Hi there,
I've had a bit of a tough time with my 1995 Subaru Legacy and was hoping someone on here could offer some advice or hints.
Here's the situation so far:
- Went to start car in the morning and engine wouldn't turnover at all (so not cranking with only a very light clunk at the solenoid- not the usual heavy thud)
- Since then, I have removed starter motor and tested it. Not faulty
- All starter motor solenoid earth connections and positives have been cleaned and are in good order
- Tested battery. Good.
- Checked voltage at feed wire to solenoid. Also good.
- All relevant fuses and relays have been tested and ok.
- I am starting to suspect there could be an issue with the alarm system/electrics
I am eager to get your thoughts/opinions/advice on what you think I have missed/what you think could be the issue.
Thanks in advance!
How old is the battery?
Did you load test the battery?
Did you try jump starting it? Anyway restart your diagnosis here -
https://carkiller.com/scottykilmer/qa/nostart/
Starter can spin freely not hooked up, but not spin the load of an engine. I would recommend you use a breaker bar and socket on the crank pulley, make sure you can turn the engine first by hand. If you can chances are you have a bad starter. Some auto places can load test them make sure they’re ok. If memory serves the security systems in Subarus did not shutdown anything back in 95, it was just an alarm. I could be mistaken on that though.
Also check, clean and retighten the battery's negative cable connection to the chassis and engine. When testing voltage for power consuming stuff, a test light may be the best choice. A digital multimeter sends a very small current through the wires, and can give a false reading if the problem is a weak electrical connection.
Remove spark plugs and try to spin the engine, worst case would be coolant spraying out of the spark plug holes. (I saw that once on a Subaru engine that was hydrostatically locked due to coolant filling combustion chambers.)
