Q: My Subaru won't start. Have electrical issues.

asked by on December 17, 2016

Subaru won't start. I have power to the dash board, Windows and locks and hazards. No power to headlights, fan, radio, windshield wipers. Started by replacing battery, starter, checked the fuselink( good) and replaced ignition switch. Started testing fuses, some light up with tester some don't. Starting to think ecm is out

My car has 150000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.

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Hi there. Take a remote stater button and hook it up to your starter. Turn your ignition key to the ON position and have someone in your vehicle with their foot on the brake and the parking brake set. Click on the starter button and see if the starter engages. If the starter engages but the engine will not start up, then check to see if the fuel pump is working. If the fuel pump seems to not be coming on, then check the fuel pump relay. If the relay clicks on, then check the fuse to the fuel pump. If there is power to the fuse but nothing on the other side, then the fuel pump could have a burned up motor. If there is no power to the fuse, but power in the wiring to the fuse box, then the fuse box may have a short causing multiple circuits to fail. I recommend looking for any loose wires and any loose ground wires that could cause an electrical disturbance before replacing the ECM (computer). If you need further assistance with your engine not starting, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.

Hello. There are a lot of things that can cause this to occur. I usually start by installing my scan tool to see if there is power to the computer. If there is no power to the computer then I start by testing the circuit to see if the computer is getting power. If it is then the computer may have failed. If it is not getting power then the issue may be in the fuse box. If everything is powering up fine then you may have an issue with the neutral safety switch. If you are thinking of having this starting issue checked, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to you to [diagnose why the vehicle will not start] https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/car-is-not-starting-inspection

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