HELP - car wont start

[daeron]

did you ever check for spark coming out of the coil like you check for spark coming out of a spark plug? because you told me you had power to your coil, if you get no spark out of the coil, that is your problem, and its an easy cheap junkyard fix.

[Cougar]

Please follow the following instuctions to help solve this problem. This was advice was stated before but if you did the tests you never replied back as to what you observed, .

 

Check for voltage getting to the plus side of the ignition coil using a voltmeter. Place the meter common lead to ground and the red lead to the plus side of the coil with the ignition ON. Without voltage getting to that point you will have the results you are experiencing. You can change all the parts you want and it will do no good to solve this trouble. If you have 12 volts on the plus (should be marked on the coil)side of the coil then check the minus side of the coil for voltage. You should have voltage there also but a bit less than 12 volts. If there is voltage there then check for a pulsing voltage at that point while cranking the engine.

 

If you don't have any voltage getting to the coil then you need to check the ignition switch for a problem and the fusible links.

[daeron]

he did that already cougar. i talked him thru it via email. he needs to confirm spark out of the coil.. and i think he may have confirmed it dead already.. but he may have been using a multimeter probe in the coil terminal to check for it.. i havent gotten that clear response yet.

 

sorry to talk as if you couldnt hear us, tyler..

[Tyler_Seattle]

Ok the truth of the matter is this...

My sister needs this car fixed as well. We go to school together and share the car, and my parents are losing patients with me. They want it fixed ASAP. So me fixing it is quickly becoming a non-option… They want me to find a mechanic. So anyone know of a mobile mechanic who knows old subarus?

[daeron]

heh, the sad answer is mobile mechanics are rare, and the only one i can think of offhand is a semi mecahnic. not that that is relevant, as im in south florida, but still.. not a common thing. its alot easier to have you bring the car to them, than to have them bring the garage, with air compressor, tools, lift, etc to you.. so its not a common thing. maybe something will turn up, but we are all simply going about the discussion presuming that if anyone could help you like this, they would.

 

you should go ahead and keep trying for the spark anyhow, what can it hurt? are you spending time that you could be working to earn money to fix the car? my point is we arent JUST encouraging you to fix it yourself, for the sake of it.. we are saying that we cannot, and do not know of anyone who can, come to your house and help you. we can give you advice on trying to fix it in the meantime. if your parents do not want you working on the car, i suppose thats another thing.. but everyone here has learned this stuff, and is very grateful for the knowledge. we are simply trying to pass the torch to someone else who, like us, needs to get his car fixed, and cant/isnt going to/doesnt want to pay someone else to do it.

 

if you can get a mechanic to look at it, chances are theyll be able to tell you whats wrong in short order.. but then again, he may hand you a bill for a whole bunch of malarkey too. the garages down here are getting better for that.. and at least half the time that whole story comes from customers' lack of knowledge about truly needed repairs, or the degree to which "need" is stressed.... do we have any professional technicians of any sort out there who can support this?? the customer always thinks youre trying to gouge them for an unneeded part or repair, right???

 

anyhow tyler, if you get the chance, try the screwdriver thing to get spark out of the coil. if you get no spark, replace the coil. you established that it had power (at least as far as i could tell from your email) so it SHOULD be working. if you get no spark from the coil, you can try a new one. if you want to confirm that the ecu is functioning then you can plug in the white read memory mode connectors, and pull the plastic cover off from above the pedal assembly.. youve found the ECU already, on the side of it facing the rear of the car a little LED should start blinking with the key in the on position and the white connectors connected. in case you still need help finding the connectors in question, go here http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=64369 and in the second post in the thread there are pictures of the green and white connectors in question. I dont think it matters what its blinking right now... as long as it is blinking we know its alive. if the car has further problems we can try to come back to that later, if theres time.

 

if you get the blinky light, then we assume the ECU is okay. I know what turbone said, but he also said he wasnt there for very long. if the coil gets power as it should, and you get no spark, and the ECU blinking light is telling you that it is functional, then you should try getting a replacement coil.

 

This really is probably within your scope. please, if you have AOL or AIM, add my screen name to your buddy list and IM me next time you are online.. TarDaeron is the screen name. you IM me, i can call you on the fone, and we can talk about things. thats ALOT better for talking something like this out.