Subaru - Outback :: Occasionally Car Will Sound Like Going To Start For A Second And Then Go Dead
Aug 24, 2012
I have a 1998 Subaru Legacy Outback that has been having a sporadic starting problem for almost two years. Occasionally and mostly when it's cold, but not always, the car will sound like it's going to start for a second and then go dead. I will have to turn the key over and over, sometimes many times until it "catches". And so far it's always started, eventually. I have a new alternator and battery, the belts are newer, a rebuilt engine with about 50,000 miles and have had the starter and relay system checked, which was okay. My mechanic, who's been working on Subarus for years, is stumped. He says to wait until it happens again and have it towed in so he can look at the car while it's acting up.
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Intermittent problem: put car in park and key will turn to off position but not "lock" and therefore cannot be removed. Subaru specialist could not replicate problem, Theories include need a new factory cut key, dirty console, cylinder/steering column tumbler, solenoid, switch , but we think it is some connection between the shifting into Park. Speedometer was replaced about 2 years ago--possibly jumbled something ??
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My Subaru 2000 Outback is dying occasionally when I come to a stop. It will stutter and die. I can restart it and everything is fine. It does not happen everytime, but happens more when I come to stop quickly, less when I come to a gradual stop. What is this?
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My 2016 Outback, 10K miles, occasionally does a weird thing. The dealer is far from us, so I'm putting off taking it in, especially since they will be unable to reproduce this. Every now and then when I try to start it, it does not crank. The dash lights all come on, and dim when I turn it to the start position. But instead of cranking, it just does a soft stuttering click, exactly as if the battery were nearly dead. But if I try a few times, suddenly it cranks perfectly and starts right up.
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I believe that I have a leaking CV joint boot in my 2006 Outback. Occasionally smell something burning. Lifted hood and had some smoke. Saw leak and a friend stuck a finger into a hole in the boot.
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I have a 2001 Subaru outback. Recently I've noticed a rattle when I accelerate, especially when I take off from a dead stop. I sounds like it's coming from the front wheel area. It also occurs sometimes when making a turn and then accelerate. It almost sounds like an object in a box and someone is shaking the box-very noticeable.
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All of the sudden the remote to my 2009 Subaru Outback stopped working. The car doesn't respond at all. I mentioned this when I had the car in for service and they tested my remote. They detected a signal that it was sending out so that means something is wrong on the car side and the remote appears to be functioning fine. Unfortunately I only have 1 remote (bought the car used). I didn't have them look any further into it because they admitted that they had no idea what the problem could be and it would take time to investigate. What the problem could be?
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My 1999 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport recently got new tires. After, I really started to notice clunking noises when accelerating, but they would stop when the brakes were pressed. It is sometimes loud, other times it may be harder to hear. My dad says the car has been doing it for a while now. When I first got the car in 2011, I remember the car would creak repeatedly when slowing down, but it had to be the right circumstances for the vehicle to be noisy when coming to a stop. Now it does the clunking noise (gets faster as the car goes faster) only when accelerating, does not creak or make noise when turning.
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This is a question about a Subaru Outback, but probably pertains to many other cars as well. I have a 2006 Subaru Outback with 112K miles. I bought new tires for it in May 2012, and in September 2013 I started to notice a low humming/buzzing sound while driving. I looked online and came up with 2 options - either the wheel bearings or the tires. Because the sound changed pitch depending on the road surface, I thought it must be the tires. I took it in for an oil change and had the mechanics check the bearings. They said the bearings were fine, but the tires were cupping and feathering badly because I hadn't rotated them, and that was the source of the noise.
I had them rotate the tires and do an alignment and went on my way. The sound slowly got worse - it peaks at ~65 MPH and then changes pitch above 70 MPH and is not so bothersome - and I started to lose gas mileage ( 4-5 MPG). On Dec. 30, 2013 I took it in for the next oil change and bought brand new tires - Bridgestone Turanza Serenity designed for quietness - and had them do an alignment, and drove away only to find that the noise is still there and I still have lousy gas mileage.
