Battery or starter?

Ok, so I just bought a 2008 Legacy Limited 4AT last week (last '08 on the lot...got a sick deal) and it has been a nice ride, until yesterday morning. To make a long story short, my doors were frozen shut (gotta love New England) and I TRIED to pry them open but I just got tinted on Saturday and I was worried I was going to tear the film so I said f it I’ll just get a ride to work today. When I got home that night I noticed that my hazards were flashing and my doors (that I tried to pry open) were ajar. So I closed everything and went inside.

The next morning I tried to start my car and the thing wouldn’t have it. When I TRY to start it all it does is make a series of fast clicking noises and all of the lights inside the cabin flicker. Right away I thought dead battery, but then I remembered reading that my car is SUPPOSED to have a “battery drainage prevention function” which basically turns off the dome light if a door is left open for more than 10 mins and they key is not in the ignition. Also, everything inside the cabin works fine (radio, auto climate control, lights, etc.) so I’m not sure what’s going on here.

I live in a condo and the parking situation is TIGHT. I’m up against a fence and there are people on either side of me. The best part is, the cars parked next to me haven’t moved in like 4 days…not sure what the deal with that is, but it makes it a lot harder for me to try a conventional jump. I do however have one of those portable power stations that can be used to jump a car. I tried that this morning and got nothing. I’m going to try a conventional jump today, but that rides on the people next to me not being there when I get home.

So, my question to all of you is…

Does this sound like a battery issue, or a starter issue? Again, the car is only a week old so I find it hard to believe that it is a starter issue…but then again I’ve seen some crazy things. I don't have anything to test the battery...I was hoping the above info would be enough for one of you to make an educated guess.

Again, I'm pretty new to the forum and I know 0 about electrical systems so I apologize if this should have gone in another section. Thanks if you actually read all of the above

did you try to jump start the vehicle? just "clicking" generally indicates you have a dead battery.

did you try to jump start the vehicle? just "clicking" generally indicates you have a dead battery.

 

I'm going to TRY a jump tonight. I'm boxed in at my condo so I may not be able to get cables from my car to another. I just wanted to make sure that this didn't sound like a starter issue.

use a jumper box. if you can't borrow one, buy one from walmart, sear etc. they're pretty reasonable and extremely valuable in certain situations. secondly, a starter won't usually click, it just won't do anything or it'll make a loud clunk when it locks up.

 

also, if your battery is dead, you'll def need to charge you battery fully before you do a lot of driving. the car's alternator is not made to charge up a dead battery, and it will be under considerable strain trying to do so....

I have a jumper box (I called it a portable powerstation). I charged this thing all night and then tried to jump my car this morning and got nothing...just more flashing and clicking.

 

Hmm, I deff do not have a battery charger...time to visit Dad's garage. Thanks for the info.

Go buy a new battery. No matter what you do with this one, it is gone. Period. Even if you charge it to where it will start the car, it will NEVER again regain 100% charge and the alternator will keep trying and trying to top it off..... until you damage that, too. Do some research on these kinds of batteries, you'll see.

 

I found my trunk ajar one morning (damned remote opened it when it was in my pocket), and the battery was dead. Just from that little trunk light. DEAD. A new Optima fixed everything for good. I then unplugged the trunk light because even with the new battery I would occasionally find the trunk unlatched. I plugged it back in if I needed it.

 

Do not waste you time now, and for the times to come if you try to get around buying a new battery. Don't find out the hard way.... like I did.

Maybe battery is completely dead?? The clicking sound usually means battery. If the starter was dead you would have no noise at all. With the doors ajar and the hazards on maybe your car immobalized. Is it possible someone tried to steal your car? You said the doors were shut and you couldn't open them but when you came back they were ajar with the hazards on. It is possible that the hazards were part of the alarm system. Most cars immobilize by killing the fuel pump. No fuel no start it would give the same symptoms you are stating, even with a jump it wouldn't run because of no fuel. I don't know how to reset your alarm you should read your manual and maybe call the dealer.

Go buy a new battery. No matter what you do with this one, it is gone. Period. Even if you charge it to where it will start the car, it will NEVER again regain 100% charge and the alternator will keep trying and trying to top it off..... until you damage that, too. Do some research on these kinds of batteries, you'll see.

 

 

what kind of batteries can not be fully recharged? i've sold and installed a lot of batteries over the past 14 years, and not seen a battery that could not be recharged to full CCA, provided it was a good battery to begin with.....

Maybe battery is completely dead?? The clicking sound usually means battery. If the starter was dead you would have no noise at all. With the doors ajar and the hazards on maybe your car immobalized. Is it possible someone tried to steal your car? You said the doors were shut and you couldn't open them but when you came back they were ajar with the hazards on. It is possible that the hazards were part of the alarm system. Most cars immobilize by killing the fuel pump. No fuel no start it would give the same symptoms you are stating, even with a jump it wouldn't run because of no fuel. I don't know how to reset your alarm you should read your manual and maybe call the dealer.

 

Never thought of this! I have whatever came with the car. I'll check the owners manual to see if there's anything about that. Thanks!

if the fuel pump is disabled on most cars, the vehicle will crank fine and not start.

 

get a jump box and jump start the car. then buy a new battery or recharge the one in the car currently.

