samisunjp Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 So I have posted before about having starter issues with my 1988 subaru gl wagon, but they seem to be back. I thought I had fixed the problem by replacing the contacts that are in the starter and that seemed to do the trick, or so it seemed. I just got a rebuilt starter from my local auto parts store and upon installation the car will now not start. The solenoid inside of the starter does not seem to engage either. The other starter that I had on the car seems to work fine although it will sometimes not start on rare occasions. I will turn the key and nothing but my lights and fuel pump come on, no click from the starter. So, just to make sure I didn't get a dead starter, I jumped the new one by hooking it up to a battery and crossing the ignition line and the positive connection OUTSIDE OF THE CAR. It worked fine. I put the new starter back in the car and used a voltmeter to check the power coming to the ignition part of the starter and it seemed to be getting around only 6v when turning the key.If I am not mistaken I should be getting 12v on that ignition part of the starter. What is going on here? I have read a lot about a bad connection coming from the ignition and am wondering if this is the case and if I should install a relay if that will remedy this problem. If it is the wire coming from the ignition, can I just replace the entire wire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bantum Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 (edited) Yep - you'll need to do something like this : There's also a 'how to' thread on here somewhere ... Cheers, Bantum ... Edited July 15, 2015 by Bantum 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 Time for the relay mod. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samisunjp Posted July 15, 2015 Author Share Posted July 15, 2015 Thanks for the help guys I will get the relay set up as soon as possible and use the other starter in the mean time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
l75eya Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 I went through the same. Installed a relay in place and never looked back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdweninger Posted July 15, 2015 Share Posted July 15, 2015 +1 on the relay... if needed. You have new contacts in starter, so that's good. Maybe first, clean and tighten battery connections. Then check resistance in battery cables. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhelme Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 + 1 on the relay. I did the relay mod 15 years ago without replacing the starter and am still using it through 3 engines (1.8, 1.8 OHC and 2.2 ). It works great and is easy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samisunjp Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 A little update, I got this http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-WR1-Starter-Relay/dp/B001COAX78 and it was an easy install and worked like a charm. So I have a new starter in and the relay, I should be set for a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverhelme Posted July 19, 2015 Share Posted July 19, 2015 That should be an ideal setup. It is exactly what I made except I used an existing fusible link instead of a fuse. I knew the kit was available at Summit for GM cars. For future reference this can also be done with a Ford type starter relay also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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