Late Model Outback Won't Start

[Matt_J]

Hey Gang - I'm new to USMB - but I'm an old forum junkie all the way back to the the old alt yahoo days, anything from whitewater, FJ40 jeeps, skiing, and lately golf.

 

So, as self-proclaimed forum fan I should know better than to fire up a new account and instantly ask a question that could be found through the search engine, right?  Unfortunately I can't put the right search terms together to find anything, so here goes...

 

Late model, 2013 Subaru Outback.  I've been sick and parked it on Tuesday evening after work in the carport.  Didn't drive it at all over the holiday and went out to crank it this morning and it won't turn over.  Night time temps have dropped a little but we're pretty temperate for Oregon and are not getting much below freezing if at all.

 

Sounds like a bad battery?  Car is 3 years old, so I guess the battery could be out, but the starter is turning over great.  I disconnected the terminals to let the cpu drain while running a battery charger on the battery.  My battery charger is pretty beat, but the charge seems to be acceptable.  After an hour of trickle charge and then an attempt to start it with the charger on "jump" mode, it still won't turn over.

 

I'm no pro mechanic, but it sounds like it isn't getting fuel.  If it was an older car or a lawn mower I'd probably disconnect the air box and blow starter fluid into the intake while someone else turned the key, but that doesn't seem like the best idea in a "new to me" car.

 

Any help GREATLY APPRECIATED.  I have AAA but don't really want to tow it to get it started if possible.

 

Edited to Add: I'm finding some information about a defect in the Special Appearance Package starter button - my OB doesn't have the Special Appearance Package - just a normal old key with fob.

Edited November 28, 2016 by Matt_J

[idosubaru]

So the car is turning over just fine, that should mean it's not the battery. 

 

Need to read the check engine lights. 

 

An auto parts store can do a load test on the battery.  Advance Auto, Autozone Napa, orielleys, go there and have it tested. They can also read trouble codes for free. 

 

Try jump starting the car with another vehicle. 

 

One very very common problem is post or terminals are dirty/corroded or loose.  That would be odd on a 2013 but so is not starting. 

 

I've seen some mention of newer Subaru's around your vintage and newer having dead batteries, I'm not sure the cause or if that's just an artifact of Subaru's growth (selling more cars now, so therefore the same failure rates are more noticeable evne though theres no substantial change in reliability).  But might be worth a look. 

[Rooster2]

Does car crank, but no start?? Or, not crank at all? Have you turned on the head lights, and are they bright?

 

With your beat up charger, maybe it is best to use jumper cables to know that you are getting good voltage added to the electrical system. Suggest you try that.

[Matt_J]

The positive terminal is a little corroded.  I'll probably clean it and take the battery in for testing tomorrow.  By all my normal standards the battery seems fine, lights are bright and the starter is turning over at full speed.  Need to replace that old battery charger anyways, and honestly if it's just a bad battery that would be best case scenario.  Unfortunate that the battery would only last 3 years / 36,000 miles, but I'm hearing that is becoming more normal these days.

 

I'm more scared that it's a fuel problem i.e. pump.  Should know more tomorrow.

[DaveT]

If the starter cranks the engine at normal sppeed, the problem is not the battery.

[Angry & Disappointed]

My 2011 Subaru Outback, with only 35,000 miles on it, only starts when it feels like
it. The battery is brand new, connections are strong, wires are clean and
sound, starter cranks like a champ, but the car just won't start. This began shortly
after the 30,000 mile servicing. The car usually starts in the morning, or if you
leave it parked for seven hours or more. But otherwise, chances are it won’t
start. 

I have been stranded five times now over a four week period. I take the car to Stamford’s

Subaru service center and they keep it for three days and then tell me their
diagnostic computer says there's nothing wrong with it and to come pick it
up. Last time I did, I ran into a neighbor with a new 2016 Outback, and she
said she has exactly the same problem. She has had the dead car towed on a
flatbed truck to Subaru Service four times. They told her it was her fault
because she "wasn't driving it enough." No, seriously.

 

Subaru Service told me my problem was very rare. Wrong -- just
go on a Subaru forum, or Google "Subaru won't start" and you find a
bunch of owners with the same problem. They, too, have been put off by Subaru
service departments, who obfuscate or shift the blame, and who have no
solution. From the forums one is amazed at the myriad repairs, tricks and
work-arounds that Subaru owners have come up with to try and solve this
non-starting problem. There is no quick fix. In fact, as of now, 11/28/16,
there is NO certain fix, and Subaru Service appears to be as baffled as angry
owners.

When I picked my 2011 Outback after the fourth incident, the service manager said they

still couldn’t find anything wrong on the diagnostic computer, and my car
started up every time they tried it. One of the service techs told me to use my
smart phone to video the non-starting failure every time it happens, and I am
now doing that. It doesn’t help start the car, but it does allow Subaru Service
to see what procedures I use to start the car, and it becomes a record of
incidents.

Monday, Nov 28, I drove to Auto Zone to turn in my previous battery and to pick

up a can of starter fluid. I turned my Outback off in their parking lot. When I
came out of the store ten minutes later, the car would not start. I opened the
hood and shot some starting fluid into the air intake, and was then able to
start the car. I drove it one mile and it just stopped dead on a busy street
close to a RR overpass. I put out emergency markers and donned a yellow vest
and waved traffic to drive around me. I popped open the hood and gave the
engine another shot of starting fluid, and she started, reluctantly. I drove
the mile and a half home and parked in a position that would make it easy for a
flatbed truck to load it up. I called the manager of the local Subaru service.
He would not take my call, and did not call me back. My wife and I have cancelled our 

vacation plans, and have totally lost confidence in this vehicle. 

[1 Lucky Texan]

if the car is dieing in traffic - definitely report that to NHTSA.

[idosubaru]

Sorry to hear that - well done with the starting fluid, brilliant. 

That should point to a fueling issue - very rare in Subaru's.

 

1. check fuel pressure

2. it would be nice to install a temporary fuel pressure gauge permanently in the vehicle so you can see what it's doing when the symptoms present....again, with the idea that they're not going to be able to diagnose it if it doesn't present after towing it or driving it in. 

 

I would pull the fuel line the next time it happens, crank the key and see how much comes out. I do that all the time, easy to diagnose fuel supply.  Takes like 3 minutes and nearly zero tools/effort to diagnose fuel supply. But I realize most people can't do that.  Yours requires a special tool to do so. 

[Silent Bob]

Check fuel pressure.  Also make sure It holds pressure for 5 min or so after you shut it off. 

 

Also make sure security light is not staying on when you try to start it- that would indicate an immobilizer issue, and consequently no fuel. (although that "should" set a DTC).

[Takeitoutback]

My wife and I purchased our first Subaru - a 2013 Outback (~56,000 miles) in September 2016. In December, it began to exhibit an intermittent starting issue - the engine cranks (slowly) and fails to start approximately 10% of the time. The issue does not appear to be correlated to temperature. We first took the car to two mechanics who were unable to find any problem. Finally, a Subaru dealer told us that a diagnostic test revealed the car required a long crank update and that that should fix the problem. We paid for the update, but the problem persisted. A few weeks later, we took it back to the same Subaru dealer who told us that another diagnostic test found that the body control module was problematic. We paid for a replacement body control module, but the problem still persists. At this point, we've paid $700 for two misdiagnoses. We are fed up and are wondering if any one may be familiar with this problem and how to fix it. Thanks in advance for your advice.