Manual swap, not starting

STeeL25T · #1 02-25-2012, 12:20 PM

Sorry for making a new thread and not searching much, I'm working on the car now and posting from my phone. My car seems to think it is in gear so the far won't start and I can't get my key out of the ignition. The car was already swapped over and driving before I bought it. Went through toms guide and see that there are the two green wires coming from a plug above the clutch going to the Blue and White and black and yellow wires like it describes... What else could be the issue?

North Ursalia · #2 02-25-2012, 01:24 PM

From the swap pdf:

6. At this point you can hook up the transmission end of the clutch cable, reinstall the starter, reinstall the steering column, and the CPU (but NOT the TCU). Then you have to make a jumper for the ignition lock switch at the shifter, the 4 prong plug that you had to unplug from the shifter, is the plug to jump, it's the end 2 wires that need to be jumped.

*{Now you need to remove the "Neutral Safety Switch" from the outside of the auto transmission, then plug it into the original wiring harness in the engine bay, and set it to "Neutral" there is a round indentation that will line up with the hole in the side lever on the NSS, to set it to neutral.}*
*EDIT TO ORIGINAL INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS: I have now taken the NSS off completely, and now use the clutch position switch to allow the car to start, this ALSO retains the use of your cruise control where the NSS didn't, first thing is check the clutch position switch, it has to be a closed circuit when the clutch is depressed, if not you need a Position switch that does, they come both ways, (I used one off the XT-6's brake pedal) once you've gotten one with the correct function, you need to run the 2 wires through the firewall, and to the smaller of the 2 wire harnesses that hooked up to the auto transmission, the 2 wires need to be spliced into the Black
w/Yellow tracer and the Blue w/White tracer wires of the harness (they are next to each other in one corner of the connecter). Now it will start when the clutch is depressed, and will kick the cruise off when the clutch is depressed also.

icingdeath88 · #3 02-25-2012, 02:52 PM

When I did this I remember that the how-to docs do not cover this very well. I actually can't remember what I did, but I know I posted about it. I'll brb, going to find some old posts...

Conn SVX · #4 02-25-2012, 02:59 PM

You can't remove the key? Is it in the off position. Mine got stuck in the ACC position. If " it IS " in the ACC and not all the way off , I do know how to fix it . If not then you have to look under the steering colum by the key for the little tab that will release the key .

icingdeath88 · #5 02-25-2012, 03:00 PM

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/showthread.php?t=57833

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/show...t=56408&page=2

Make sure those things are done like it says in those posts.

I think what you're missing is jumping the wires that go to the plug next to the shifter. See last pic in post #8 in the first link.

1986nate · #6 02-25-2012, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by icingdeath88

I think what you're missing is jumping the wires that go to the plug next to the shifter. See last pic in post #8 in the first link.

Agreed. With that jumper wire in place, you can actually remove the key at any time, however it's not like an old beater, you still have to turn the ignition back, shutting off the car.

Conn SVX · #7 02-25-2012, 03:19 PM

What? "you can remove the key at anytime " then you say it must be turned back. What does anytime mean then?

1986nate · #8 02-25-2012, 03:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Conn SVX

What? "you can remove the key at anytime " then you say it must be turned back. What does anytime mean then?

With an automatic transmission car, as the SVX all were, you need the car in park to remove the key. This jumper wire is giving the ignition switch the signal that it is always in park so that the key can be removed. It's not any different from most other manual transmission cars, but this is how this works with the jumper wire in place.

I didn't explain it out in the previous post.

To the OP:
And as for it not starting, make sure you have the clutch switch wired properly. There are 2 switches for the clutch pedal on the assembly. Also make sure you have them wired to the correct wires in the SVX transmission harness.

STeeL25T · #9 02-25-2012, 05:51 PM

It will go to the off position, but it wont pull out of the ignition. When you say shifter, do you mean a plug in the car in the console?

Here is what it's doing, and I dont understand it at all. I've touched nothing on it other than tightening up the negative cable on the starter a bit... I'll try to crank the car 24 times in a row and each time you will hear the starter click once, then nothing.... Try it a 25th time and magically the starter starts going and the motor tries to crank and it either doesn't or it will for about 3 seconds before the check engine light comes on, the gas pedal becomes useless, and it winds down til it dies. The process repeated about 5 more times before I gave up.

I didn't literally count how many times I tried to start it and it clicked haha.. but it was many times of nothing, then one or rarely two in a row of it starting, then back to clicking.. With not a thing touched in between tries. I never left the drivers seat.