 

and if for some reason it doesn't jump start, then exhaust other diagnostics. i've seen a lot of techs go for the most complicated tests and diag when, in the end it was the simple things, that will often get overlooked that remedy the situation...

 

good luck, either way....

Go buy a new battery. No matter what you do with this one, it is gone. Period. Even if you charge it to where it will start the car, it will NEVER again regain 100% charge and the alternator will keep trying and trying to top it off..... until you damage that, too. Do some research on these kinds of batteries, you'll see.

 

I found my trunk ajar one morning (damned remote opened it when it was in my pocket), and the battery was dead. Just from that little trunk light. DEAD. A new Optima fixed everything for good. I then unplugged the trunk light because even with the new battery I would occasionally find the trunk unlatched. I plugged it back in if I needed it.

 

Do not waste you time now, and for the times to come if you try to get around buying a new battery. Don't find out the hard way.... like I did.

 

I respectfully disagree. First, never charge a frozen battery. When a battery goes dead the acid will freeze, it could explode if charged at too high of a rate.

Second, one, two or three discharge cycles will not affect the life of the battery.

Third, if you jump it, leave it idling WITH the jump box or jumper device in place for at least ten minutes. Letting the Alternator pick up a completely dead battery can burn it out (the alternator).

Fourth, the alternator generally will not bring a battery back to 100%capacity. Slow charge for 24 hrs, 2-5 amps. Then load the battery. Ten minutes after loading the battery check the standing voltage. Anything above 12.55 volts is fully charged.

Good info but I vote batter; hell they are cheap get a new one.

 

I need a new one

Incase anyone cares...

I ended up calling the Subaru dealer and they said if everything is working (radio, lights, dash lights, etc.) but the just will just not turn over, try the "using another car to charge the battery" method. They said that the battery wasn't junk because it could still power everything, it was just low. They also said that if it wouldn't power anything, than I would be better off getting a new battery. I guess some dealers do not recommend the traditional way of jumping a car. So I did and it worked great. I think my alternator was running hot for a bit, but it seems to have gone back to normal. They car only has 600 miles on it so I'm covered under warranty if anything goes wrong :-)

Thanks again for the info.

Depends on how dead the battery is. A porter (Portable jumpstarter) is supposed to assist a battery, not replace it. If it's THAT dead then the porter won't help.

 

If the battery won't start the car withthe help of a porter then I'd charge the battery overnight (even if you have to take it out of the car and bring it inside)

for a full charge, you should still have the battery put a trickle charge overnight or for a few hours at least to bring the state of charge back up on your battery. not doing so will shorten the life of your alternator.

 

congrats on getting your car started tho.....

Is it bad to charge a battery while it is in the car? I'm assuming I should disconnect the connections to the car...right?

not really. the main thing is just to get it charged up. you can hook a charger to it when its still connected without affecting anything.....

OK, thanks again for the info. I may have to take a ride up to the old man's house to swipe his charger.

I respectfully disagree. First, never charge a frozen battery. When a battery goes dead the acid will freeze, it could explode if charged at too high of a rate.

Second, one, two or three discharge cycles will not affect the life of the battery.

Third, if you jump it, leave it idling WITH the jump box or jumper device in place for at least ten minutes. Letting the Alternator pick up a completely dead battery can burn it out (the alternator).

Fourth, the alternator generally will not bring a battery back to 100%capacity. Slow charge for 24 hrs, 2-5 amps. Then load the battery. Ten minutes after loading the battery check the standing voltage. Anything above 12.55 volts is fully charged.

 

I wish everyone could have your style. Civilized. http://www.wvmotorsports.com/forums/images/smilies/good.gif

 

Your advice is excellent.

 

My advice like most came from my own experience. I have lost a Subaru alternator by trying to use a recharged dead battery. It cost me $300+. When it happened, which was ten years ago, the prevailing recommendation then was to replace the battery if it ever got that dead. Perhaps things have changed, or perhaps I was wrongly advised and I passed on misinformation.

 

But a lot of my experience predates most everyone who will read this, having started my experience with cars in the fifties. That means some of my experience was gained on older technologies, some of which are no longer applicable. It is what I have, however, and works..... for me. No one can argue that replacing a battery once it has gone completely dead is not the BEST thing to do. Because it is. Something I learned goes, "problems are opportunities for improvement." I figure if my battery $hit the bed because a light was left on overnight it is a piece of crap and should be tossed in favor of a much better device.

 

That advice may not be the easiest to swallow, however. It costs more, and requires a little effort, a consideration to many. Not to me. So when my relatively new LGT's battery died, DEAD, because my trunk got opened by a rogue remote and the little dinky trunk light was on..... I did not want that component in my car anymore. Personally, if I can see a problem either now or in the future, I act on it... regardless of the degree of probability. YMMV as they say. As a result, the Optima that I put in got tested several more times by that damned trunk light.... until I unplugged it. But the Optima never flinched once. That is my kind of solution.

 

Obviously this is a hotly debated subject:

 

http://action.publicbroadcasting.net/cartalk/posts/list/1/881613.page

 

Read all of that if you have time. Lots of opinions and advice.

 

As I looked through the Googled pages and the subsequent paths one fact became obvious..... it is all advertising driven, any "information" is biased by the forces trying to sell something. Use at your own risk.