97 Outback Starting Problem

[LFL]

I own a 1997 OBW with 70K miles that has an intermittent starting
problem. On three different occasions, when the key was turned the
first or second time, you would hear one click but no start and no other
clicks. When turned again, the car would start. This has occurred
first thing in the morning, in the late afternoon after the car had been
used early afternoon and early evening after the car had been used
during the day. I thought cold and damp conditions were the problem but
that occurred this morning and the car started up without any problem.
Any suggestions? Thanks.

 

[Edward Hayes]

Sounds like the battery, particularly if it's over 4 years old. Another
possibility is poor battery or starter connections. AutoZone will do a free
battery check but, sort of expect you to buy theirs if yours is bad. They do
have good batteries though as I have one. ed

 

[tcassette]

It could be the cam position sensor dying. My 96 had similar symptoms and
the sensor was the problem.

 

[DJay]

I had the exact same thing happen to my 98 legacy 2.2. Had the starter
replaced but it turned out to be the "fly wheel gear ring" had a couple of
broken teeth. When the engine would stop and the missing gear ring teeth
were in just the right position with the starter, the starter would spin and
not engage the fly wheel. This would happen every 5th or 6th start so it
seemed intermittent. Fortunately the repair was covered under the drive
train warrenty. HTH... DJay

 

[WillW]

Before you get to far into this, clean the battery contacts. This can often
occur when it is not getting a good ground. The next thing to do is to
drive to a place that checks your battery for free. Most of the parts place
offer this service and you do not even need to take your battery out of the
car. I would then check the starter and the ignition. A question... do
you use a key ring waited down with a lot of keys? The good news is that
it does not appear to be anything major and with the amount of miles your
have, I highly doubt it is.

 

[Edward Hayes]

Try the cheap first which is battery/starter connections and advance to
checking the battery and then alternator output. ed

 

[DJay]

Sound advice. I too tried all the cheap and easy to find things b4 I
resorted to the dealer.

DJay