simbey1982

OK so looking at this diagram of starter circuit http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/files/swap/6-3_starting.jpg the positive battery terminal goes straight to the starter and then Y's off into the firewall for other electrical purposes....and the only thing that tells the solenoid/starter to start is the signal wire....so is it safe to assume that if the problem was behind the signal wire then the solenoid would NOT engage because there would be NO signal to start sent...but the solenoid does engage each time..... so by looking at that diagram it HAS to be either the battery terminal/wire or the starter itself....because the signal is getting there it just isnt starting.....correct me if im wrong Cory

doesnt seem to be an issue since the starter is on the opposite side of the engine....and the transmission acts as a heat shield of sorts...not to mention the intercooler etc....but it does act up more after its been driven...

hey there havent had a chance to check this in a bit ...been at work. So i took it to the local shop today and they hooked up their little battery/wiring/alternator testing thing to the wires and of course everything looked good and inspected the connectors...he recommended i look for the problem somewhere else in the starting circuit....so today im going to do the following..something i didnt mention that could be a problem is the turbo timer....it has a turbo timer installed....it was a crappy install before i got the car....honestly i think im going to take it out of the loop to eliminate it as a possibility... 1. Clean absolutley anything thats cleanable on the terminals that touches the post or the wire. 2. slit the wires and check for corrosion, then electrical tape back. 3. Tighten those babies without abandon 4. Look over my wiring diagrams and try to inspect all the wiring between the battery and starter.... Ill report back Cory PS It does have an alarm but i highly doubt any involvement from that.... PSS It is difficult to rule things out because 90% of the time it works without problem and then it doesnt and shortly after is working correctly again.

my old battery leaked acid profusely...ill try replacing the terminals because i wire brushed them till they were shiny....ive put a new battery awhile ago and it still had the same problem enlighten me on the workings of this "never fail" switch???

have a 6' pry bar and worlds strongest man standing by... those things can be a %$#@! to get out...but like he said its really not a big project...

yeah if you have tourque bind you will know it.....when i had it in my 4EAT impreza it felt like i had a square wheel...it was bad...so i swapped to a 5MT and was good AWD is diffrent than 4WD you have some good explainations above

alright im back again.... Took the car apart for some random projects...one of those was the starting issue. I pulled the starter and took of the solenoid cover...i did the following...inspected and removed the points...they were dirty and i cleaned them up...have PLENTY of copper left on them....pulled the solenoid spring and cleaned the contact on it.....cleaned every spot with wire wheel where battery grounds and starter contacts...I even took the starter to the original shop they inspected the points and said they were fine...and it always works on their bench.... So got all my projects done started up the car...give it to the wife and she comes home with a because the car is doing the intermittent starting thing again...so ill give a detailed description again... At random...no consistency i can see...the car will not attempt to turn over...you turn the key and hold it...you can hear a relay clicking over and over in the dash somewhere and when you first turn the key you can hear a loud click come from the starter....when you let off the key the relay obviously stops and there is another click from the starter...im guessing the click is the solenoid engaging....then you wait thirty seconds, a minute, 30 minutes turn it over and it starts without a problem?? i cant think of anything other than the solenoid must be bad???? any other ideas?? Thanks Cory

yeah...im just trying to eliminate the possibilities now....but at the same time it seems an unneccesary system since it wasnt on the later model years....what are the cons to removing this system...is there something diffrent between the model years where this system became necessary?? seems like overkill and overcomplication....this isnt a rally car its a road driver

ok i got the impression that it was attached to the radiator somehow...

so its supposed to have oil running through it??? becuase it has coolant running through it???