My next thoughts were the transmission or the catalytic converter, but since the noise doesn't change when I take my foot off the gas or put it in neutral I don't think it is either one of those. The alignment showed that the Caster on both front tires is off, but since both tires are off by roughly equal amounts I was told that this is not something to worry about. I do occasionally notice some vibration while driving or while idling, but it is intermittent and I don't think it has anything to do with the noise.
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I have a 2004 outback with just over 100k miles on it. It has been making a loud vibrating sound lately. It makes the sound when idling and even louder when I step on the gas, but at highway speeds the sound disappears. I do not actually FEEL a vibration, it just sounds as though something is vibrating/rattling. We had a mechanic check it out and they thought it was an exhaust issue. Apparently not, because the sound is still there.
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My 2004 Outback Wagon started making a loud whining sound the other day - but only in reverse. I've been told that it's the brakes.
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I just took my 2002 Subaru into the dealer to have them fix a fuel line leak that I was hoping was on recall (it wasn't). I don't take my car to them regularly but they had to be the ones to diagnose it in case it was a recalled part. They called today and said that the fuel line was leaking onto my engine, that there was no recall, and that because they heard a ticking sound coming from my engine they were predicting my cam bearing was giving out and it would be $3000 to fix it. I asked how they diagnosed it and they said they have a guy there who knows the sound well and can hear it and predict it accurately, but they didn't actually take the engine apart or anything to check.
I'm feeling a bit confused. I will have my mechanic look at it and ask him what he thinks but he did my brakes not too long ago and did not mention any concern about the clicking. I change my oil like a responsible car owner and take care of it, but it does have 200,000 miles on it. I need to drive a long distance in a couple of weeks and am wondering if my engine is about to give out....
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2006 Subaru Outback. It has around 121000. I bought it at 113,000 last October since my previous 1998 Subaru made it to 240,000. So far I've taken it in for all new wiring and a tune up. And I was assured by the car salesman that the timing belt had been changed prior to my purchase. Anyway, since August I've had a rattly/whirring sound that I am experiencing over 15 mph. It seems to be coming from the back of my vehicle. It sounded like I had a hole in the muffler because it was reminiscent of when I lost my muffler on the highway with my 1998 subaru a few years ago, but this sound is definitely not as loud. The sound does increase in volume at high speeds on the highway but has so far not been as loud as my previous experience. (and the muffler is still there when i look under the car)
When I took my car in to get the oil changed a couple months ago, I asked the mechanic to check and see if he saw anything while under there. They told me it was my heat shield.
Recently the noise started being a little bit louder on the highway so I thought maybe it was my tires since they were very due to be replaced. I bought new tires within the last few weeks and there has been no change with the whirring sound on the highway. Yesterday, I noticed a light thunking sound that started happening between the speeds 10-40mph. It seems to be in the front of my car and occurring with the rotation of my wheels. There are no sounds when Idle.
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When I start my Subaru 2001 Outback, it makes an awful sound. Not as much as a screech, but more like a loud grinding, and then it wanes and goes away after about a minute. Then when the car is warm, the sound is all about gone. It's been going on for a few weeks now and wasn't there before.
Listen to the audio file below.
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2007 Subaru Outback, 110 K mile sI drive 200 miles each way, once a week to DC on Sunday and back home to the mountains of Western MD on Friday. All problems happen on that long drive, not on local trips. Only happens when I'm driving in the mountains.
Symptoms: Sometimes overheats (needle gets close to red area, but not quite into it). I pull off and stop the engine for 5 minutes, start the engine, and needle goes to normal area. This happens only after driving about 2 hours. Continue the trip without problem. Never had to stop more than once.
A/C sometimes doesn't cool. Harder to tell now that it's cooler outside, but it put out only warm air one day two weeks ago. The next morning, it worked fine. Heat does not work very well. Set at max (85), the air coming out is barely warm. Also, the passenger side is colder than the driver (dual controls, both set at 85).
May not be related, but I can hear a sound like water gurgling when the engine is running. It's very soft and seems to be inside the dashboard behind the steering wheel. There are no apparent leaks anywhere. Seems to only do it when I am pressing on the accelerator.
My mechanic checked the A/C gas, flushed and filled the cooling system, looked at the temp sensor inside the car, and doesn't know what to try next. Could this be a computer problem, or is it mechanical?
