Outback1997 Posted March 6, 2019 Share Posted March 6, 2019 Hi again everyone, On two occasions now after a short journey to the local shop my Outback has refused to start again, the engine cranked over but didnt fire up and start. The first time after a few minutes of trying the car just started like nothing had happened. The second time it happened (after a short ride to the shop (just two blocks away) it wouldn't start. This second time i resorted to wire wiggling in the engine with no success, then I remembered that I had just topped the car up with oil after stopping and had wedged the oil container into the left side (left side while looking into the trunk from the rear of the car) I reached in and found this thick cable and gave it a wiggle and then when I tried to start the car it fired up right away. It made me think that I also sometimes store my car jack in that storage compartment and have my dog tied to the jack when I take him out with me. Maybe the car not starting is related to this cable? Or maybe it was just a co-incidence that the car fired up after wiggling this cable? If I knew what this cable was maybe I could have a better idea if it is this causing the problem. I was thinking maybe fuel pump or maybe just rear light cluster??? Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DN1911 Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 Do you have a power antenna? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outback1997 Posted March 7, 2019 Author Share Posted March 7, 2019 Do you have a power antenna? No, and also radio antenna is at the front of the car on the roof Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leggyobw97 Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 The power antenna is in the rear quarter panel on I believe the right side, so it was a totally reasonable guess. I doubt your car not starting is related to tying your dog to the jack of your car... Although it must be a tiny dog because I don't see how that would hold even a mild-tempered, medium-sized dog. Anyway. There are a lot of reasons a car won't start. Check all of your electrical connections, clean and insulate them, attach an additional grounding wire from the negative terminal of your battery to the frame of your car... Just go through each component of the ignition, charging/grounding, fuel & air delivery systems, until you find the culprit(s). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DN1911 Posted March 7, 2019 Share Posted March 7, 2019 Yup, if the car had a power antenna it would have been in the left rear quarter panel but since you don't, good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outback1997 Posted March 7, 2019 Author Share Posted March 7, 2019 Sorry, it wasn't my intention to come across harsh on my reply, so sorry if I caused any offence. I had the car cut out on me again today while driving, but it started again first attempt. Its getting kinda worrying that one of these days I'm going to be left stranded. From experience these intermittent problems are difficult for mechanics to trace the fault as until the car isn't working its hard to pinpoint any problem... And by that time it's sort of too late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outback1997 Posted March 9, 2019 Author Share Posted March 9, 2019 A strange thing happened today, the car cut out while I was driving (at slow speed) and the oil temp light flashed on and off a number of times. This time the car re-started first time, but it is making me think that a faulty engine temperature sensor could be the culprit of my problems, what do you think? Anyone know where in the engine can i find this sensor to check it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighton96 Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 The oil pressure one is under the alternator and the coolant temp ones are on the cross over tube under the intake manifold. I'd recommend getting a can of QD electrical cleaner and then spend an hour or so taking every electrical connection apart under the hood and spraying it out with the cleaner. Do this with the battery disconnected and leave the cleaned connectors apart until the QD stuff can dry. Just to see if that changes anything Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choover1101 Posted March 9, 2019 Share Posted March 9, 2019 I would second Brighton's advice. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outback1997 Posted March 10, 2019 Author Share Posted March 10, 2019 Hi again. Yesterday I did just that and unclipped and cleaned every connector that I could find or get to. I checked the earthing connections that I could see too, generally all seems to be in good condition without any corrosion. So far so good, no issues yet, but with these intermittent faults its too early to tell. My windscreen washer pump stopped working a while ago, im guessing that i will need to buy a voltmeter to know if it's the switch or the pump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doublechaz Posted March 10, 2019 Share Posted March 10, 2019 With a couple bits of wire and a random car lightbulb and a little patience you can check for power at a given point. If you keep the bits of wire in the car you can even do this roadside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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