legacycentral bbs

Okay so I know how this question may seem on the surface, but I have a legitimate reason behind it. If the mods see fit, I understand if this gets locked. I figure the fact that I have a post count already will indicate I am not trying anything shady.

I am going to an auction on Monday to look at a 1995 Impreza, 4-door 5-speed FWD 1.8-liter. This is a towing yard that does towing for the city, and when people don't pay their bill, their cars are sold at auction.

There is no key for the Impreza, but *amazingly*, the battery is still charged. I can tell because the door makes the dinging sound when you open it.

I know mid-90s Civics aren't too difficult to start without a key, something about removing the steering column and then you can turn the ignition fairly easily. I was wondering if the Impreza is something like that. Basically, I just want to do that so I can figure out if the engine runs, and then I will turn it right back off. I am not planning to drive the car for any distance.

Suggestions?

(again, if the moderators deem my post unethical, I understand. I am just trying to buy a car without ending up with a lemon)

if you have the vin you can go to a dealer and get a key cut but im 100% sure they will want to see some ownership.

If you just want to start the engine, you don't need to mess with the ignition switch and steering column, since you don't need to unlock the steering wheel.

What you can do is just unplug the ignition switch and use a jumper to power the ignition circuit and then bump the starter.

This information is correct for first-gen Legacies but looks to also be correct for first-gen Imprezas:

You may have to remove the plastic trim under the dash or under the steering column to expose the ignition switch connector. The big 2x6 connector (though only 4 pins are in there) is the one you care about.

Looking into the connector on the car, the pins are:
You should be able to connect to the pins using 10-gauge wire and regular male 1/4" quick disconnects:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=2062649
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index ... Id=2103311

(Radio Shack is not a cheap place to get this stuff; an auto parts store is better. Radio Shack just has pictures on their web site.)

What I would do is make a little harness with three little pieces of 10-gauge wire all connected together at one end and with the quick disconnects on the other end. Then you can just unplug the car's ignition switch and use your harness to connect BATTERY and IGNITION together. You should see the check engine light come on and stuff. Then, you can quickly (and carefully -- there may be a little current arcing) insert the remaining connector into the START contact and remove it when the engine starts.

If you want to be a little fancier, wire a high-current switch into your harness so you don't have to do that little dance with the START contact.

Be aware, also, that a battery that's strong enough to run the door chime may not be strong enough to start the engine. Are you allowed to bring your own battery?

Hmm, wait, I might have the pins reversed. That diagram might be looking into the ignition switch side of the connector. Oh well -- it should be obvious once you compare the wire colors and which two pins are missing.

Sorry you went to all that trouble with the wiring diagram, I can't bring my own battery I did bring a backpack full of tools once and they told me not to do that anymore. They don't allow jumpboxes either. I figured that if I could get the steering column off and start it with a screwdriver, the screwdrivers are something I can carry in my jeans pocket with no trouble.

If I buy the car, I can either get the locksmith there to cut a key, or else go to the local dealer and have them cut a key for me based on my bill of sale. But that won't really help me figure out whether or not the car runs before i bid on it.

The fact that the battery still has charge is a really good sign. A lot of these cars were non-running when towed, and then they sit in a tow yard for 2 months, and so the battery is almost always dead.

Maybe I can look in the car for a spare key, that would be a start.

One time my dad and I were at this auction and we found a spare key in the glove box of a 1995 Civic. You would have thought we found a bar of gold or something. We hooked up our jumpbox (this was the only time I was able to bring it in), started the car, and then immediately cut it off. We were all sneaky and such, hiding the key again so no one else would find it. Sadly, someone else bid more than me, so it didn't end up working out. Don't worry, I told the new buyer about the spare key. Then the moron started the car up, immediately revving it to the rev limiter and high-fiving his friend. Really smart on a car thqat hasn't been run in probably 2 months.

I think I misread your post... when you say "bump the starter" are you talking about powering it directly, or by reconnecting the ignition circuit as you describe?

If I can do this without needing an external power supply, it will be more feasible. But even still, I don't really feel comfortable disconnecting wires from the ignition if they will not go right back into the connector (without tools). It's likely that someone else will buy the car besides me, so I don't wan't to screw up the ignition on someone else's car.

