do you hear a click?

if so, the solenoid could be bad. One way to tell would be if the car starts after 1-2-3 whacks on the starter with a piece of wood. A slap from a 2x4 often causes the worn contacts in the solenoid (attached to the starter) to make contact and the start the car. rebuild kits with new contacts and 'plunger' are available. quite common problem with older cars.

old battery cable could easily be corroded under the insulation.

if you don't hear a click, try starting in N if automatic. could be neutral safety system ?????

 

Do you see the charge indicator lamp (battery outline) when you turn on the ignition, before you try to start the car?

If that's on, I agree it's probably the starter solenoid, or the neutral interlock system.

 

Does it just go "TICK"?

If yes then the noise you are hearing is the starter solenoid plunger being pulled down by the magnets. After 100,000 miles, the 3 starter solenoid contacts, (1 at the plungers head, 2 inside solenoid body), begin to wear out and no longer make a good electrical connection. They are just soft copper but are cheap and easy to replace.

 

We checked the starter again and it wasn't starting at all this time. Took it in to get tested and they said it was bad ,bought a new one and it still is not starting :/ Anymore idea's?

we've also cleaned the terminals for the battery ,what do you recommend for the battery cable ,how can i check if its good or bad??

Also tried starting it in neutral with no luck.

Thanks for the help.

 

One thing that happens frequently on these old subarus [and I have/owed 4] is that the power to the starter solenoid is degraded so that the solenoid doesn't quite make.

So, to check this out, connect from the battery directly to the starter solenoid [not the power connection] and see if it starts. You will have to buy a female spade and some wire to do this. If it starts, then the solution is easy. You connect from the normal solenoid wire to a solenoid that you buy from advanced auto. Then you wire from the battery through the solenoid contacts to the starter.

This works because the solenoid doesn't require any amps [ie power] to energize. I have one of my 90's subarus set up this way right now.

 

Since your brother bypassed the fuse with direct wiring, that would be the place to start here. Pop the fuse cover under the hood and check then replace the high amp fuse if needed. Happened to mine once.

 

Alright ,thanks for the advice guys I'm trying everything I can. My brother took a OBD II scanner and 2 codes came up:
EGR valve
Idle control sensor

going to be looking into these also. I've also tried looking it up online and found someone who was having similar problems and the solution was an after market alarm system ,not sure if I even have an alarm system in this car but i guess its worth looking into ,I even heard someone saying it was there radio that they unplugged and plugged it back in and that worked, but I decided to get an electrical tester to ensure the ignition and neutral saftey switch are giving power to the solenoid because something is just telling me it has to do with power to the solenoid. Plus I have new terminals on the way because my old ones are very worn and one is loose with a stripped bolt, maybe one of these things will either work or help me find the solution.

 

here is a page about factory alarms of the period,:

Subaru Keyless Entry, Security Alarm, Immobilizer Key, Remote Start Systems. Most years and models alarm


does yours have a extra speaker or a perch or something for one mounted on the passenger side shock tower? (a sign of a old aftermarket system)

 

Not that I can tell ,it's a bit dark out right now so I'll try looking tomorrow

 

After the long head ache of trying to diagnose this problem ,I finally caved in and took it to a reputable shop. It's been in there exactly one week today ,I took it in last Thursday and they called me friday to tell me that the problem was with a computer in the car (some type of computer for the ignition) that has gone out and I guess Subaru isn't making that part anymore so they've been on the hunt for a used part ever since. Just wanted to share this update as it could maybe help someone else who's been dealing with similar issues.

 

My brother took a wire from the batter to the starter and it started up just fine

Your brother showed you the problem. At that point, you should have checked to see if the wire to the starter solenoid was getting 12 v. Apparently, you just assumed it wasn't. Bad assumption. As I said earlier, it could be getting the voltage but not the power.