[thatoneguyaz]

Hey guys so I'm having an issue with my 2012 Outback 3.6 not starting. Battery is good, starter is good, alternator is newish, grounds checked, and fuses checked.

Finally checked for codes and I've got:
-P0700 (Transmission Control System)
-P0817 (Starter disable circuit)
-P0705 (Transmission range sensor circuit malfunction)

Symptoms:
-Car does not click or try to turn over, simply chimes and does nothing when attempting to start.
-Even though I'm not pressing on the brake, I'm able to switch between gears without holding in the brake. This is not normal and seems likely related to the issue.
-Car will not start in any gear including neutral

Any help or insight for this issue would be appreciated.

 

[zorecati]

Try moving the shifter from Park to Neutral and move it around a bit. -P0817 (Starter disable circuit) sounds like a safety switch.

 

[Jon89]

^^ What he said....

 

[YeuEmMaiMai]

OK do this

get in car close door everything off
put key in ignition and turn on
press foot on brake, do you hear a relay click as you press foot on and off brake? if not start there

 

[thatoneguyaz]

Try moving the shifter from Park to Neutral and move it around a bit. -P0817 (Starter disable circuit) sounds like a safety switch.

Definitely already tried this as part of some basic troubleshooting, but no luck unfortunately. No matter how much I move the gear selector around or what gear its in, the car refuses to start.

 

[thatoneguyaz]

OK do this

get in car close door everything off
put key in ignition and turn on
press foot on brake, do you hear a relay click as you press foot on and off brake? if not start there

I will check this out next.

 

[plain OM]

Car will not start in any gear including neutral

Just so I'm clear, does that include all four positions, P, R, N and D?

Even though I'm not pressing on the brake, I'm able to switch between gears without holding in the brake. This is not normal and seems likely related to the issue.

Definitely not correct. Is this referring to when the ignition switch is at On? If so, what happens if the ignition switch is at Off and the key is out; can the shifter be moved through all positions?

With the ignition switch at On, when the shift lever is moved to each position, does the gear selection indication in the instrument panel (P, R, N, D) correspond to where the shift lever is positioned?

When the ignition switch is at On, does the clock/multi-function display light up?

There's one fuse that is involved with these functions: Fuse #5, 7.5 Amps, in the in-cabin fuse panel. Perhaps check that fuse, or replace it with a new 7.5 Amp fuse.

 

[thatoneguyaz]

Thanks for everyone's responses. Following up on this, the fix turned out that I needed a new valve body. Basically $1k from the dealer, by far the most expensive repair yet to the OB.

The inhibitor switch (there seems to be more than one name for this part?) which essentially tells the starter "Okay, you're good to start" because its in Park or Neutral was not functioning, so essentially my starter was permanently disabled. Sadly, on my 5 EAT, the switch is located internally on the valve body, and is non serviceable. While that's not always a complete road block, in this case it was. Previously I've replaced a speed sensor on the valve body, which was also "non serviceable", but that was due to being able to actually source the part thanks to this forum in fact.

Hope anyone else who runs into this has better luck with something more simple being the cause.

 

[YeuEmMaiMai]

valve body is indeed serviceable and removable from transmission. Subaru does not do it though