My current problem is that my Outback (92K miles) has begun to not start reliably when the temperature is cold. It’s a 2.5 XT (Turbo). I first noticed it following a freak October ice storm. It also happens if the car has been allowed to sit in cold weather (below 35 degrees) long enough to cool d…

We are on our eighth Subie (3outbacks, 4 foresters & 1 Imprezza). Never had the problem AND never lived where 35F was cosidered cold!

I’ve a 02 outback 2.5ltr with 190K. I have had a similar problem usually related to cold, wet and when I park it outside in those conditions. Since I usually keep it in a garage it does not present much of a problem and I just live with it but think it would be major if I did not have a garage. N…

Check out Legacygt.com , your vehicle has exact engine. I had problems starting my wife’s car(05 Legacy GT) and searched here and ran across a thread about what you experience. There are some o-ring gaskets that sit under intake manifold that likely need replacing. Search within that site. update …

I would guess the throttle position sensor may be causing the trouble. You can monitor the 1-5 volt signal to the ECU to see if that is the trouble. The voltage should vary as the throttle position changes. Try cleaning the EGR vavle also. They get clogged up over time.

Wow! Thanks for all the inputs. Rtjny99, yeah 35 isn’t all that cold, but it’s a range where the problem seems to crop up. In fact I’m in MA and I get grief for complaining about the lack of snow this winter. cigroller, I need to get back to my friend with the code reader but I’m sure one of th…

I fianlly got my car back to my friend with the analyzer and the only code showing was indeed P0638 “Throttle Actuator Control Range / Performance (Bank 1).” I googled that text directly and there’s a ton of discussions about the problem. I’ll need to take some time to review them. One annoying a…

As I mentioned before, I would check the throttle position sensor. The internal contacts may be dirty.

Subaru Outback - Cold weather starting issue

Maintenance/Repairs

cigroller February 12, 2012, 12:49am 2

Post the very exact and specific code(s) pulled from the computer. The format is “P1234”

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Subaru Outback - Cold weather starting issue

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