Car failed to start but seems ok now.

Tiny
JPAPPAS
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 SUBARU OUTBACK
  • 4 CYL
  • AWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 134,000 MILES
2001 Subaru Outback Lmtd Sedan 2.5 4cyl Automatic. My car wouldn't start until I moved the shift lever (automatic) to right. Before I did that, when I'd turn the key, the accessories worked fine but when I turned the key to the Start position, all power was lost, and when I pulled the key out, I could see the clock reset to 1pm and the CD changer making noise as power was returned. I noticed a click when I moved the shifter arm from left to right in the Park position, so thought I'd try holding the shifter in the right side of the Park gate.
After I successfully started the car by holding the shift lever to the right, the problem seemed to go away. I restarted the car a few times and it seemed fine.
Could it have maybe been some ice shorting the Neutral Safety Switch and now it's ok, or is this just the start of needing to replace the switch?
Also, I've seen different switches for this model- one for $11, the other for $70.
Are there two different switches that could cause this?
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Monday, December 13th, 2010 AT 4:32 AM

1 Reply

Tiny
KHLOW2008
  • MECHANIC
  • 41,815 POSTS
If the clocks resets, it indicates power supply interruption had occurred and it could be due to bad/loose contacts between the battery terminals. Get them cleaned, reconnected and retest.

I would start with this first.
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Monday, December 13th, 2010 AT 2:09 PM

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