97gter

Thank you, folks! I had the starter replaced at the Subaru dealer in Frankfurt, Germany. They surprisingly had an OE one in stock - the high number of US servicemembers in Germany means a certain number of US models are driving around. Was it $1000 installed, yes. In any case, it (knocks on wood) starts right up now with no issue. I also followed you all's advice on the grounds - they were all quite clean and in-place. We are shipping the car back to the US by sea quite soon, so she is on to her next adventure!

Hello fellow GTers - I have a nagging start problem with my 1997 Legacy GT 2.5 wagon (174k miles), AT. Sometimes it doesn't want to start - all the lights, blower, etc. come on strong, but no ignition. I can hear the clunk of starter. Usually, taking the key in and out of the ignition, jiggling it, and praying eventually works. The ignition switch and its wiring are original. It happens more often with a key copy versus the original. Here's some pieces of the puzzle to chew on: The good: It recently had a full head gasket replacement by a Subaru specialist along with the radiator, all hoses, fluids, and throttle position sensor. All parts are OEM. The crank position sensor is also new within the past year due to a code being thrown. There are no other obvious electrical gremlins, the battery is new and cables are clean. The starter bench tested good. It appears to be original to the car, however. The bad: This start problem previously was worse and also was accompanied by an electrical burning smell from the engine bay, leading to the crank position sensor being replaced along with the alternator and related belts. That seemed to have solved it along with the head gasket job, but it has returned. Errata: Extensive googling revealed Subaru maybe made running changes in 1997 and my car may have some sort of interlock or immobilizer from the factory. The original owner bought an anti-theft alarm from the dealer, which is accompanied by the yellow alarm system warning sticker under the hood. At some point more than 15 years ago he had it removed. Trying to start the car in neutral doesn't help the problem. The local Subaru specialist (who is a masochist - he only does old Subarus and British cars) basically said he isn't sure where to find the problem as everything tests out. Temperature does not seem to affect the issue. This person's question seems similar: https://www.subaruoutback.org/threads/intermittent-starting-problem.116314/ Thoughts? Thank you in advance!

Awww, thank you! I actually ordered the TPS and radiator from All Wheel Drive Auto in Seattle. As the work I've had done on the car here is done by Subaru of Switzerland, parts have to be OEM for warranties to apply. Pretty much anything that gets done here on a vehcile, if from an authorized shop, gets a 2 year warranty by law. Costs more to an extent, but generally means it will be done correctly. Also the shop I go to only does Subarus and old British vehicles, so you know they are masochists!

Hello All, I have a 97 Legacy Wagon GT 2.5 4EAT and I am currently living in Switzerland. It is a US-spec car and I bought it from a friend (the original owner) a few years ago. It has been meticulously maintained and has about 171k miles. It had been having the sort of usual older car gremlins, so I thought, intermittent start issues, alternators/batteries going bad with electrical issue, and some weird idle behavior. Nevertheless, it ran strongly and was seemingly happy on the Autobahn and in the Alps. However, a few months ago at high altitude it overheated suddenly and rolled to a stop, with steam coming out of the engine compartment. After letting it cool down, I noted the radiator and coolant overflow bottle appeared empty, with coolant sprayed all over the bottom of the radiator and undercarriage. Oil levels looked normal. It has never leaked before and hoses were in good shape, etc., although the radiator is original. So, I tightened the hoses and replaced the coolant, hoping it would be able to limp home with the heat up. Unfortunately, the heat wouldn't come on at all and the car overheated after about 1 mile of driving. It had dumped the replacement coolant as well. I had her towed to my preferred Subaru authorized shop, and they diagnosed a radiator defect, which they plugged, and replaced the thermostat. Unfortunately, the fix lasted only a few days and it overheated again, dumping the coolant a third time. Whomps! This time, a compression test and removal of the gasket cover revealed a toasted gasket. The gen II GT was not sold in Switzerland and it took three months to source the correct engine internals - I think some of them came from a donor car as head machining is not available in Switzerland, due to cost. All hoses and the water pump were replaced. I tried to source a rebuilt engine from the US, but I was told that running changes made in 1997 made finding a matching DOHC center long block donor slim. However, she is back on the road and mostly happy, and pulls more strongly than before. I am awaiting a new radiator from the US as the US-spec radiators are larger (thank you AWD Auto!) and the only one I could find in Europe was $6000 for some reason. According to the mechanic, it is alright for now, but the plastic connectors at each end are starting to give up the ghost. I also need to replace the throttle position sensor as it does not seem to like the changed engine - they too were not available in Switzerland. Anywhoo, probably all of the gremlins it had were due to a failing head gasket, in hindsight. It's lack of leaks and no prior overheating just didn't lead me to that conclusion. I guess it isn't bad that it made it so many miles and 25 years on the original! A photo of the engine bay post-fix is attached!

My 1997 Legacy GT wagon - still chugging along in Switzerland (it is a US model purchased in Virginia); in the family since new! She has about 170k miles.

All good suggestions, guys! So we've been driving it in the mountains to go hiking (which requires some highway driving between 70-80mph) and of course, now it is not making the sound. Twisty narrow roads and slaloming do not seem to elicit the noise. I will keep monitoring as I have no doubt it will return.