STeeL25T · #10 02-25-2012, 06:01 PM

Should also note that in addition to the gas in this car being years old, the low fuel lights also on now.

icingdeath88 · #11 02-25-2012, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by STeeL25T

It will go to the off position, but it wont pull out of the ignition. When you say shifter, do you mean a plug in the car in the console?

Here is what it's doing, and I dont understand it at all. I've touched nothing on it other than tightening up the negative cable on the starter a bit... I'll try to crank the car 24 times in a row and each time you will hear the starter click once, then nothing.... Try it a 25th time and magically the starter starts going and the motor tries to crank and it either doesn't or it will for about 3 seconds before the check engine light comes on, the gas pedal becomes useless, and it winds down til it dies. The process repeated about 5 more times before I gave up.

I didn't literally count how many times I tried to start it and it clicked haha.. but it was many times of nothing, then one or rarely two in a row of it starting, then back to clicking.. With not a thing touched in between tries. I never left the drivers seat.

Ok, I had the same issue (at least it sounds the same) with mine until I added a relay for the starter signal wire (the one that goes to the little tab on starter). It wasn't getting enough current to the starter solenoid so it would click, but it wouldn't actually make a good enough connection for it to turn the starter motor. I have some theories for why this happened if you want to discuss further. Who did the original manual swap, btw?

What I would do is try jumpering the starter solenoid to start it. (Put the key to the on position, then run a wire (thicker the better, it will get hot if you leave it for too long) from the + battery terminal to the tab on the starter that the signal wire goes to. Make sure to remove the that signal wire first obviously.) That will let you know whether the problem lies in the starter or main power wire to the starter or the circuit that powers the starter solenoid (as I suspect). Be careful.

So, when it does manage to start, once started, it's not continuing to run? First check the code, if the check engine light comes on that's a good thing because it gives you a starting point. You did make very sure to ground the engine really well right?

Maybe it would be a good idea to empty out the gas and replace it with some fresher stuff. I don't know how I'd go about trying to empty it though.

92 SVX · #12 02-25-2012, 06:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by STeeL25T

It will go to the off position, but it wont pull out of the ignition. When you say shifter, do you mean a plug in the car in the console?

Here is what it's doing, and I dont understand it at all. I've touched nothing on it other than tightening up the negative cable on the starter a bit... I'll try to crank the car 24 times in a row and each time you will hear the starter click once, then nothing.... Try it a 25th time and magically the starter starts going and the motor tries to crank and it either doesn't or it will for about 3 seconds before the check engine light comes on, the gas pedal becomes useless, and it winds down til it dies. The process repeated about 5 more times before I gave up.

I didn't literally count how many times I tried to start it and it clicked haha.. but it was many times of nothing, then one or rarely two in a row of it starting, then back to clicking.. With not a thing touched in between tries. I never left the drivers seat.

Ok first not sure if you really mean this or not.

The starter is grounded through the block and the transmission the wire going to it is only positive, Directly from the battery.

So on to it. I think icing is on to the main problem your pulling too much through the factory system and if they modified anything for the manual swap that may be a problem.
You will want to run a second middle gauge wire down to that terminal from the battery, use a 5 prong relay battery, ground, out to starter pin, and in from factory wire.

Conn SVX · #13 02-25-2012, 06:58 PM

Just asked, because I can't remove my key in ACC position??..

STeeL25T · #14 02-25-2012, 07:10 PM

The way I currently have it is the positive cable going to the stud on the back of the starter and held on by a flat bottom nut. The negative cable is pinched in between the bolt head and the starter on the top most of the two bolts holding the starter to the transmission. I had a Subaru tech out with me for a bit this morning and that is what he instructed me to do... Should the negative be somewhere else?

That could be an issue right there -_-

icingdeath88 · #15 02-25-2012, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by STeeL25T

The way I currently have it is the positive cable going to the stud on the back of the starter and held on by a flat bottom nut. The negative cable is pinched in between the bolt head and the starter on the top most of the two bolts holding the starter to the transmission. I had a Subaru tech out with me for a bit this morning and that is what he instructed me to do... Should the negative be somewhere else?

That could be an issue right there -_-

Try jumpering it first. If it cranks just fine jumpered, then the ground is plenty for the starter (I still think it might be a cause of why the motor's not running very long).

It doesn't matter nearly as much where the grounds are as how many/how good the grounds are. More never hurts. My setup has 2 big (2 or 4 gauge) grounds and a smaller 8 gauge, and was working fine with just the one small and one big. How are the battery terminals and ground (directly in front of the battery box)?