subdenver Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 Hi, I can change my oil, but am otherwise illiterate when it comes to cars. Went to start my '98 Outback Sport this morning & got nothing. The battery is only a year old & working great. Saturday evening it started right up after not having been driven since Friday afternoon- about 24 hours. Didn't start it yesterday at all. It's cold as hockey sticks here this morning. When I turn the key, I get no noise at all. I've checked all the wiring conenctions and they're tight with very little or no yucky stuff on them at all, so I'm fairly certain all the contacts are all right. I read somewhere in here about tapping the starter to unstick the plunger? Is it possible it's just so cold that the plunger's frozen in place? Any help will be greatly appreciated! Thanks much, Thane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 I'd still suspect the battery. Cold weather seems to kill them unexpectedly. Have you tried Jump-Starting it? ---Oh ya, Welcome to the board!--- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subdenver Posted December 5, 2005 Author Share Posted December 5, 2005 Thanks on for the reply and the welcome to the boards! Seems like agreat place to learn. I did try jumping it. Everything electrical works fine- headlights, radio, & the dome light is not dim whatsoever.... Thane 10 Minutes later... the temp has dropped 1 degree. But the sun is smiling down on my car. I went out again & tried it. Started right up with no problem. That however, does not make me feel better about the rest of the week. Today is supposed to be the warmest day all week. Is it worth it to replace the starter in the freezing cold (I have a non-heated garage)? Will this more than likely continue if I don't? Or is this possibly something that happened simply because it's really cold & I didn't run it for a day? Thanks again, Thane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 It's your contacts on the starter. Next time it won't start, stick your head outside of the window and listen. You'll more then likely hear clicking. When I had my issues, I thought I didn't hear a clicking noise. It took sticking my head out the window/leaving the door open when I tried to start it to hear the clicking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry DeMoss Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 Don't really think it's your starter.I would test your charging system.Battery is prblly the culprit.If you can't check the charging system with a voltmeter then take it to a checker auto or similar and they usually check them for free.I have seen some weird things arise when cold weather sets in on some batteries.I maintain a fleet of vehicles in colorado and sometimes cold weather can make the batteries go bad fast. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subdenver Posted December 5, 2005 Author Share Posted December 5, 2005 Thanks for the advice, folks. I really appreciate your help. Since I've taken the whole day off anyhow, I'll run down to Checker and give the charging system test a go. Interestingly, before I replaced the battery last year, we had some really nasty cold weather. One day the car wouldn't start, but I did hear the starter trying to go. I took the old battery off and brought it inside to warm it up. After a couple of hours, I reinstalled it and off I went. Of course, that only worked a couple of times since the old abttery was mostly dead anyhow. Maybe I'll try that tonight. The only problem then was that everything electrical reset. Had to set the clocks, the radio presets, and finally take the car to Subaru dealer because the check engine light had come on. They performed some voodoo to exorcise the demon light and sent me on my way.... , Thane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet82 Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 Clean the terminals and put some of that battery terimnal goo on it before you finish messing with it. I'm still betting it's the battery/connectors. Good Luck, Glenn 82 SubaruHummer 84 GL 01 Forester Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subdenver Posted December 6, 2005 Author Share Posted December 6, 2005 Hi All, Thanks again for the advice. I took the battery to Advanced Auto Yesterday. The first test showed the battery to be in need of a charge. They wanted to do it right then, but I had an errand to run, so came back in a half-hour. We took the battery inside & hooked to the diagnostic. Sure enough, it came up fine. I suspect that running it for a while reconstituted it? The guy at the parts shop suggested if it happens again, I just bring the battery in overnight, like I had done last year with the old one. Too much effort for me. So I banked on this: it was cold & the battery hadn't been used for an entire day (last Sunday). So this morning, after having driven a bit yesterday, it started immediately. You all get my thumbs up. The chill, coupled with a day of inactivity was the culprit. Thane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frag Posted December 6, 2005 Share Posted December 6, 2005 I'm with Josh that it's the starter or some relay between the key and starter solenoïd. Your car does'nt start and 1° later it does. It does'nt sound like the battery. Batteries rarely charge themselves up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted December 6, 2005 Share Posted December 6, 2005 Yup....I went down this very same road It'll act up again probably.