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I have a 2005 Subaru Outback. I will be driving and lose all power to the car and it dies. I will try to restart the car and all the battery power will be on (lights, radio, power windows, etc.) however there is no sound when trying to crank the key. If I wait a little while or push the car, it will start back up with the check engine light on and cruise light blinking. I can drive it a block or so with decreased acceleration and it will die again. Brought it to my local shop and they could not recreate the issue (sat overnight). They cleaned the battery terminals and cleaned the throttle body. I drove it for about 3 weeks with no issues and the same exact thing happened again.
The shop told me the codes they got from the check engine were all communication codes (??). The only thing know about the two days the car broke down 3 weeks apart is I filled up the tank with gas on those days (but that doesnt seem like it would matter).
After sitting for an hour waiting for the tow truck. The car started up and he was able to drive it off the truck with no issue. I am totally lost here.
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I have a 2010 Subaru Outback that is making a sound that sounds like glass bottles clinking. It occurs when accelerating around 20mph and/or around 40 mph. Can really hear it when there is a load like going up a hill at these slow spends. Dealership did a lot of flushing and lubricating and new filters etc, but that wasn't it. Also replaced my heat shield (yikes$) but that wasn't it. Then they had me run a tank of 93 octane and they didn't fix, so put in a bottle of engine cleaner and it didn't work either.
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While driving my daughter home from daycare yesterday I went over a speed bump in the park and immediately noticed a dragging feeling / sound.
After some inspection, I determined that either my spring broke or the spring broke free from its mount on the strut and was now rubbing the back of my tire.
Anyway, I've heard of the springs breaking on these cars, and I need new struts anyway, and it's older to begin with, so I set about ordering a complete strut / spring replacement for the front.
On 1aauto I found this set, part number 1ASSP00874. They seem dodgy about whether this part is intended for the Outback as well as the Legacy. I can find sites that sell parts that claim to fit one or the other or both. In this case they seem to claim both.
I know the Outback trim was slightly raised from the regular Legacy, but I can't find any other parts.
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I have a 2002 Subaru Outback with 5 speed tranny, when I go to get moving the car bounces kinda like the clutch is getting disengaged too fast but it usually gets going just fine, this doesn't happen as bad when I accelerate slowly, when I disengage the clutch and get going it kinda lurches a few times. No matter the combo of clutch and gas I can't seem to get it to stop. This happens when I start in 1st and second gear, and a lot of the time if I accelerate quickly it will smell like burning rubber.
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2000 Subaru Legacy Outback (or is it Outback Legacy.....I've never known)165000 milesWhite
I have this chronic and intermittent problem with my Subaru. It's been going on for years. I had it to the dealership a few time as well as other mechanics, but of course, it never misbehaves then.
Here's the problem. The car always will start when cold. Occasionally when you go somewhere, primarily short errands etc. the first stop is no problem but when you stop at the next place and come back a short while later (5-15 minutes) it will not start. It does not make a sound. Lights work. The battery is just fine. Stopping on long trips is especially problematic.
At first, it would cure itself after opening the hood, scratching your head, etc. and closing the hood. Or maybe it was slamming the door but you could depend on it starting after some hocus pocus like that. Now it seems to be getting worse. However, there is one thing that so far never fails.... you can jump it and it will fire right up. Remember, the battery is not low, but jumping works.
Actually, the battery is just about a year old. One time it died and when I couldn't get it to start after a long time I thought it was finally my chance to get a mechanic to trouble shoot it. So after towing and about $300 between troubleshooting fees and the diagnosis that the battery was shot, they were confident they had solved the problem. No such luck
I can say confidently that the battery terminal connections are clean and tight. I've checked the wire and mount on the starter too.
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Two different Subaru dealership repair shops told me that i have loose rear wheel bearings on my 2003 Outback. My car does sound like a VERY loud airplane all the time now, but the noise is the only symptom i have noticed. My shop has told me that they will fix it for a discounted price, but they are not pushing me to get it fixed, and have told me that it shouldn't cause any actual problems besides the loud noise being very annoying. All internet research to the contrary, though. I have to drive about 1000 miles round trip next month -- is it just going to be a noisy trip, or is something horrible going to happen if i don't get the bearings taken care of?
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