Sometimes the car will crank and not start, even if you keep cranking it until the battery starts to die, but then 10 minutes later it will start right up. Also, sometimes it will die at idle like you just shut the key off, and not start again for several minutes. I did check to see if it was getting spark when this happens and it looked fine, and I can hear the fuel pump run, but I didnt have a way to check fuel pressure. My best guess is that the fuel pump died, its a new replacement from NAPA that was put in less than a month ago, but I'm not sure. If thats the case that era of subarus is probably obsolete as a DD, because that will be the 5th or 6th fuel pump failure since the original one died, and a dealer one is over half the value of the car.
Fuel Pump or TPS is my guess.
I had a very similar issue. Cleaning up idle air control valve fixed it.
You may have compound issues here. I had similar issues with my '95, turns out it was BOTH the coolant temp sensor(random fail to start) and crank position sensor(random fail to start AND occasional die at idle).
If it's never had a coolant temp sensor, it's worth every penny of $20 shipped, as these cars all eat theirs eventually, but that won't cure the idle stall. IACV is certainly worth a look.
You're probably right that this era of Subaru is about obsolete as a DD, too damn much money to keep up as anything but a second car/beater. I think my wagon is getting cut down into an open roofed Home Depot hauler sometime in the next year.
I think I have an extra crank position sensor, and what you described is exactly what it does, so I will try that. I just put this engine in it recently and it never had this problem before that so that may very well be it. I'm not sure I will keep this car much longer, it has about 430k miles and used parts from low mileage cars are getting hard to find, and new stuff is so expensive.
ValuePack wrote:
You're probably right that this era of Subaru is about obsolete as a DD, too damn much money to keep up as anything but a second car/beater. I think my wagon is getting cut down into an open roofed Home Depot hauler sometime in the next year.
Well...as a guy who has a '97 Outback Wagon as "the nice car" I hate to hear that.
...but I won't listen 
I don't know why mine's not more rusty yet, frankly (I'm solidly in the rust belt). But, rest assured, it will be eventually.
To be fair, my standards are a bit off. I drive junk and like it.
