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Showing results for tags 'battery'.
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Less than 1 year old 2020 Crosstrek with < 7k miles as I don't drive it often. I have jumped the battery at least 4 times because if I don't drive my car every week it drains. I took it into the shop and they said it is normal you have to drive your car weekly. So that means I cannot go on vacation more than 1 week or leave my car at the air port longer than a week otherwise I would have to get it jumped. Does that sound normal to you all? Is it true that if you dont drive your brand new car at least every week it will die because it has a parasitic leak? Sounds crazy that I will have to either have someone come and start my car every week or have a jumper company on my speed dial so I can call them when I get off the plane and ask they have my car jumped before I get to it. OMG! I would not recommend this car during a pandemic, people that work at home or the older generations that don't drive it every week. Any ideas on what I can do?
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My partner was driving her Legacy down the freeway. She got pissed off by another driver and romped up to 100mph (I already yelled at her for doing this). She said that suddenly the car starting getting jerky and slowing down. She kept trying to accelerate and said that her RPMs read 4000-5000, but she coasted to a stop off the exit. The engine didn’t stop until she shut it off to try to start again, but it wouldn’t turn over and her lights dimmed and died. I tried to jump her, it would crank then not start. I took the battery and alternator to get tested, the alternator was fine, the battery was completely shot. New battery and the car will crank, maybe catch for a second or two if I romp on the gas, but not fully start. I can hear the fuel pump when I turn the key to the “ON” position and can hear it whenever I press the gas pedal. When cranking I can hear a godawful metal-on-metal chirp coming from somewhere in the engine block. I checked the timing belt. All four visible pulleys are aligned, I haven’t checked under the main cam-shaft pulley yet. I’m really at my wits end, the little metal shriek/chirp seems to be at a semi-regular interval. I don’t know why the transmission would decouple from the engine midrun, and how that would keep the engine from starting. I hooked up a reader for fault codes... unfortunately it is showing nothing since the battery was dead and I can’t get it running long enough to throw a code. -
I have a 2001 Subaru Legacy L Wagon with an infuriating battery issue. I'm sure more people will immediately say search the board there are lots of other topics relating to this but rest assured I have spent the day searching the board, as well as Google, reading and trying everything I'm able to. However, if I've missed something please feel free to post the link. Here's the background: purchased in the spring of this year with no problems. Since it started to get cold the last couple weeks it has had trouble starting and finally would not start. A couple of times I had gotten it started by shifting into neutral but this may have been a coincidence as it doesn't work anymore and doesn't jive with everything since then. Lights, dash, etc would turn on and were bright but no crank, no start, no click, no nothing. Had the battery tested and it was dead. After a charge it had 10% health and was quickly losing its charge. Bought a brand new battery and the car started instantly and worked great. Within two days I was in the same situation: lights bright but no start. Got the new battery checked and the health was 100% and held a charge. Car started great. Battery died again within two days. Obviously something is draining the battery. When the car is off the drain on the battery is only 0.02 amps, so well within the good range from what I understand. The alternator is kicking out nearly 15v when the car is started and the battery was near 13v when the car was off, following a full charge to the battery. I used the diode check function on my multimetre to check the indirectly test the diodes on the alternator. Long shot I know but I'm grasping at straws. With the main wire to the alternator disconnected, touched my one probe to the bolt where the wire connects and the other touching the casing. In one direction I got an infinite reading and the one direction I got 0.455. I repeated this a few times and got the some readings. I scratched into the metal for both to get a good reading. I'm not sure what the diodes in the alternator are rated for but I thought the readings might be low and if one or more are damaged they could possibly be draining the battery when the car is off even if the alternator is charging while the car is running. I'm read but at wit's end trying to figuire out what is draining the battery. Any help would be great! -
Hi, I'm having trouble seems like every time I start my 83 Brat GL 1.8. Put in an expensive Odyssey battery with 850cc amps and installed new cables. I realize it's been cold here in NYC, but for instance today temp outside about 40, car turns over easily but won't fire up. Tried starting fluid in the carb, didn't help. I do notice two things, one of the two radiator fans fires up every time when ignition is on, and the low power lamp comes on the dash in the battery readout. Ideas? Thanks again!
