I have a 2018 Subaru Outback with 100,000 miles. How long will the starter last. I average 3 trips a day. That works out to starting the car 6 times a day. I live is Minnesota so it gets cold in the winter.
The only way anyone of us could know the answer to that is with a crystal ballā¦ Sorry, and not trying to be an a$$ or anything, but you are asking us to predict the futureā¦ As a rule of thumb, starters are not a maintenance item to be replaced at x mileageā¦
It could have gone out at 40K miles (60K ago), or it might last another 100K milesā¦
When it clicks the 1st time you go to start it (with a good battery) and then starts normal on the 2nd or 3rd try to crank it, that is your hint it is on itās last legsā¦
If you start worrying about all the little things about a car breaking down, then it is time to buy another one, but be warned, the service departments are all full of new car warranty work alsoā¦
If you do not have free towing though your ins company, AAA has itā¦
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Your reply doesnāt surprise me. Just wondering if Subaru has a better track record for this component. Wouldnāt surprise me if the company that makes starters for Subaru makes them for all other auto manufacturers.
Presuming conventional gasoline-engine configuration, not EV or hybrid.
Subaru seems to be getting good marks from Consumer Reports for reliability, so maybe their starter motor is a little more robust than their competitor. However, it seems unlikely they design and manufacture their own starter motors. Most likely they buy them from another vendor.
To increase your chance of good luck, suggest to keep your battery and charging system in excellent condition. Starting attempts with a discharged battery can increase wear and even damage the starter motor.
How long they last tend to vary widely. My 50 year old Ford truck still has its original starter motor. My 30 year old Corolla is on its 4th.
I was not successful in loosening the lower starter bolt. Itās buried but I can get a socket on it and good leverage. I donāt want to break the threaded stud. I tried with engine at room temperature and warm. Any suggestions? I assume the factory did not use loctite red on the threads.
One correction. It a nut that I"m trying to loosen, not a bolt. Thatās the reason for the threaded stud. The upper fastener is a bolt, but much easier to get at.
Iām confused, did the starter go out??
Or is this preventative maintenances??
1st spray it down with a good penetrating oil, not WD-40, and let it soak in, may take a few triesā¦
If you donāt have an impact gun or a heat source, then try to tighten it just a tad before trying to loosen itā¦ You also need to try to jar the nut by hitting/smacking the rachet handle forward and reverse (back and forth) to hopefully break it looseā¦ Just putting constant pressure on it will probably just snap the studā¦
It might be cheaper in the long run to just let a pro with the proper tools and experience replace the starter for youā¦
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For what itās worth, a similar question came up, maybe 10 years ago. One of our now-departed forum members was ok4450, a master mechanic who had once worked at a Subaru dealership, and he stated that he had never needed to replace a starter on a Subaru.
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Do you have a favorite penetrating oil. I have knock er loose in the garage.
You still have not answered a very basic question, did the starter fail or is this a PM thing???
I still have a lot of penetrating oil the company I retired from supplied, so I use it, but it is a commercial product not available to the publicā¦
There are a few pros and DIYerās on here that live in the rust belt and or high corrosion areaās that can answer what p-oil they have the best luck withā¦
But I will leave you with thisā¦
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The engine does not turn over like it should. The battery is one year old and holding a charge. The alternator is showing 14.3 volts with all accessories on and at idol speed (rear defroster, seat heaters, lights, AC, radio).
Be curious to know the penetrating oil you used to see if I can find something similar.
Note that Iāve done my own brakes, struts, plugs, oil, etc. Also I was a mechanical technician for 25 years working on guided missile launching systems, naval guns, and other military equipment. Iāve used machine tools (engine lathe, milling machine, etc) in performing my job so I know a thing or two about mechanical stuff.
Added to that, I mountain bike and cross country ski in northwest Wisconsin. Some of the trail heads I drive to are very isolated and donāt have cell coverage so maintaining my vehicle is a priority. Especially in the winter when temperatures drop below 0F.
Any information is appreciated.
Watch some videos on starter replacement for your Outback to understand how to do it.
What is your question right now? We canāt tell from here if your starter is worn out, but it would be surprising. What, exactly, does āthe engine does not turn over like it shouldā mean? Slow? Too many revolutions before starting?
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Iām replacing the starter because of the age and number of miles Any suggestions in how to loosen the lower nut would be helpful. Iām going to try an impact wrench. Iāve been placing penetrating oil on the nut and exposed threads.
Idol speed: the concert time for Taylor Swiftā¦
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ā¦ or Billyā¦
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If you canāt remove this bolt you are not qualified.
This is pic of bottom āboltā on a Subaru. It does not look like a nut.
His has a nut on a bolt or stud.
ānut and exposed threads.ā
Why? I havenāt had a starter failure on any vehicle weāve owned since my 1984 GMC pickup. every vehicle weāve owned since then had the original starter when we sold it or gave it away. All with over 300k miles and couple over 400k miles. Starters donāt fail like they use to. Neither do alternators.
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Iād never pre-emptively replace the starter on a car that was only 7yrs old, fwiw
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I agreeā¦ unless I was about to set-off on a drive across the Atacama Desert, or some other place where failure to start means imminent death. Sort of like the people who agree to go to Antarctica, and who have their appendix proactively removed here in the US, before they goā¦ just in case.