Off and on for a little over a year the starter has been making a screeching noise on cold starts, (so my wife says, I've never heard it until just recently).

 

Being a mechanic on boats and lawn and garden equipment for 40 years I could tell instantly that the bendix was not releasing from the flywheel. 

 

Either a faulty ignition switch or a sticky bendix will do this.

 

My question is; Does Subaru have any issues with starters or ignition switches in 2005 on Outback wagons?

my 06 WRX has been doing this for several years - guaranteed to drag under 40* or so, usually won't if temps are over 50-55*F.

 

Subaru went to a mitsubishi planetary starter in 05-06 i think and i have read several similar complaints. Might be a lube problem. I keep thinking I'll pull mine and try to lube the pinion spindle/axle w'ever but - just lazy i guess.

Thanks. I was waiting for a Haynes manual to get delivered tomorrow before I disassembled it. 

 

Did the starters change from a wound armature to a permanent magnet? 

not sure, plus, i suppose it's possible for a Denso starter to hang - maybe if the solenoid contacts 'fuse' to the plunger? Not psitive which starter you have - my 06 WRX is m'ishi.

 

anyway - you can find info, threads, complaints about the issue if you do more general searches - and i think I've seen a youtube video of someone tearing-apart a starter and lubing it.

My 96' Impreza does the exact same thing. A co-worker of mine told me he's dealt with that before, and 90% of the time you need to just take it apart and lube it. 

No problem with my 05 OB BUT spoke to a rebuilder when mine failed last year and after a quick search, he declared that unit not serviceable because of the way it was constructed.

Hope yours is of a different type.

Hook a test light to the start wire on the starter solenoid and make sure it's not staying energized after you release the key. It's probably not, but its a quick easy check to make sure before you replace the starter.

The solenoid on that starter is not serviceable, but you could remove the starter and clean any dust/dirt from the area of the pinion and apply a thin lubricant oil.