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2007 Outback w/3.0 H6. When I turn the ignition on, everything comes up as normal. I can start the car no problem. There is zero hesitation indicating a weak or weakening battery. However, after it starts, the audio system completely resets. Presets lost and everything. This happens on the 1st start of the day; and occasionally on subsequent starts during the same day. Problem started about a 2 weeks ago. Battery (Optimal Red Top) is 3 1/2 years old. -
Hey folks, Looking to change my battery. Mine is over 5 years old right now. Recently, after driving on the highway for about a tank of gas, it wouldn't turn the starter over. I had to get a jump from a fella while in Wyoming yesterday. Also, my lights will dim when I turn on any electrical accessory or touch the brake (even if at highway speeds/high rpms) Local auto parts store has a couple options for $140-$180 (both have the same numbers...CCA: 640, CA: 800), but my sam's club has an AGM battery with 36 month replacement for $145 (CCA: 640, CA: 800). I've read a little bit about AGM's needing special charging systems, and that they can be over charged. Any thoughts? -
Hello, Well this is my first post on this site. I purchased a 2006 Subaru Legacy 2.5 and few days ago with 98,000 miles on it. It needs a new a new battery (old one has a date sticker on it of (Nov 2012) When I take it out I don't want it to have to relearn, and loose things like radio setting, etc. I recently purchased a Schumacher DSR Pro Series Model INC-7A-OBD memory saver. http://www.batterychargers.com/inc-7a-obd/ I was wondering if this WILL or WILL NOT hurt my system? Thanks for any help you can give. Mike -
I just bought a 2006 outback 2.5L It didn't come with a remote control(fob) for the locks so I ordered one off amazon. The instructions it came with were kind of confusing and didn't work when I tried to program it so I just used some instructions off the internet and it worked fine. The very same night the car wouldn't start. I played with the battery cables, cleaned the terminals and ground, and still nothing. Jumping it worked. I drove to Oreillys where I work, and as soon as I turned the car off it lost all power again, dash lights, dome light, everything. So I took the battery and alternator out to bench-test them and they both came back fine. I can jump start it successfully every time, but as soon as I turn the key off I lose all electrical power. Could it be a security issue or something from the new key fob? Im stumped at this point. Thanks for any info! -
alright so, recently I got this 88 GL and it was great for about a week. Since then I have replaced both the alternator and the battery and I'm still getting a charge reading of 11.5v when the car is started. I've cleaned some connections and still the same. I've been getting suggestions to swap out the battery cables and I just wanted to chime in here and see if anyone has any good resources for trouble shooting or has had a similar experience and can point me in the right direction..... Oh also! I'm now on my second NEW alternator in 3 days.....got the first new one tested today and they told me it was bad....literally bought the thing 3 days ago....good thing it was under warranty. Let me know what y'all are thinking.
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Yesterday I removed the blower motor for diagnostics and replaced its relay near the in-cabin fuse box of my 2004 Outback Limited. Replacing the relay solved the problem with the blower motor. When putting the blower motor back in place, however, I had to really pull and mush on a large mass of wires that runs directly below the blower motor. It was not a simple task to take the motor out or put it back due to this large group of wires (roughly 1-2 inches in diameter) running right under the blower motor with very little room to budge. Immediately after getting the motor back in position, my car would not start and the fuel pump relay would buzz madly with the key in ignition. The stereo receiver died and the lights on the dash were dying. After turning my car off, a part under the hood began to buzz and all the electrical equipment began to rhythmically click and turn on/off. I disconnected the battery and went to bed. I messed something up when getting the blower motor back in. I pulled wires loose or damaged them. The wires branch off after passing the blower motor, some running to the blower and the rest running up the passenger side of the car. When getting the motor back in I pulled on a small black circle with three little holes in it, above where the passenger would rest his feet. It appeared to feed into the group of wires and run out to the engine compartment. Maybe this is important. Any information regarding troubleshooting or what could be wrong with my car would be very helpful. Thank you. Attached are pictures of items I mentioned in the post: the fuel pump relay, the part under the hood that buzzes, the group of wires under the blower motor, and the black circle with the three holes in it.
