my96brighton Posted February 19, 2010 Share Posted February 19, 2010 I'm new to the forum and hoping to get input from other Subaru owners. My car's been giving me trouble lately, it's a 96 Subaru Legacy Brighton 2.2 liter wagon with 128,000 miles on it. This morning I tried starting the car, and once the engine turned over, there was a noise under the hood while the engine was idling. Hard to describe, but I'd say it sounds like metal clanking or grinding, and there's no pattern or cycle to it. I called the repair shop I take it to, and the guy suggested I try starting it again and if the gauges are all right, to drive it the 2 miles to the shop later today. What could be causing the noise, and will I make it to the shop all right? Here's a summary of other problems I've had in the past year: Feb 09, trouble starting, CEL, replaced cam shaft position sensorJun 09, 120,000 mile serviceDec 09, trouble starting, CEL, replaced crank position sensorJan 10, trouble starting, no CEL, shop can't find cause and says transmission is going bad Some days this winter I've had trouble starting the car -- I turn the key, hear a click but no attempt to turn over, turn the key again and it starts or I'd need a third try. Once it does start, it's a normal start, not a struggle like the battery is weak. On other days, I have no trouble at all. Because of the occasional trouble starting, I took it to the repair shop in January but the car wouldn't misbehave for them in the 5 days they had it, and they never figured out the cause. Could the new noise under the hood this morning be related to the intermittent starting problems? Also, is it common for the transmission on this model to go bad about now? Will it die suddenly, and should I fix it now? What would it cost to replace? I really like this car and intended to keep it another 5 years, but now I'm worried about it. Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guest user Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 Service the trans and nothing else if it has no issues. As for the noise, since there has been some work done in the area of the crankshaft pulley,I suspect from what you said that the crankshaft pulley nut has come loose. No do not drive the car with any strange clanking or clunking. Tell the lazy sob that did the work on it to drive over and have a look. Jeeze,if the lights and gauges work drive it over. You might want to start looking for another mechanic as well. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98LGTLover Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 My96brighton, I understand about your tranny. Mine is going bad too and I'm only at 116K but I have a 2.5 GT. I'm trying to figure out how much it costs to get it rebuilt, if you find out before me let me know please! And the clicking that you were hearing when trying to start the car means something is wrong with the altenator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my96brighton Posted February 20, 2010 Author Share Posted February 20, 2010 guest user from Maui, I've thought about finding a different mechanic, but since there are so few Subarus around where I live, I might not have better luck locally. That's why I came here. I'll suggest the crankshaft pulley nut to them. Other than the transmission and this starting problem, the only other issue I know about is the right front CV boot has a crack in the top that has let out the lube. 98LGTlover, if the alternator has a problem, would it be able to recharge the battery? The battery seems to be fine. I made it to the repair shop yesterday. The noise stopped after I drove only 100 yards, and of course, it won't act up for the repair guys. If I had known this, I would have called them and asked them to drive over to my house, then they could have heard it and it'd be fixed by now. They couldn't ID the problem Friday afternoon, but they did tighten some belts. Since I got it back from the crank shaft position sensor replacement job in December, I have heard a belt squeal when it starts cold. And it's been cold a lot lately. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmb2485 Posted February 20, 2010 Share Posted February 20, 2010 Mine does the same thing where I turn the key and get nothing, then turn it again and it fires right up. I've come to the conclusion that its just the computer not letting the car start because something isn't ready. Recently I've been turning the key to 'on' then waiting until I hear the fuel pump turn off before cranking the motor; its been starting fine by doing this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guest user Posted February 21, 2010 Share Posted February 21, 2010 Hi, A squeal at start up most times is a lose alternator belt. The alternator has a larger load when the engine first starts because its trying to put the power back into the battery that was taken to start the car. Cold temps cause the starter to draw more power from the battery which in turn puts more load on the alternator when the engine starts. If the alternator belt is not tightened to the correct deflection, it will allow the alternator pulley to slip. The sound is the belt having its rubber burnt. Hope this helps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gathermewool Posted February 21, 2010 Share Posted February 21, 2010 Do you hear a squeeling or a whirring noise? When was your last oil change? If it clicks and then finally starts normally, my money is on the starter motor solenoid. The car is started using the battery, not the alternator. '15 FB25 Magnatec 0W-20 + FU filter (70,517 miles) RSB, Fr. Strut Bar, Tint, STI BBS, LED er'where Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
98LGTLover Posted February 21, 2010 Share Posted February 21, 2010 Sorry my96brighton I ment to say starter but instead I said altenator! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my96brighton Posted February 25, 2010 Author Share Posted February 25, 2010 Just a little update. I'm now the proud owner of a new starter, and $468 poorer. At least now it starts without any trouble! I'll probably be back here again sometime with questions about other issues, but for now I'm tired of car problems. Thanks for the help, everybody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenva Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 That "click" you hear is the starter solenoid plunger being drawn by the magnets as you turn the key to crank. (It is a single click is it)? Mine did the same thing, it would eventually catch and crank over. The reason for this is the 2 copper contacts in the solenoid do wear thin after 100k, causing erratic starting. Sorry to hear about the $468 bill. I fixed mine by replacing the solenoid contacts for $10. I posted a "how to" with pics to fix this common reality. REBUILD your starter for 10 bucks. W/PICS RIP 96 Legacy 2.2 4EAT lost reverse @ 374,000 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenva Posted March 24, 2010 Share Posted March 24, 2010 As for your tranny issue I just want to say do not flush the trans fluid hoping to improve any problem on any automatic with that many miles on it. You will be "less than pleased" with the results. RIP 96 Legacy 2.2 4EAT lost reverse @ 374,000 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benders Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 OP, I HIGHLY recommend you read ALL of this thread. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/lazy-transmission-133233.html There is a lot of good things said about a product called TransX that is used for automatic transmissions. I do not have an automatic, so I personally don't know, but from reading that thread, if I had an auto that was acting up, I would try it. Its a hell of a lot cheaper than a new trans! Good luck and let us know what you decide. -Ben Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
my96brighton Posted March 26, 2010 Author Share Posted March 26, 2010 stevenva, yeah, it was a single click, although the longer the problem went on, the less of a click I got to the point where it was pretty quiet. I'd just have to keep turning the key a few times and it would start up. The repair shop told me the solenoid and starter are one unit, does that sound right? I haven't had any starting problems since the replacement. How many miles did your car have on it when you replaced your solenoid contacts? stevenva and benders: my brighton is a manual 5 spd. The guy at the repair shop told me it's probably a bad bearing and probably not urgent that I fix it right away. That'll give me time to recover from the starter bill and go around to other shops to get a good price on fixing the trans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenva Posted March 26, 2010 Share Posted March 26, 2010 my96brighton. I replaced the contacts at 260,000 miles. I highly doubt it was the original. RIP 96 Legacy 2.2 4EAT lost reverse @ 374,000 miles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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