hello does anyone have advice on changing the starter on a 99 legacy wagon 2.2...easy to get to ? any advice on where to get a good price on a starter? or should i have a local shop do a rebuild? it starts the car 8-9 times out of 10, but is getting worse as the weeks go by..any help is greatly appreciated ...

Easy as pie. Follow the pos cable from the battery back to the d. side firewall tranny area. 2 or 3 bolts and your there. Unhook the battery cable first though. Probably just needs new brushes. About $20 from subaru and you should be able to do it yourself in about an hour.

Probably need new solenoid contacts. Do a search with those words and you'll find tons of useful info. Easy to replace with the proper instructions and cheap.

thanks so much...i was thinking it was brushes, contacts since it''s been erratic every so often. anyone have a reliable website for parts?

thanks so much...i was thinking it was brushes, contacts since it''s been erratic every so often. anyone have a reliable website for parts?

As far as the starter's solenoid is concerned you only need a couple of L shaped copper contacts. YOur surrest bet would be to go to a starter rebuilder place and buy them there. That's what I did here in MOntreal. Tou shoudl get them for a few dollars.

 

I hold the opinion that it's not the brushes for three reasons:

1) The starter's motor turns only a few seconds at each starts and it would take a lot of starts to go thru a pair of brushes. Not the same for a continuously running motor.

2) The solenoids contacts transfer a lot of amps each time and are prone to arcing by the very nature of their mode of functionning. The brushes are always in contact with the rotor.

3) When I bought the L contacts, I asked if I should also replace the brushes. The technician there told me no, that they very rarely ever fail.

That said, it's always possible that I might be wrong.

Good luck!

It's most likely the contacts--they're the weakest link in an otherwise very rugged starter.

 

If possible remove your starter, take out the contacts and carry them with you when you go shopping for replacements. There are 2 or 3 different configurations and if you're as lucky as I am, you'll get the wrong ones the first two times!

 

Good luck.

Thank You......i Always Heard The Brushes Wear First ...good To Know...the Local Shop Said The Starter Needed To Be Replaced...$200 + 1/hr Labour....yeah ! It's Only A 99' ..i Highly Doubt That The Starter Is Toast. I Appreciate All The Replies.

hello does anyone have advice on changing the starter on a 99 legacy wagon 2.2...easy to get to ? any advice on where to get a good price on a starter? or should i have a local shop do a rebuild? it starts the car 8-9 times out of 10, but is getting worse as the weeks go by..any help is greatly appreciated ...

First remove the negative battery cable then take the two mounting bolts loose,

remove the positive battery cable connector from the starter then remove the small solenoid wire, now work the starter up through the ac hose and heater hose assemblies.

You can now remove the starter contact cover and inspect the starter contacts, they will be worn away by now and usually are the problem with intermittent starter operation. Take the contacts out and get a replacement set from any starter alternator repair shop, a couple bucks here and reassemble and you are on your way. You can also spend a few hundred bucks for a reman unit that has essentally the same thing done by someone else at your local auto repair facillity.

 

Norm....

You can buy any starter or alternator part by emailing me @ shoptech@pnhautoelectric.com. If possible, get the part # off of the starter or alternator. I can also supply parts by application but as another member stated, it's not always accurate. I will email you with pricing and availability. Thanks, Keith

If you occasionally get a key on / no start most likely its the washers that everyone has mentioned...took the starter off , over to the local alt/starter rebuilder and no problem sir be back in 15 minutes...2 new washers and $20.00 later I am out of there...common problem that good shops are aware of...call your local sub dealer and ask what shop they use for starter rebuilds...the parts of service dept should be able to tell you...btw dealer wanted over 90.00 bucks to fix this little item...fwiw..bd