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1996 Legacy L. After putting my car back together following a vexing electrical problem, I was happily driving the car around for 2 days with no issue. I still had a mess of wiring hanging out under the dash since I wanted to make sure the electrical problems were resolved before reassembling the lower dash panels. I finally secured the lower dash panels and wiring, did a quick restart test and then went to bed. This morning I drove the car for 20 minutes with all lights on, radio, phone charger when I noticed the Check Engine light came on. The car bucked a couple of times, then popped out an ABS light. I recognized this combination - I have seen before on failed alternators. I turned off all unnecessary electrics and tried to stay off the brakes (brake lights) to get the car as close to my work as possible. I noticed the fuel gauge was bottomed out and was puzzled why I could not see a battery light in the midst of this. I drove another 10 minutes in this state of tension knowing I was exclusively on battery power in Bay Area morning commute traffic. I managed to get the car into my work parking lot and was trying to back into my space when the car finally completely died. The additional 55w reverse lights sucked out the last of the battery charge. I ended up pushing the car into my spot for the last 10 feet. Throughout the work day, I replayed what happened the night before and concluded that I had not plugged in the left side of the instrument panel's connector. The battery warning light is on that circuit. Without that light on the charge circuit, the alternator will not charge the battery properly. Fortunately some wise folks on this forum have already discussed this at length....http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/143889-alternator-not-charging-dash-light-was-to-blame-seriously/ ! When I got off work, I quickly opened up the instrument panel and plugged the connector back in *dur*, and got a jump from a co-worker. The car started right up and drove home with no issues other than a Check Engine light that was an artifact of the power failure when the P0500 Vehicle Speed Sensor. This was reset with my OBD reader and we are back in business. Public Service Announcement - make sure the battery light works and your connectors are installed properly! -
I have a 91 Legacy wagon and I purchased a new battery in March. After purchasing the new battery I drove the car daily for awhile, but about 2 weeks ago I stopped driving it and it was sitting for about 4 or 5 days. After those 4 or 5 days I tried to start it again and it would not start and none of the lights would come on either. I do know that one of the car's back doors will not close properly, and this causes a very small dashboard light to remain lit constantly when the battery is charged. Could it be that this very small light caused the battery to drain over time? I am guessing that doing a jump start will recharge the battery at this point since the battery is brand new. But do you think that small dashboard light is what caused the battery to die in the first place? Do you think it will eventually die again due to this light even if I am able to get it started by jumping it? If so, is there an easy way to disable this dashboard light without having an effect on the vehicle? I had planned to sell the vehicle since I was no longer using it, but this may not be a possibility unless I can get it started by jumping it. Even then, I would hate for the person who purchased it to have the battery die on them for any reason like it did on me. -
I need some help with my car not starting, 2003 Legacy GT 2.5 So on my way to class this morning, my car started right up and took off with no problems. Just as I was about to get to campus, I lost power to the engine and my power steering cut out. I hopped out and pushed it to a side street before trying to start it back up. The radio, dash panel, and headlights still worked fine. I remembered that I had left the dome light on all night and thought that maybe it had drained the battery to the point where it had enough charge for on start, but that doesnt make sense as to why it would just start. I had my room mate pick me up and take me to O'Reilly's so I could get another battery, (When I had my oil changed a couple weeks ago, they said my battery was at the end of its life and I should look into getting a new one) If it didnt fix the problem I still needed a new battery anyways. After we threw the battery in and got everything hooked up, I tried starting it again, and it was the same issue. It would sound as if it were going to turn over like usual for a second, but then it went to a lighter, less guttural starting sound. I had half a tank of gas so its not that. Is it the alternator or would that effect the power to the whole car? I thought it could be the fuel filter needing to be replaced and the engine was just starved of fuel. Any ideas? -
1991 Subaru Legacy was sitting for 2-3 weeks and would not start. I got the battery jumped and it started and I was just going to drive straight to the shop, but when I got to the end of the road the car shut off and would not start again. Also prior to it sitting for 2-3 weeks it would start when I left from my residence, but if I drove it somewhere else and tried to start it again then it would not start. I have the following details: $1,500 worth of work done on it in 2015 including O2 sensor, ECM, fuel pump replacement, and new battery. The battery should still be under warranty. The car has an after market digital CD/cassette player, so I m not sure if that draws more energy than the car can handle. Also until recently one of the doors would not close completely and a little red light would be on constantly to indicate that the door was not closed. I m not sure if this light could have slowly been draining the battery/alternator or if this is even an issue. My question is based on the vehicle starting but not staying started, is this likely a problem with the alternator? Do I need a new one or could the current one be repaired? Cost estimate? I will have to get it towed to the shop because obviously it can t be driven in its current state, but I would just like to have an idea of what may be wrong and what would be the cheapest route since I have already spent so much money on the vehicle.
