GreaseMonkey03

Im an idiot all the time. Don't feel bad. Lol

Outback struts would be your best bet. You can swap strut tops if they are different but the brake lines attach differently. You can work with what you have though.

Does the vibration change at all while in drive? If so, does it correlate with anything else happening? Do the headlights or dash lights flicker at all if the vibration changes? Is there a noise associated with the vibration? What is your idle speed or does the idle speed change or bounce? Does the vibration change or fluctuate while pressing or releasing the brake pedal?

How are the motor mounts? Is there a noise associated with it or just vibration? Does it do anything different while turning, braking, etc.

Subarus are among the easiest cars for people to work on themselves. If you can't or won't do everything yourself, and I do mean everything, or can't dish out the bucks to have someone else do it, steer clear. older subarus are a labor of love, but a labor still.

Shifter won't budge though. Maybe linkage is binding?

Does the clutch have pressure? What happens if you try to double clutch and move the shifter with the car off?

I have to ask since you're new with autos, are you checking the fluid level with the engine running and checking the correct dipstick? I've had customers check the front diff instead or check with the car off. Out of curiosity is there any correlation with anything else happening, like the ac clutch kicking in?

The trans mount was replaced or still broken? Check rear diff mounts? Possible that the missing motor mount bolt was absorbing some of the vibration and feels worse now that it's mounted up firmly. Stabilizer bushings, bearing and cv boots won't cause a shimmy although stanalizer bushings could cause some clunking noises. I'd start with the tranny mount and check the rear diff and go from there. Stanalizer bushings are cheap and worth throwing in if they are bad but can be a nightmare if the bolts are rusted. Were you able to get a firm hand on the driveshaft and rotate it left and right to check the joint or just visual inspection?

The driver window should still go down. Was the fuse checked yet? Check for power at the switch yet?

Are you referring to the marks on the belt? They're not needed. Make sure all of the slack on the belt is below the cam gears by the tensioner. You can lightly clamp the belt to each cam gear if needed to prevent any slipping. After everything is back in place and the tensioner is released, turn the motor over manually a few times to make sure all the marks are still lined up.

You're gonna have to pull the switch out to make sure it's getting power and also check the fuses. I'm assuming that you checked to make sure the window lock button is disengaged and that you tried the other windows with their own switches already?

was the whole door replaced with trim and window lock switch? Or does the car still have the original switch?

10% of the time is interesting. This is a push button starter? Anyone know off the top of their head what the manual override is for these? If the module stops cranking due to slow crank maybe you can override and see if it starts fine right after. 2013 it could just be a battery going bad, which you can have tested. Or we have had subarus go dead apparently just from leaving the key in the ignition or the headlights not going off when the car is off. I wouldn't eliminate the possibility that something might be getting left on once in a while if it's only 10% of the time. I would check the battery first though. Place to start anyway.

I'm a bit slow so I'm confused. What's stuck and what's broken? The sprocket or the pulley?

I've matches o rings in the past that resulted in leaks. The o rings tend to stretch and stay stretched. Match the line instead. The oring should need to be stretched slightly to fit. Also make sure you are lubricating the o ring. That might do the trick. It would also be a good idea at this point to put in a bit of die to spot and future leaks.

I've had to repair a few hatch harnesses, first time I've had this particular symptom but it was easy enough to find. Was odd to see it happen on one this new but they may just use the hatch a lot. Hopefully this will help someone that doesn't know where to look/start. Because what my boss says goes, the other mechanic was following his instructions. I had to make him listen to the clicking before he would let me "waste time" pulling the boot. Otherwise he would have had me chasing a ghost. Dumb I know, but I'm just a trained monkey. "You got it boss" lmao

Just keep in mind, they're still 18 years old. Might be better off holding out for better used ones or saving up for new ones. Outside of that, do what you gotta do. You can find struts pretty cheap online. Hopefully you can inspect before you buy and at least see if they are leaking first.

How many miles on the donor car and are the struts original?

Figured I'd put this oddball in here to help anyone with a similar issue going forward. 2012 outback AT Customer complaint: won't shift out of park Another mechanic here at work did the following: The brake lights weren't coming on and the safety switch on the shifter wasn't disengaging. This was due to a blown fuse. Replaced the fuse and everything was good to go for a bit until fuse blew again. Suspected short but wiring looked good so suspected faulty brake switch. Replaced switch and fuse and all was good. For a few days anyway. Customer came back today. My turn with the car. Replaced blown fuse and heard "clicking" in the back of the car when I pressed the brakes. Wasn't sure if associated with hill assist or whatever so opened hatch. Repeated, no more clicking. Wiring harness going through the boot to the hatch was damaged (4 wires)causing a short. Just the right combination of wires did it. Lol

Out of curiosity, if you start it can you keep it on by applying throttle? Was the battery recently replaced?

I agree but if you're willing to deal with a few issues then go for it. I don't know if spring height/rates are different. You may need to re use your legacy top mounts. The brake lines may attach to the strut differently. If you have a donor car, you can swap out the brake lines too. If you have to swap the brake lines, keep the legacy ones in case you ever need to or want to switch back to legacy struts. But this is assuming they attach differently. I'm not sure

you have one other option. Take your other used alternator and have it rebuilt. If the priority is that it lasts, get one from Subaru. Can't predict how a used one will perform and can't guarantee how long aftermarket will last.

Did you have the codes read? When it starts does it run rough or smooth?

There's not much else it can be aside from the alternator, battery, or cables. If the battery were dying while the car was off, then you could potentially have a draw somewhere in your system. But this would be a non issue with the car running. Since the car is dying while it's running, there's not much else other than the alternator, battery or connections that it could be. Wiggle the connectors on the battery too, sometimes the clamps stretch and even when tight will not grab the terminal properly. Once the battery is fully charged, hook it up and check the voltage between the negative and positive terminals on the battery at idle. Would also be a good idea to have the battery load tested. Could very well be a defective battery.