Speedwagon Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 (edited) 98 Legacy. Occasionally the car will not start. I will get a click, and battery drain, but nothing turns. I good push start and I'm off. It has a newish battery in it. Next time all will be just fine. I'm thinking the starter seems most likely, but I wanted to make sure before buying a new/reman'd one. Edited October 8, 2016 by Speedwagon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 My vote is the starter. I have had what you described, and it is always the starter. Fortunately, it is an ez swap to install a replacement. Most likely the brushes inside the starter are worn down. Some guys rebuild the starter with new brushes, but I have always just replaced the starter A test of the starter that can help, is when the starter clicks, but no start, is to lightly hit the starter with a hammer a few times. This can help worn down brushes make better contact and work, so car starts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 (edited) My vote is the starter. I have had what you described, and it is always the starter. Fortunately, it is an ez swap to install a replacement. Most likely the brushes inside the starter are worn down. Some guys rebuild the starter with new brushes, but I have always just replaced the starter A test of the starter that can help, is when the starter clicks, but no start, is to lightly hit the starter with a hammer a few times. This can help worn down brushes make better contact and work, so car starts. Yup, thanks to board responses in the past, I discovered this short term "fix". Traveled with a 1.5' of copper pipe that would reach down to the starter and a hammer. Wife was at the key as I tapped on the starter. Eventually replaced the starter. Edited October 9, 2016 by brus brother Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 many people rebuild the solenoid - parts are affordable. I've seen kits on ebay and there may be a coupla youtube videos that show how to do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montana tom Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 (edited) The cover plate for the solenoid is held on with 3 screws . Remove the cover pull out the plunger and look inside..., there will be 2 copper contacts that the plunger connects when you energize the solenoid. If the problem is your solenoid then you will see one copper contact on the left is in pretty good shape ... the one on the right will have a plunger size depression worn into it ... this keeps the plunger from sending power to the starter side of the solenoid. Either remove and replace that contact or remove it and use silver solder to build it back up , then use a flat file to smooth it off. I have made the silver solder repair many more times than replacing the contact and I have never had one come back.This style starter solenoid is in subis, , toyotas , Mitsubishi and many more. On a subaru it is very easy to remove the starter. MUCH MUCH cheaper to repair it then replace. Edited October 10, 2016 by montana tom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Speedwagon Posted October 10, 2016 Author Share Posted October 10, 2016 Thanks for the responses! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPX Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 The cover plate for the solenoid is held on with 3 screws . Remove the cover pull out the plunger and look inside..., there will be 2 copper contacts that the plunger connects when you energize the solenoid. If the problem is your solenoid then you will see one copper contact on the left is in pretty good shape ... the one on the right will have a plunger size depression worn into it ... this keeps the plunger from sending power to the starter side of the solenoid. Either remove and replace that contact or remove it and use silver solder to build it back up , then use a flat file to smooth it off. I have made the silver solder repair many more times than replacing the contact and I have never had one come back.This style starter solenoid is in subis, , toyotas , Mitsubishi and many more. On a subaru it is very easy to remove the starter. MUCH MUCH cheaper to repair it then replace. I've changed out the contacts only and got many more years of life out of the existing starter and plunger. This addressed a problem with weak, intermittent click from solenoid when trying to start the car. I've preemptively conducted another contacts change along with a new plunger - still using the same starter motor. Pictures are from 2013 from the plunger and contacts swap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bstone Posted October 13, 2016 Share Posted October 13, 2016 (edited) Where can I find replacement contacts? Are they carried at home depot or similar stores? I'm hoping to find them locally so I can do this repair over the weekend and not wait for shipping. Should I also replace the plunger? If I have to order it can you please suggest a kit? Edited October 13, 2016 by bstone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montana tom Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 no need for a plunger. And no, home depot will not have the copper contacts. If there is a starter / alternator shop in town they may have a set ,or could order what you need, otherwise use solder , i always use silver solder but others have used regular flux solder. Clean it, flux it , melt a layer of solder ... let cool , use flat file to smooth and flatten. Bolt it all back together making sure that you reinstall everything exactly as it was removed.and your good as new. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPX Posted October 14, 2016 Share Posted October 14, 2016 Yeah the plunger usually has plenty of life on it. The alternator shop I bought a set of contacts from simply gave the plunger a quick run over with a light gauge wire brush to freshen it up. I hadn't thought of soldering the contacts! I need to remember that for this as well as other applications next time. I love learning things like this from these forums. There are kits out there - this is one of MANY examples available : Victory Lap Solenoid Repair Kit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bstone Posted October 16, 2016 Share Posted October 16, 2016 (edited) Figured out the problem when I went to Advance Auto Parts to have them check the starting and charging system. Turns out the old battery was starting to go and even with the car off it had nearly a 20A drain. A new battery installed and tested showed far less than 1A drain. I even made sure to run the new battery for a while and then repeat the charging test under identical conditions. So for $71 I have a nice new battery and it works just fine. In the meantime I did clean up a ton of engine grounds and made other connections nice and tight. Edited October 16, 2016 by bstone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forester2002s Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 You say that the old battery had a "20A drain"; and the new battery has "less than 1A drain". How was this 'drain' measured? I ask, because if the 'drain' was a leakage current via the wiring harness and through the car, then that points to a problem on the car itself, and not necessarily a bad battery. The difference before and after might be because of the intermittent nature of your original starting problem. A large leakage drain, such as the 20A you mention, could be the alternator diodes failing, for instance. If however, the 'drain' is a leakage internal to the battery, then I don't know how this is measured. Other than to disconnect the battery, and to monitor the battery voltage across the terminals. Did the store say how they measured the 'drain' on the battery? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bstone Posted October 17, 2016 Share Posted October 17, 2016 You say that the old battery had a "20A drain"; and the new battery has "less than 1A drain". How was this 'drain' measured? I ask, because if the 'drain' was a leakage current via the wiring harness and through the car, then that points to a problem on the car itself, and not necessarily a bad battery. The difference before and after might be because of the intermittent nature of your original starting problem. A large leakage drain, such as the 20A you mention, could be the alternator diodes failing, for instance. If however, the 'drain' is a leakage internal to the battery, then I don't know how this is measured. Other than to disconnect the battery, and to monitor the battery voltage across the terminals. Did the store say how they measured the 'drain' on the battery? They measured it by using their device which examines the electrical system (starter, alternator, battery, etc). I didn't get a look at the device manufacturer, but it connects to + and - on the battery and also has a probe going over the + wire. They had me variously start the ignition, turn on and off the headlights, put a load on the engine, and turn off. It then gave me the print out which I linked above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BB's93LegacyL Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 Here's a link to starter solenoid rebuild kits for OEM Nippon Denso Subaru starters. Once you get the starter out, it's a pretty straightforward procedure to replace contacts and plunger. Watch the videos for the how-to. http://www.nationsautoelectric.com/densoparts.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 I remember there are two starters available by different manufacturers. I remember I had a starter go bad. I bought a reman unit from a parts store. The unit turned out to be from the other manufacturer from what I had. Construction wise, they looked a little different from each other, however, they are interchangeable, so "New" one worked just fine. Never had any trouble with this R & R. You need to find out which manufacturer your starter is from before ordering parts for a rebuild. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveT Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 There is a bunch of information in those printouts, but not know what they are really measuring makes it hard to know what it can mean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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