Here are a couple photos. Hard to see but the nipple and hose in oil3.jpg comes straight from the nipple thats screwed into the block. The picture oil2.jpg shows the coolant return which is routed right back into the cooling system...there is no radiator that it runs through....so is this all $#%^#$ up or is this right....like i mentioned the person before me modified the cooling system by putting in a WRX cooling system...if anyone has pics of their stock setup and could show me that would be great http://members.aceweb.com/robinegg/oil2.jpg http://members.aceweb.com/robinegg/oil3.jpg Thanks PS i did enjoy the nigerian post =)

well there are coolant feed and return lines and the coolant runs through the outside cooling the oil as it goes to and from the filter....looks like an oil cooler to me is this supposed to pump the oil through a smaller spot on the radiator like a tras fluid cooler?? because the cooling system was "modified" before i got it and i just assume this is how its supposed to be...il take photos and post

no opinions.. bump

Alright i have a 92 Legacy SS with i think a 91 engine that was swapped in. I have a oil cooler on it which runs coolant through a thing right at the oil filter. See photo http://members.aceweb.com/robinegg/oil.jpg Im having a problem with oil in my coolant. Before you scream headgasket i just pulled the heads had them resurfaced, leak tested, and put NEW head gaskets on it, and flushed coolant system. Now the oil is back in the coolant. There is NO coolant in the oil so it has to be somewhere high pressure enough that only the oil is getting in. The only other places i can think is the oil cooler or the turbo...the turbo seems unlikely since they are seperated so well and it would take a pretty nasty crack. So i guess my question is...can i just bypass this oil cooler. I was noticing that its only on 91 model engines...is this thing needed at all...id rather just bypass it than replace it Thanks

1. It is a rebuilt starter from a local electical shop... 2. the sproket is fine as it starts most the time and if it was stripped i would hear it spinning and grinding. 3. Gloyale...probabablly one of the best replies ever!! im going to try that and also test my cable from the battery...will report back in a few days with the fix. Thanks for the help Cory

i buy my oem parts at 1stsubaruparts.com they have good prices Good luck

Well here is the curve ball. Last year the same problem came up...with others as well and both the starter and alternator were replaced with new ones....now a ear later the problem is back....seems odd....

test voltage and continuity at the fuel pump...if its there the pump is bad...if not you need to dive in to the electrical stuff Good luck

I would vote for headgasket failure...or worse than that a cracked head but thats pretty rare...if you have the tools and some subaru familiarity its not that hard to do Good luck

If you modify one part of the exhaust train do all of it.. Thats my 2 cents. I put headers on my 2.2 but i also got a high flow muffler and....ahem...opened up the flow on my catalytic converters.. Its not that helpful to an exhaust to modify one part....its why coffee can mufflers are not a performance enhancement Good luck

Long time no post....site redesign i see...anyhow I have a 1992 Turbo Legacy that is having a starting issue. Randomly with no consistent cause at all, the car wont turn over. I hear a click of a relay under the dash and can hear the starter sproket spring out under the hood but it doesnt turn over. Wait for some time and bam it starts no problem. Starter signal/power wire are all fine...everything is hooked up...what am i missing????? Cory

FYI put in NGK iridiums and the cylinder is firing nicely....after several weeks she is up and running...thanks for the help....and for being gentle after i was a bone head...

so i am going to eat crow:grin: ....as i was looking over those timing sheets i noticed my problem...I had the cam sprokets lined up correctly using the mark not the arrow....the problem was the crankshaft sproket...it also has an arrow and a mark and i was using the arrow....doh!!! did the timing again and it started right up....bone head move on my part. Also i found if your hydraulic clutch needs bled to work after having the clutch out...wait 8 days and it fixes itself:confused: . Now i just have to figure out why one of my cylinders isnt firing...could be plugs i didnt check the gap before i put it all back together....thanks for the help...:-p Cory

Heads were taken to an automotive machine shop where .004 of an inch was machined off of the head for a flat non pitted surface. The heads were then pressure tested to ensure they were not cracked or leaking...ill give this stuff a try this weekend Cory

I didnt use the arrow on the sprockets. I used the correct timing mark. So what i am gathering is i need to do a compression check....but wont i get inaccurate results since its not firing? Also how do i check to see if fuel is getting to the cylinders? its getting past the filter but once it gets to the engine i dont know how to effectively check it. Thanks for the help:popcorn: