Shep2112

I think you're right.. I'd like to find out one day why so many things are listed as working with 95-98, but not 99.. when they DO, because the 99 is pretty much the same as the 97/98 model.. Even my Haynes manual denies my model year's existence..

I got a 96 Legacy grill off eBay and it fit perfectly on my 99 Legacy Outback Limited.. The one difference is the badge is silver, where the Outback's Subaru badge was gold. Not sure if just on the Limited or all the Outbacks.. The little Outback logo just clips on (or off). I was able to move my Outback logo to the regular Legacy easily. On a related note, I'd like to find replacement grill snap-in clips for under the hood somewhere. They tend to get brittle and break over time. -Eric

Hey again, yup I try to get home a few times a year. We were just home for Christmas, so I'm not sure when I'll be home again. Yeah my family is all there, well, except my sister, who's in Mississippi. I drive a 99 Legacy Outback Limited wagon (30th anniversary, but mine didn't come with the sticker on the driver's side behind the front wheel like everyone else's 30th anniversary). It's been a great car for 7 1/2 years.. I've had a few problems here and there, but when it's running right, everything's great

This sounds like a really nice place (and it's MUCH closer to Orlando http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/florida/recreation/index_apa.shtml Will there be an option to move in if we really like it? We're in the market for a house anyway

wow, take a breath between thoughts there that was one of the longest sentences I've ever seen I think yeah, I'm from dalton too I graduated from Wahconah in 93..

Hmm, perhaps it's that, but I'm pretty sure it's from the solenoid. I called a Subie specialist back home and he said he hadn't heard of a sound like that before. He thinks perhaps my LoJack installed alarm ($600!) is causing this problem and thinks I should have it bypassed by someone to see if things are better from that. Another guy suggested today I get the starter rebuilt, said there's a place in town that does rebuilds for like $65.. Does this seem like a viable option? The 2 dealers nearby want $230 and $250 for rebuilt OEM starters. This more than double the prices I found online, but I don't know who I can trust online. The AutoZone Duralast starters have a lifetime warranty I was told, but are these any good? I'd rather not have to USE a warranty.. (insert wallet here)

Okay thanks. I'm gonna pull the assembly out today or tonight if I get a chance, otherwise it will have to wait a few days But does anyone else Subie have a solenoid clicking sound when the key is ON? Mine has done that since I got it new and I don't know if this is normal or not? I believe it's caused by the 5 volts being sent to it, but either way, SHOULD it be doing this? I just want to know if there's something else going on here or if this is a 'feature' Thanks! -Eric

You're from Dalton too? Small world Finally got a bit of snow I heard.. Are you getting the work done at Pete's? They do good work there, but they charge for not doing stuff. I brought my Outback there a couple years ago to have them check something to see if it was under warranty. They told me they had to check out the problem first and then check the listing of what was covered. And charged me $65 because it wasn't covered. They claimed they couldn't check the list without checking the car.. Pretty lame :-\ -Eric

So does anyone else's Subie have a clicking solenoid when the key is set to ON?

I know, just wanna make sure I don't kill any replacement parts. :cool: So where is the 5 volt leak coming from, and does your Outback click when you switch the key to ON? Mine always has, since day 1, and when my engine was rebuilt/replaced/whatever, they didn't fix it. So presumably this is normal behavior.. But the flickering light.. What is that all about? On my trip back to Florida, both times when it didn't start, the AT light was flickering just like this. So I'm fairly certain something is wrong somewhere. But it does spit out 12 volts to the starter even with the flicker.. I'm just trying to be cautious.. What's a decent price for a rebuilt starter/solenoid? Are there any aftermarket units I could get through a chain store that would be reliable? Thanks Eric

