red lights come up on the dash. Was thinking immobiliser but then motor wouldn't turn over if that was the case. Just don't seem to be getting power to my ignition

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The only thing that's caused no dash lights in my Legacy is when the fusible link shorted out in the underhood fuse box, but it wouldn't crank either.

 

Maybe your ignition switch is wonky and fuel pump or whatever controls it is acting up at the same time. You are saying no dash lights, right? i.e. no ABS, CEL, Air bag, etc. They aren't turning on with key on?

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Your car is right hand drive, right? 

 

 

On US cars, or at least on my Legacy, the fuel pump relay is apparently behind the dash on the driver's side (US), above the fuse box under the dash.

 

Have you checked for 12v+ power at the fuel pump yet? Should be under the rear cargo area near where the back seat upper-back is. Lift carper and unscrew the metal cover. You should see the top of the fuel pump line, return line, and evap line, along with an electrical connector; my 95' has 2 covers, one large oval plate covering the pump assembly, the other round plate I'm unsure of (it has one fuel line and 2 wires and is probably evap related; your car may or not even have this) as the float assembly is attached to the pump assembly. Anyhow, the electrical connector above the pump area has a 12v+ and negative for the pump, then something like 2 wires for the fuel level gauge. Probe the fuel pump's 12v+ with key on, and see if it has power or not.

 

 

Is your ignition barrel loose? Have you tried working it on/off? It's possible your immobilizer is wonky and is interfering with the dash lights. 

 

How is the condition of your battery terminals? Have you replaced the battery post clamps with aftermarket? If you have loose 12v+ or even battery grounds, that can cause all sorts of havoc with electrical systems, and would affect your immobilizer as well. Need to inspect them for corrosion and tightness.

 

That's just stuff off top of my head I'd try and rule out 1st.

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I'll give that a try but I've got a funny feeling that there will be no power to the pump because the ignition system is not lighting up thus not sending power to pump. If it was immobiliser I'd turn key and get nothing like I have done in past but I hit the door lock button and ignition lights up but not anymore. I'm thinking I need to find out why I'm not getting any red lights on dash. The only red light I get is the key symbol saying its in the ignition

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Wish I knew more about your immobilizer. The fact your engine is still cranking is what I find puzzling. If you know where the immobilizer is located and you can track down a wiring pin out for it, I'd suggest probing all it's wires and see if it's doing what it's supposed to do. If it's bad, you might be able to bypass it. Though I'm curious to know if they can cut out a running engine? That seems dangerous to be honest. Not allowing a car to start is one thing, but cutting power (even accidentally) while running is another issue. 

 

It's also possible an important wire is damaged (heat, rodent, short, improper accessories like fog lights, etc.)

 

If you can't track it down, it might be worth letting Subaru diagnose it. I'd avoid small-time mechanic shops, even if they are cheaper per hour, as they often take longer or will waste your time then say they can't fix it after 10 hours of troubleshooting.

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Hi guys. Just wanna thank you all for the good advice on my Rex. Turns out the immobiliser relay has a bad connection on the circuit board. Once I touched it with a test light it must have made contact and my dash lights came on fuel pump kicked in and she started. Very happy thanks all. Now just gotta chase down a new tyco relay for the immobiliser and all sorted.

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Glad it was discovered. You might be able to retrofit a similar relay in, or worse case bypass it with a toggle switch so it'll at least run in the mean time. Just observe the amperage rating on the relay and don't go under that value. A junk yard might be your best replacement part option.

Edited by Bushwick
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Adrian I found mine beside the steering wheel. Only way I could get to it was take of the bottom part of console under the steering wheel. And Ye bushwick it's hard wired to the cuircut board so hoping to cut wires and fit to a plug and get another relay with opposite plug fitting so I can just plug and play type set up

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Sounds like you'd need a soldering iron to get it off the board then. A 35 or 40w iron could probably remove it. Then again, you might just have a bad a solder at the relay or something near the relay, and reflowing the solder might fix it. Hard to say w/o it in front of me, but at least you found a way to get it started.

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