I have a 95 Legacy wagon, I parked it my barn for about 8 months, and I drove it in there. Now I go to start, it doesn't want to start. The starter is not engaging. I took apart the shifter to check the neutral safety switch and I by passed it but no luck. The shifter seems very tight. I can only move it down only to drive nothing lower. Also nothing is really moving by the Trans when I move the shifter inside.

Do I need a new shifter cable? Why wouldn't it start if I have the neutral safety switch by passed? Is there any thing in the tranny that is preventing it from starting?

TIA

Prasad

Did you jumper across the two terminals of the starter and see if it cranks? The starter contacts go bad often.

Does the starter click at all? Or do you get just nothing when you turn the key?

Probably nothing in the trans is wrong. The shift cable might be seized from sitting. Pull the cable off of the trans and try to move the lever on the trans manually. Either by hand or with a pry bar.

The neutral safety switch or inhibitor switch is on the trans, so if you jumped some switch in the console, it was the wrong one.

 

There are plenty of other reasons it might not start. Is the battery fully charged? Charge it at 4 amps (low setting on most chargers) for about 12 hours to be sure.

Check for evidence of mice chewing on wires.

Take the starter to a local parts store and have it bench tested to be sure it isn't locked up.

 

Are you able to turn the motor manually with a breaker bar and socket on the crankshaft bolt?

Thanks guys,

Ever since the shifter became harder to move (even prior to the long storage period) I had to play with the shifter/neutral safety switch to get it started.

No, the solenoid does not engage, no clicking sound. I will jump the starter and see if it turns and take the shifter cable off and se if the Trans can be shifted by hand.

The car was a 4wd but now only the fwd works, I don’t know if that affects any thing.

 

Thanks again

Prasad

I jumped the starter solenoid and the motor cranks, so problem is in the shifter/ trans I hope.

 

Thanks

Prasad

In the engine bay you have two large black plugs trans to firewall. One of them has two large black with white strip wires. Find them, disconnect the connector and then jump the contacts of these two wires.

 

The car should start. If it does, the problem is on the transmission side.

 

Barns - mice chewed wires.