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operose Posted December 6, 2005 Share Posted December 6, 2005 my '91 legacy just started doing this.... yesterday when I was late for work.. I suspect the battery that's been in it since before I got it, that sat for an entire winter without a charge... but haven't had a chance to get it tested. I'll do that after work oh btw a jumpstart will always get it started, but sometimes it takes about 10-15 minutes of fiddling with the jumper cables to get a good connection, even though I wire-brushed the ************ out of the connectors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subdenver Posted December 8, 2005 Author Share Posted December 8, 2005 I'm with Josh that it's the starter or some relay between the key and starter solenoïd. Your car does'nt start and 1° later it does. It does'nt sound like the battery. Batteries rarely charge themselves up. Yep, cuz here I am again. I took the battery into the house and left it last night. Reinstalled this morning & car won't start. Interestingly, yesterday it did. I brought the battery inside in the morning, warmed it up for 45 minutes while I got ready, put it in & the car started...first try. When I put the battery in today, the hazard lights came on. I tried to start it with door open to listen for the starter & heard nothing.... Is that my big clue that I need a new one or are you all of the opinion it's simply too cold? AAAARRRRGGGHHHHH! in Denver! Thane ps. the posts are clean. the battery is only a year old. Soemone at work suggested it's not rated for my car, but when i bought it last year, i made sure to check the spec and ask the auto parts guy.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frag Posted December 8, 2005 Share Posted December 8, 2005 Do you have auto or man trans? If you really hear nothing and it's a manual, it's either the clutch pedal defeat switch or the starter's relay. When it does'nt start, pump the clutch pedal several times going to the bottom of it's travel. If it suddenly starts, you found the culprit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AussieIan Posted December 9, 2005 Share Posted December 9, 2005 Exactly the same symptoms as mine, and it was the starter contacts. Felt really stupid after having purchased a new battery which was triple the cost of a pair of new contactors! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiny Clark Posted December 9, 2005 Share Posted December 9, 2005 If it is the starter contacts, and it sounds like it to me, you will hear the clicking of the solenoid in the starter. The reason it works intermittently is that the contacts will hit arced spots sometimes, and spots clean enough to pass the juice at other times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subdenver Posted December 17, 2005 Author Share Posted December 17, 2005 Do you have auto or man trans?If you really hear nothing and it's a manual, it's either the clutch pedal defeat switch or the starter's relay. When it does'nt start, pump the clutch pedal several times going to the bottom of it's travel. If it suddenly starts, you found the culprit. Hi there all! After trying this suggestion several times to unmitigated success, I agree with frag. This is definitely the problem. The switch is going south. Usually, I discovered recently, I don't depress the clutch all the way to the floor to engage the switch. If I don't do that, the car sounds exactly as I described previously and won't start. However, after I read frag's post, I tried his suggestion of pumping the clutch pedal. That didn't work either on the very cold days. When it didn't work immediately, I became frustrated and jammed my foot to the floor. The car started. A couple of days ago, I was wearing my hiking boots which extend the reach of my leg about a half inch. It was about 5 or so degrees, but with the pedal depressed completely, the car started on the first try. Thanks to you all. And special thanks to frag. You should replace the Car Guys! Still cold, but happy, in Denver, Thane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted December 17, 2005 Share Posted December 17, 2005 Thanks for the advice, folks. I really appreciate your help. Since I've taken the whole day off anyhow, I'll run down to Checker and give the charging system test a go. Interestingly, before I replaced the battery last year, we had some really nasty cold weather. One day the car wouldn't start, but I did hear the starter trying to go. I took the old battery off and brought it inside to warm it up. After a couple of hours, I reinstalled it and off I went. Of course, that only worked a couple of times since the old abttery was mostly dead anyhow. Maybe I'll try that tonight. Park off street? Run an electrical cord out to it, and put a light bulb next to the battery with a towel around it, or a heating pad. A lot easier than carting around 45 lbs of lead. I had to bring my battery in one morning when it was colder than -30 F. in VT and it took hours by the fire to warm up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.