Started my car this mourning and took the kids to school.Came home shut it off went inside got ready for work.Came out the car started and then died.I turned it over for a bit and it seemed like it didnt have spark.I came in got on the internet and found this board.I seen where you take the left coil wires off to check the came position sensor.My dad came over and I disconnected  the two spark plug wires and he turned it over and there was spark.So we started looking around for a blown fuse didnt find anything and then I said well I will try it again and the car started.Not sure what it was but its running now.Does any of you know what it might have been?Its got 136000 miles and to my knowledge hasnt had anything done to it.I know its time for the timing belt and stuff to be changed.

The trouble could be due to an intermittent problem with the ignition system. You could keep a can of starting fluid inside the car to have on hand if the problem returns. If spraying a little amount of the fluid (a 1 second shot) into the intake makes no difference in the engine cranking over then the ignition system is suspect.

 

I think the '97 2.5 liter engine is an interference engine and if that is what you have you are living on borrowed time if the timing belt wasn't replaced before now. If it breaks you are in for a pretty big repair bill.

So what you are saying is as soon as possible I should get a repair manual and replace the timing belt and anything else thats in there???

Timing belt broken would yeild no spark condition.

 

If all electronics check OK (fuses, 12v to coil on yellow wire) then I would suspect the T-belt.

Its starting and running fine now.I am not sure what caused it to stall and not start this mourning.

I had an intermittant "crank but won't fire" issue like that on my '99 Legacy GT (engine quite similar to yours) last year.  Then, one day my wife was driving it and she had to have it towed home 30 miles because it cut off while driving and wouldn't restart---no spark.

 

I found that one of the wires had pulled loose from the connector leading to the ignitor assembly (little black module mounted on center of firewall behind the air intake silencer attached to the throttle body)

 

There four or five (can't remember) wires going to the ignitor. The black wire with white hash marks had pulled loose from the hardshell connector that plugs into the ignitor.  The factory had routed the harness so tightly, it probably took years for the wire to pull loose, finally resulting in no spark/no start. Once I forced that wire all the way back into the hardshell connector and plugged it back into the ignitor, the engine started immediately.  I had to reposition the harness to allow a little slack so that wouldn't happen again. That was last April and never a problem since.

 

This may not be the problem with your car,of course, but worth a look......

Edited February 6, 201412 yr by mwatt

One of my 2001 legacy's had the same problem... I put a new Beck Arnley coil pack on it, along with new Beck Arnley wires and NGK plugs since I was under the hood and it took care of the problem...not saying it's the same with yours but could be...and that timing belt definitely needs to be addressed as soon as possible 

1994 legacy SW, 2.2, 150,000 mi.  I got on the board today because I've been having intermittent starting problems for 3 years. It was a couple time a year in the fall at +20. Worse now at below zero temps. Repair shops and dealers can't locate the problem because it starts once they have it in the shop. No codes. I'm pretty sure it is lack of spark. Plugs are wet after a no start. I hate throwing parts at it but I think i'm to that point. The cam sensor, coolant temp sensor, and coil pack have been replaced. The igniter was repalced with a junk yard unit. The crank sensor has not been replaced. Im looking for ideas. I don't trust it to get me home from work anymore.

Wet plugs could mean its flooding and fouling the plugs.

How long since the plugs were replaced and what kind are they? Standard copper NGK work best in these.

 

There was an issue with the early injectors freezing in cold weather. Ice would form on the tips and mess up the spray pattern. They made an updated injector with a different tip design that corrected the problem. Not sure off the top of my head if your year was one of the ones affected by that. Subaru released a TSB for it about 10-12 years ago.

Plugs were replaces more than once. Im not sure what type are in it now. A shop replaced them again after a no starts and flood. I will look for the bulletin. Is voltage increased during starting?