fcoben

Hi everyone, I've got two questions for you. First, I'm replacing the starter on my 2001 outback. It's a 2.5L engine, if that makes a difference. I've been having trouble starting for a while(sometimes on the first cold start of the day, but not always)- a single click and then nothing for several tries, then it starts like nothing was wrong and runs fine. Battery was replaced within the last two years. It's not the battery. Headlights, radio, heat/ac, dashboard light- everything electrical turns on just fine. It finally has refused to start at all, and makes a noise exactly like a household vacuum when it tries to start. (whuuuuurrrrr whuuuuurrrr) I'm guessing this means that it's past the point of just replacing the contacts and needs a whole new starter because the starter motor is done for. (because of the vacuum sound, right? I'm new to this but that's what my forum scrolling has indicated.) So! I need a new starter. Recommendations for brands/suppliers? I can't seem to tell which is the OEM, and 1stsubaruparts.com surprisingly wants a lot more for theirs than places like auto parts warehouse's remanufactured ones. 2nd question! I went on a 10-hour drive over the holidays, and on an uphill mountain pass the engine started blowing smoke/steam (it was pretty white, but still smelled smoky so I'm not sure which it was) from the back of the engine, slightly to the driver's side, and we discovered the coolant was basically empty, so we refilled it and it ran more smoothly, but last week it was empty again. I assume this means there's a leak. Advice on locating the leak? Or does this sound like there could be something else going on entirely that I haven't thought of? I just replaced the spark plugs and valve cover gaskets. It's been one thing after another lately at the 100,000 mile mark. I don't think it's a head gasket issue, though. thanks so much for your help. I'm very much a beginner at doing my own work on my car, so feel free to be really specific for the benefit of a newcomer!