Squirrel wrote:If I buy the car, I can either get the locksmith there to cut a key, or else go to the local dealer and have them cut a key for me based on my bill of sale. But that won't really help me figure out whether or not the car runs before i bid on it.

I understand it doesn't help you now, but for the future... I just got a key cut from the VIN for my 94 SS and only cost $8. Will also be needing to get a new lock cylinder (which is ~$30) and have a locksmith rekey that too.

Yeah I really wish i could get a key cut at the dealership before the auction. I know there are good reasons to not cut the key for me, but at least this way the new owner (whether it's me or someone else) could have a key for the car when they buy it.

I wonder if i could have the GM of the tow yard (he is a friend of mine, the reason I got connected with this auction the first place) call the dealership and authorize that a key be cut and picked up by me. Then i could pay the $8-$10 for the key, and everybody wins. The tow yard would have to prove their legal right to obtain a key, though.

By "bump the starter" I meant the action of sticking that contact into the connector and then removing it.

If the battery's strong enough to start the engine, you wouldn't need another battery anyway.

You don't need any tools to do what I'm describing and you're not removing wires from any connectors.

You unplug the connector by hand, stick one contact in by hand, check that the CEL comes on, then stick the other contact in momentarily and the engine starts. Then, you pull your two contacts out and the engine shuts off. Then you plug the connector back together.

But, you wouldn't be able to do it without anybody noticing, since you'd need to stick your head up under the dash and maybe remove a trim panel or two. So if this is something they don't want you to do, you probably can't do it.

If you want to make it as simple as possible, go to a junkyard and buy an ignition switch with a key. Then all you have to do is unplug the car's ignition switch, plug your own in, and start the car with your own key. I believe you can use a switch from any 90-94 Legacy or 93-96 Impreza.

If you do try to get a key made, remember that some dealerships are more stringent than others with respect to the amount of proof they require. You might find a friendly one that would accept just a phone call from the yard.

Ahhhhhhhhh okay I totally understand what you are saying now. At first I thought you meant to remove the wires from the connectors... anyways, I get it now. That doesn't sound too hard.

If I get there early (an hour before the auction) and go to this car right away, I may be able to jump it without anyone noticing. Then I can just put the console back together and no one will be any the wiser. They are more restrictive about bringing in jump boxes and equipment, but they won't notice if I am in the car and fiddling under the dash.

Anyone know what kind of screws/bolts I can expect to remove the lower dash or steering column trim? Small phillips-head, etc?

Just phillips heads down there. 8 or 10mm bolts are also a slim possibility.

ericem wrote:if you have the vin you can go to a dealer and get a key cut but im 100% sure they will want to see some ownership.

You may be able to do that. You may not. I was told I could do that so I brought my title in and they said they don't do that. I think they said it was too old. But I think they will give you the code you need to bring to a locksmith and have them cut you a key.

Yeah I didn't bother with trying to have a key made. I will try jumping the ignition as described above, and get back to you guys.

Okay this is what I made:



Now that i have reread your posts, it looks like I have one more wire than necessary. I am plugging the "harness" end into BATTERY, then one of the single connectors to IGNITION, then another single connector to START, and the starter should fire up.

I thought I needed a connector for ACCESSORY

BTW, those three wires are soldered together under the electrical tape. Not my best wiring job, but whatever.

Yup, that should be okay. Just be very careful not to let any of the contacts touch any bare metal on the car -- it'll short circuit!

You don't need the accessory wire to start the car.

The safest way to do this -- in terms of avoiding shorting anything out -- would be to remove the extra wire and cover one of the other quick-disconnects with a little bit of electrical tape. So, you have two bare contacts and one covered one.

So, you plug one bare contact into the IGNITION pin. Then the other bare contact goes into BATTERY. The car turns on. Then you carefully remove the tape from the remaining contact, stick it in START to start the engine, then remove it and tape it back up.

But if you're careful you'll be fine with what you have.

We used to do the same thing with boats (disorganization and absent-minded customers=MIA keys), except we used a push button momentary switch for the starter and everything was alligator clips.