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Yeah I'm hoping it was just a stall. I'm really fairly certain it didn't stall because I was able to go another block before pulling over in a safe spot and my car doesn't roll well at low speeds... Well thanks everyone for the terrific insights, I'll be watching carefully for it to happen again. It needs a new TB soon so I'll probably replace the crank pulley then too. I'll def check with that white line idea to see if it is failing. I thought these older 2.2 L's were just a crank pulley, is it actually a harmonic balancer? As for the 08, I'm gonna assume that one was just a stall, I've just never seen a Subaru stall from a rough idle with the clutch in... but first time for everything I suppose

Well good thing I've got my eye on an 02 Outback, a warn keyway is a deal-breaker with this old girl... Well thank you so much for the insight on the pulley (or balancer, not sure) I'll look into checking and possibly replacing it if that outback doesn't work out.

It wobbles a bit actually, I really didn't think it was important as long as belts weren't being worn. Well that's interesting information, I'll look into replacing it soon. Are there any other effects a bad crank pulley could cause like shaky acceleration?

Hmm could be a battery cable issue, I'm looking into replacing that now but if it's a rare problem I may never know if that fixes it. I always figured it was all or nothing with a cable clamp, like as long as it isn't loose it should be ok. And is the crank pulley covered in rubber? I always thought it was straight metal, but that might explain why it was power steering, ac, and possibly an alternator issue all at once. The belts were definitely within spec for tension and in good condition.

Hmm interesting theory, but I'm not sure about the clutch. I mean, the engine didn't stall and the check engine did come on until i shut the car off and restarted it. My dad's theory was that the alternator might have temporarily malfunctioned, but I'm thinking it could be due to the poor idle. Does anyone know if idle drops dangerously low it could cut power to accessories like power steering? It's a stretch but this is so strange.

Nope, maybe 4 keys and a bullet casing...I did just take apart the dash, could that be related? Also, the car never actually died, I shut it off after the power steering failed.

My 93 Legacy is non-interference, so it's good if you don't feel up to a timing belt right away. Mine just hit 200k and I love the way it's always started up and driven pretty reliable with such little work. Parts are cheap and work is definitely easy to learn. The Haynes manual covers this car pretty well actually, so I would start there if you are interested. Rain, sand, snow....it just loves any surface and being low to the ground can be so much fun for tight cornering. I highly recommend a fresh set of struts, especially given the age.

Hey everyone! New to the forums but I thought I would start out with a great mystery for everyone that I still can't seem to figure out I have a 93 Legacy L, just a hair over 200K and just did an oil change and a battery pull roughly 30 miles before this incident. I'm driving about 4 miles, cold car, doing a little under 30mph. My AC is on but engine temp is low and no cel or anything. I slow to turn and clutch in to shift into second, when I suddenly lose power steering part way through the turn! I safely pull over and notice CEL, Battery, and maybe one other light (Oil?), I really can't remember because I shut it off so quickly. I stood there for 20 minutes just inspecting the engine trying to figure out what could possibly cause all those symptoms. Turned the AC off and it started up like nothing had happened and drove the 1/2 mile home. The idle was erratically low but it has been all week because of the battery negative pull. The car is also showing no data for the check engine either. Now I know my negative terminal clamp needs to be replaced, but if it fell off it would be totally dead and not partial. All fluids were normal, no power steering leaks, and the belts were perfectly fine (no burnt smell either indicating seized AC compressor). I've heard suggestions of an alternator, but the alternator is somewhat new and tests fine for voltage. I really have no other problems with this car besides a chattery clutch when cold So here's where it gets weird...This was my dad's car previously (Bought New), and he said it's done this once or twice randomly before with the exact same symptoms and no lasting effects or symptoms. Now he also owns an 08 Outback that he claims has done this once before too, which adds to my utter bafflement. Now take his claims with a grain of salt; I wasn't there and it they could have been different enough to just be another matter entirely, but still odd nonetheless. I've been over this a thousand times and I just can't make heads or tails...If anybody has any insight it would be greatly appreciated! Hopefully I didn't break any rules already by making such a huge wall of text, but thank you all for reading/submitting, and I look forward to posting some of my own responses around here in the future!