Thank you for the reply! I'm actually American - just working in Switzerland and have our car with us. I can walk to work so we only use it for errands and excursions. So it is closest to a whine, although at times I suppose it can be a whir or squeaking. I think it is from the front of the car, although at times I am not certain. When slowing to 10-15mph it winds-down (ha!), and is loudest at around 20-25mph. At highway speed it sounds like a distant whine, but doesn't change sound, for example, if I accelerate from 50 to 70mph. If I drive down a narrow street with cars parked on both sides and the windows down, it is rather loud in echo. I guess it could be one of the belt pulleys? There is no visible wear on the belts themselves. The timing belt was replaced in 2012, but it has been driven maybe only 30k miles since then. It has 168k and is bone stock except for the alarm is disabled and it has NGK plugs/wiring. It doesn't really have any creaks/groans otherwise so any new thing is very noticeable. Naturally, sometimes it doesn't do it at all. It for sure is not doing it at idle, no matter how much I rev the engine and if I pop the hood while it is idling, nothing sounds or looks amiss.

Hey there, I have a 97 2.5 GT wagon and there is a distant intermittent whine, usually only after periods of highway driving (the speed limit here in Switzerland is about 76mph), but once it starts it doesn't end until the car cools off. It always stops below 10-15mph and is never present at idle and does not seem related to RPMs (revving the engine does not elicit it). It doesn't stop all at once, as the car slows it slowly stops like if one turned off a creaking/whining fan. My best guess is the radiator fan as the whine is "distant" in the passenger cabin, but as I understand it, it doesn't come on unless the coolant reaches a certain temperature? The temp gauge is normal (around 25-40%) and the coolant was replaced a few months ago. The alternator was just replaced and the belt is about a year old so I don't think it is that? Turning on the AC and turning up the HVAC fan does not affect the issue. Annoyingly, I lent my code reader to a friend and I cannot retrieve it until the COVID-19 restrictions are over. There are no CELs and everything else seems normal. I live in Switzerland (it is a US-model car) and a lot of our driving is going to/from high altitude. Any thoughts?

3rd Update: Fixed! A second new battery died and intermittent start problems returned. A fourth trip to the local mechanic revealed the replaced wiring was starting to burn through. He replaced the "new" alternator and all the issues appear to have disappeared. Switzerland does not have any consumer protection laws per se, so I am working through the warranty process on the batteries and alternator - I am 50/50 on that being a success. Any, thank you folks!

2nd Update: Everything checked out on the multimeter, and of course the car started immediately when the tow truck showed up! I don't speak the local dialect of German here well so I am not 100% sure I understand the mechanic (authorized Subaru of Switzerland shop) perfectly, but after a long search he found what I understood to be a burned-through cable in the charging system. He is currently replacing the cable and trying to trace the reason why. It has never had electrical issues before and is well-maintained, so I am hoping he finds the source relatively easily! On the above timing-belt question - everything appears in order. Thanks all!

Update: The "issue" has likely identified itself. The burning electrical smell inside the passenger compartment had largely gone away despite driving it for a few weeks for several hours each week, and I could smell it if I opened the hood. However, now the car won't start. The lights all come on brightly and I hear clicking and what I think is the fuel pump spool up, but no crank/turnover. I need to buy a multimeter to check fuses, but at first blush are there usual suspects I can take a look at? I am thinking starter motor or solenoid? Separate funny story - I bought some coolant at the local Subaru dealer in Bern and they said I was literally the first person who had ever done so and it took 30 minutes to figure out how to actually sell it to me.

Thank you very much! I got an electrically-rated fire extinguisher (all I could find was one rated to 1000 volts). I drove the car around for about 45 minutes today in a mix of stop and go and highway driving doing errands and except for two brief moments, did not smell anything inside the cabin. However, the smell was mildly evident in the engine bay. I sniffed the front brakes and didn't smell anything nor were they unusually warm. I'll take a look at the timing belt bearing tomorrow; the timing belt and bearing were replaced in 2012. To be continued!

Hello gang, I have a '97 GT 2.5 wagon (automatic), that has been running swimmingly but suddenly has been producing a strong seemingly electrical burning smell. I can smell it inside the cabin and in the engine compartment, and it appears more often at idle or low speed and engine temperature doesn't seem to matter. It is not constant, and sometimes goes away. I had it 'round the local Subaru shop specializing in old timers, who took a quick run-through and couldn't find anything amiss other than the smell. The alternator, its belt, and battery were replaced in the spring and the mechanic said they test out normally on a voltmeter. It has no visible leaks nor is anything visibly amiss with the fuses, electrically powered items, etc. The brakes are fine and it isn't the tires rubbing on something. Engine temps are normal, it idles fine, and the radiator fans work as they should. I suppose it could be burning plastic on something. I could swear the smell is strongest around the alternator, but other times I change my mind and can't tell where it is coming from or think it is coming from under or inside the dashboard. The wiring coming from the alternator and the rubber cap are normal. The mechanic suggested continuing to drive it for a month or so and see if it goes away, especially as I haven't driven it on the highway since the smell started. The car is stock aside from the alarm having been disabled about 15 years ago and essentially any work done on it has been by Subaru mechanics so it has been well cared for. Any ideas of where to look for such an issue? Obviously I don't want to be stranded somewhere or deal with an electrical fire, so maybe I should take the advice and just see if a weird smell on an old car just goes away? Thanks!