No click, no crank, no start.
 

My '94 Bordeaux has recently decided to not start intermittently when I turn the key. When it's in the "I don't want to start" mode, I turn the key all the way, all the idiot lights on the dash come on, but there's no cranking and no sounds of any relays clicking anywhere either (except I can hear the fuel pump relay). It's apparently not a dead battery because I've had it on the charger overnight a few times and even with the battery fully charged it sometimes doesn't click or crank. The starter was replaced by the previous owner less than a year and 6000 miles ago, as was the alternator, so apparently it's not a new problem.

I've looked at the various "no start" threads here and am a little confused. Does this sound like possibly a problem with the starter inhibit relay under the dash?

Re: No click, no crank, no start.
 

There are two well-developed fixes to two SVX-specific starter issues that have each been experienced by at least several owners.

There is an inhibitor relay under the dash that gets switched "on" by the security module, when you turn off the security system. When the relay starts to fail, it fails in the default "off" position = no start. Replacing or bypassing the relay will fix this. I have not experienced this myself, but as I understand it, there's a repeating click (not sure where it comes from exactly).

There is another issue in which, even with the inhibitor relay working, not quite enough voltage gets to the tab on the starter solenoid = no start. In my case, there was a click heard from the starter, but the solenoid didn't make enough contact to actually start to turn the starter motor. The fix for this was to insert another relay between the starter signal wire (which normally goes to the tab on the starter solenoid), so as to provide "fresh" power directly from the battery to power the solenoid. I used a random relay I had lying around, but you want to use a specific part no. bosch relay that is posted in some thread somewhere, that I bet Harvey can find real fast.

(In my case, the second problem was caused by the wiring I used to wire up the clutch switch, so as to prevent the car from trying to start when the clutch isn't down. Basically, I used some spare speaker wire, and probably made a weak connection somewhere, that I guess caused enough of a voltage drop to cause the same symptom as others reported. I'm not sure of the cause in those cases, but I'd guess it's just due to the aging wires/connections taking a toll.)

Hope that clarifies things a bit for you. Also have a look at both pages of this thread, it should help some.

Re: No click, no crank, no start.
 

It is very confusing as there are a number of solutions out there, for what could be a number of different problems. In my case the car would always start with the remote starter, however would intermently start with the key. I found that the ignition switch at the back of the ignition cylinder was loose. This switch is held inplace with 3 indents. I tighten these up by using a punch. This solved my no start problems.
In my case I removed the cylinder from the car to do this. The security bolts holding it in place were very loose so it did not take too long to remove them. I replace these with allen head bolts (needed to file the heads down a little to fit).

Starts everytime now instead of 1 or 2 times in 10.

Link to the tread that helped me (2nd post), too bad pictures are no longer there.
http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/show...915#post323915

Re: No click, no crank, no start.
 

What kind of remote starter? I have a spare steering column somewhere, maybe I can replace those pictures if you think it's important. Thanks for sharing your experience, hopefully it will help future people figure this kind of stuff out. Was the ignition cylinder itself loose?

Re: No click, no crank, no start.
 

I located the starter inhibit relay on my parts car (which has always started) so I'll switch it over to the other car later tonight and see if it makes a difference.

Re: No click, no crank, no start.
 

The problem, at least in my case, appeared to be an old, faulty security system that was wired into the starting circuit among other things. I never had the remotes for it and usually I think security systems on old cars are often more trouble than they're worth, so I tore it out and reconnected an ignition switch wire that had been cut and rerouted through the alarm control module. The car started fine several times after that. It appeared the ignition switch itself had been replaced at some point since it was held in with hex-head bolts instead of the original tamper-proof bolts.

Interestingly, my car has no starter inhibit relay. the connector leading to a short pigtail that would lead to a socket for the relay has merely a plug with one bridge wire connected to it, negating the need for a relay. It looks like it came from the factory that way, and I'm guessing it has to do with the car being a '94 LS 2WD that had no factory alarm system (assuming the inhibit relay has something to do with the alarm system on cars so equipped.)

Re: No click, no crank, no start.
 

I located and removed this relay, and jumped the pins between the normally closed contacts as depicted in the little diagram stamped into the side of the relay. Pins 30 and 85a I think. My car started, yay!

More importantly, it started again tonight, with no fuss, muss, or bother, in 30 degree air. In the past it would maybe start, maybe not, in the cold. It would always click, the dash lights would dim (interestingly, NOT the headlights though), but the starter would engage sometimes and not others.

It's possible that this symptom has the same root cause - the relay. Again, looking at the schematic, it appears as though the ignition is wired across the normally CLOSED contacts. If those contacts don't carry enought current to activate the starter solenoid, you will get the symptoms you describe. In my case the connector inside the relay female plug was not at all tight enough to securely contact the male spade on the relay. I fattened up the end of my jumper wire with solder to make what I felt was a reliable electrical connection.

Re: No click, no crank, no start.
 

Glad you got it figured out.