My partner was driving her Legacy down the freeway. She got pissed off by another driver and romped up to 100mph (I already yelled at her for doing this). She said that suddenly the car starting getting jerky and slowing down. She kept trying to accelerate and said that her RPMs read 4000-5000, but she coasted to a stop off the exit. The engine didn’t stop until she shut it off to try to start again, but it wouldn’t turn over and her lights dimmed and died.

I tried to jump her, it would crank then not start. I took the battery and alternator to get tested, the alternator was fine, the battery was completely shot. New battery and the car will crank, maybe catch for a second or two if I romp on the gas, but not fully start. I can hear the fuel pump when I turn the key to the “ON” position and can hear it whenever I press the gas pedal. When cranking I can hear a godawful metal-on-metal chirp coming from somewhere in the engine block. I checked the timing belt. All four visible pulleys are aligned, I haven’t checked under the main cam-shaft pulley yet.

I’m really at my wits end, the little metal shriek/chirp seems to be at a semi-regular interval. I don’t know why the transmission would decouple from the engine midrun, and how that would keep the engine from starting. I hooked up a reader for fault codes... unfortunately it is showing nothing since the battery was dead and I can’t get it running long enough to throw a code.

Cut open the oil filter and check for debris. Probably threw a rod bearing. 

GD

Thanks Disorder. I’ll get it hopefully checked out by tomorrow in the daylight, I’ll post the update for posterity.