Alrighty.. So then would the starter/solenoid be possibly good then? Even though connecting the control cable of it directly to the battery still produces a clicking too? What should I pull out? The transparent topped fuses look good in the fuse holder under the hood. I believe all of the fuses in the fuse panel under the dash are good. I've pulled the cluster a few times to replace the bulbs with others, and then replaced them again with LEDs. I made sure everything snapped in when I reattached it but I can check that again. I didn't retest the battery terminal voltage. It should be close to 12.4 or 12.5 still though. The windows move just fine. I mention this because when I was watching the 5 volts on the starter control wire when the key was ON, it was dropping down by .01 volts roughly every second. Starting around 4.98, I watched it drop to about 4.87 volts. It was a consistent drain. I don't know if it was dropping from the battery, or just draining from something else. Not sure if this indicates anything. Another thing, when I was touching my wire from the starter directly to the battery, there was no spark when I connected it, but there was a sizable spark when I pulled it away from the positive terminal. Maybe an inch across or something. ahhhhhhhh this is no fun..

Yeah I know. This would be so much easier to find someone local and figure this out over a pizza or something.. I attached a video clip of me trying to start it just now. There's really nothing visible under the hood, just the same sound, but louder. You can see the dash lights fairly well in this. In Windows Media Player, pressing Alt-3 will zoom to 200%. You can clearly see the AT Oil Light doesn't flicker before the first start attempt, and then flickers after that. That's gotta indicate *something*.. I can pull the cluster and check the harnesses tomorrow I guess. outback.zip

Exactly. I don't think it's supposed to have 5 volts shooting at it non-stop. Does your car have a clicking sound in the ON position? I never understood it, just assumed it was 'a Subaru thing', though I couldn't think of a reason why anything should be making noise when the fan switch is on '0', etc. Would resetting my CEL several times with the engine running cause any adverse effects? I'm really at a loss for what to do next :-\

Thanks Nipper, My ABS light came on briefly the other night when I was driving on the defective battery to swap it at the store. That was when I hit the brake pedal. So electricity can do weird things, yes. But what should I do about this? If the starter isn't connected and the light comes on, is that indicating my starter is not being 'seen' and it's letting me know, or is there something wrong with something else that I need to check? :-\

I can check with the usual chain parts stores (Autozone, Advance Discount, NAPA, etc) around here. It's not flashing 16 times though, it's flickering continually. And just the AT Oil Temp light is flickering, not the whole dash (I think I may have stated that incorrectly in my original post) Since it doesn't turn, just clicks, when I attach that directly to the battery, I think it's safe to assume the solenoid/starter is bad. The light flickers even when the solenoid is not attached to the key switch. But why is the light flickering? Does it flicker when the solenoid isn't attached/is malfunctioning as a notification? Why is there 5 volts heading to the solenoid whenever the key is in the ON position? Do all Subies click when switched to ON and all of them spit out 5 volts continually into the solenoid? This seems strange to me. I'll check around for rebuilt starter assemblies, but I'm afraid if I don't correct the flickering AT Oil Temp light problem, then when I attach another one, it's going to damage that one too.

Should I buy an entire replacement then? And where should I purchase that? I don't need the car really for the next week, can go longer if necessary. The one local junkyard I found with Subarus has 2 SVX's (one minus an engine, the other is a 6 cyl), and an early 90's Legacy sedan missing the ignition coil, not sure what else. I think I'd prefer to get new parts anyway. The AT Oil Temp flicker has *only* occurred on the 2 times the car wouldn't start (in my original post), and then now, when it won't start. Never during running. The only time that light has come on while running was driving across Pennsylvania 3 years ago in the winter (with snow, so it truely was winter). I don't know how it could have gotten hot when it wasn't really shifting out of 4th (I was on an Interstate). But I pulled over quickly, checked the manual, and sat there for a bit. The light went out and never returned. That was 3 years ago. So I don't think I have a transmission problem, since it hasn't come on with the engine running at all. I just tried to shoot a video clip of it, but the file is huge and I don't have anything to compress it with at the moment. But anyway, it's a steady flicker, not 16 flashes. It's going too fast to count and it doesn't appear to be stopping anytime soon when the key is left on. Only the AT Oil Temp light flickers, the others are all solid. Does this explain anything or just make things more complicated?

