Ok so I'm faced with this issue that manifested itself randomly where my car decided to not start, first I thought dead battery but it wasn't cuz the battery was fine , so I thought starter is dead so I went ahead and took that out and table tested it and it works just fine , put it back in the car and nada , you just hear the gear in it come out but it doesn't spin the flywheel , until I decided to get a long 4 gauge wire I had laying around and bridged the starter to the batter , I would leave the key in the on position then go and touch one end of the wire to the battery and the other side of it to the starter and bam the car cranks fine snd started right up. Turn it off and try to crank using the key and it still does nothing but a clicking noise . If anyone has any idea what this issue can be coming from any help would be appreciated. Also its a 1999 forester st/b RHD

 

I wonder if the starter/Ignition relay is goosed?

 

it could be , I would have to check tomorrow and update

 

Depending upon if it's MT or AT

The US model of that vintage has various interlocks for both



The European model has only an AT interlock

JDM could be either.

 

There isnt a clutch switch is there?

 

no there isn't, im suspecting that it is the power cable itself that goes to the started cuz I didn't notice but its showing some corrosion that i haven't noticed before so i went ahead and bought another one and we'll see is that changes anything because yesterday i was able to start the car with the key when I bridged the starter and battery with jumper cables lol

 

Think there is a starter relay somewhere, similar year Imprezas had one ...think it was way up behind the drivers side dash on the bulkhead, somewhere around the fuel pump relay.

If it’s not that, and the ignition switch test out ok (easy to test). Next guess is aftermarket alarm/immobiliser?

or remnants of one still nestling under the dash somewhere. Most ‘cuts’ into the starter circuit are via the wires from the steering column (lazy install). So that’s the first place to look.