Thanks for the info John, I tried your advice and here's what I found out: The AT Oil Temp light doesn't flicker when I first insert the key. But after the first start attempt, it flickers each time it's put in the ON position. This is the light that flickers, not all of them. I get the same clicking when connected directly to the battery as with the normal wiring connection. With the meter connected to the solenoid control wire and battery negative terminal, I get 0 volts key-off, 5 volts key on, and 12.5 volts at start position. I do know that when my key is in the ON position, I hear a clicking sound from under the hood.. I *think* I may have found a connection here.. If the car is sending 5 volts to the solenoid whenever the key is in the on position (and probably while running too?), then the solenoid is ALWAYS running. I've heard this clicking since I bought the car new 7 1/2 years ago, when the key is in the ON position. Is this normal? Maybe the solenoid has gotten worn out from 123,000 miles of clicking? But why oh why is my AT Oil Temp light flickering? It even flickers when this control cable isn't attached. And hopefully an unrelated question here: Is there any danger of screwing up my ECU by resetting my CEL with the engine running with my code reader? I've done it maybe 6 or 8 times over the past year. The CEL's have only been either a misfire on cylinder 4 (since cleared up after replacing wire #4 and plugs 2 & 4 and driving 100 miles or so), or a catalyst below efficiency threshold (from a couple eraser-sized leaks in my exhaust pipe). What's going on here? :-\ The ECU has been reset twice in the past month when the battery was replaced twice.

So... the problem is back, and worse.. I now have a clicking sound coming from I believe the starter. The starter is near the back of the engine on the driver side, right? There's a thick positive cable going to it, but it's really difficult to reach. I had the battery replaced the other night (mentioned in my post above), and the battery is still at 12.3 volts or so. So either the starter (or is it the solenoid?) isn't getting enough voltage, or isn't doing what it should with it. The dashboard light is still flickering when I turn the key forward, even before I attempt to start it. So something isn't quite right somewhere and I think the clicking is the end result of it, not the actual problem. Any thoughts what to check? I don't think I can get a jumper cable down to the thing that's clicking because of it's location. This may be a clue. With the key turned forward, there's roughly 3 volts between this clicking thing and the negative terminal on the battery. There's no continuity between the positive terminal and this thing's positive terminal. Also, the negative connection to the engine next to it is tight (both bolts are tight). Thanks in advance -Eric

I know. christmas at home in the berkshires has been pretty brown lately my starting problem reappeared this morning so later rather than sooner is better for me

the post so nice he made it twice. erm 4 times I'm not sure yet what weekend is good. any snow in that region usually?

Yeah, I don't mind going on a trail as long as it's not climbing over (too many) rocks, logs, etc..Nothing that would prevent me from leaving with the same car I drove there with.

Mine seems to be getting old, if that counts for something? And my sis used to have an 81 GL or DL 2 door in hmm.. 89 maybe? Does that count? I taught myself to drive stick with it cause it idled at 1700, was nearly impossible to stall it, no gas needed to get moving But getting back to the meet, I'd be up for some trail driving.. Haven't gone out in a few years.. I should post some pics of me going through a 100 ft mud pit forward and then backward from when I first got my Outback.. crazy day As long as we don't meet in Lumberton, NC I'll go.. That place HATES my car.. I've had *3* problems in that town now.. Twice resulted in needing a tow to Fayetteville.. Thankfully my car restarted on its own last week there.. That town is cursed!

I guess it depends on if we're meeting in Georgia or what. I think Atlanta is 9 or 10 hours from Orlando.. That's feasible I guess.. I don't know much about Georgia except I-95 and I-10

I'm in Orlando, about 2 1/2-3 hours below the Georgia border. I'd be up for it, if my 99 wants to cooperate :-\

couldn't I just check that with a continuity test? is it possible the alarm is going bad? or the starter cutout circuit has a problem? why would it flicker and then be solid after waiting a while? I will pull the alternator and get it bench tested next week, but this seems more related to the cutoff circuit than anything else, I think?