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So I recently took my car into the shop to have the fenders shaved and new fenders put on so I can fit wider tires. The car came back with the battery indicator light on. SO my best assumption is that a wire was cut during the shaving process. The car runs fine if it has jump leads connected to another car but once I remove the leads after about a minute later (when the juice runs out in the battery) the car shuts off. I assumed this was an alternator problem but after replacing that with a brand new one the issue was still occurring. So I replaced the battery, but the battery indicator light is still on so no/not enough power is getting from the alternator to the battery. Ive contacted the shop that did the work complaining that they must have down something but they are refusing to help. So what I thought about doing (as a temporary solution) was to run a large cable between the alternator and the battery. Is this be just a completely ridiculous idea that's going to short out my system or could this be a temporary solution. If it is a solution, should I put some kind of fuses between them or not? I am fairly uneducated when it comes to the electronics in a car so any help would be much appreciated. Thank you, Keon -
Hi Everyone, Could anyone confirm the manufacture date of this battery? I'm guessing it's April 2011 from the '11D', but the other digits here could make sense based on the year of the car and when I purchased it used. It's a panasonic 55d23l battery. Many thanks! -
So I got a new battery after I had my old one tested at Auto Zone and they said it was bad. New battery is good and worked fine, but after three days I went to start it and I got nothing that time. It can't be the starter cuz that is new too, I had it put in some months back and didn't even run the car that much, plus I had my brother tap it while I tried to start car and still nothing. Anybody got any idea? Could it be the alternator? -
Alright, so after 7 months I have finally got my car running again. I asked a friend of my mom's to give it one more jump the day after Thanksgiving, and this time I let the car run for almost 2 hours to get the battery charged up. So it's not an alternator or battery problem like some here were saying, but now the only problem is that every time I go to turn the key, there is a delay for some seconds before the car actually starts/cranks. Anybody have any idea what that could be? Starter relay? Ignition switch? The starter itself? The starter is new and was put in back in April but may not necessarily mean it's good. Anybody have any idea?
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So my battery terminals on my 1995 Legacy L Wagon corroded to a point where the wire coming from the main fuse relay box popped off the positive terminal. Ive tried to electrical tape it back on but it pops off if the battery moves around to much and my whole car shuts down. Whats the best way re secure it to the terminal. Looks like it was welded in some way before. I can take pictures if needed. Thanks! -
EDIT: 7/30/15 Brat starts and runs, sorta! Still need help making sure where the wires go on the ignition switch. Currently we have it plugged in as IG(nition)->Black A(ccessories)->Blue R(egulator/rectifier)->White(this goes to battery) S(tarter)->Black/Yellow(this goes to starter) With this set up we can get the car to run but not idle. It will run as long as we keep the key turned. What we are unsure of, is there supposed to be a line that comes from the regulator/rectifier? There is another spade on the switch "B". How is the ICU supposed to be hooked up in the engine bay? There are two spades on it but we only have one wire plugged to it. We have a weak orange spark from the coil to the disty but when i try it from the plugs to the frame i get purple. On 1 and 4 we are getting intermittent spark to no spark at all. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hello there! I just picked up a brat that needs a little work. Supposedly it ran last year so I'm hoping it won't take much to get it going. Its a 1981 1.8 AWD. He said it needed a new coil so I got one and put it in. When I put the battery in the blinkers were going off and when I went to turn the flashers off the horn went off and there were some sparks coming from the steering wheel. There are also a lot of things missing and wiring ghouls unknown to be. Here are some pictures of the my wiring woes. I have a Haynes manual but I can't really decipher it. I have yet to find a colored wire diagram, which I think would be more helpful. This large blue wire is grounded to the frame and has a male connector. I have no idea where it goes. The mostly black wire is spliced into another black wire that goes into the blue connector. Any ideas of where it goes and what it does? I'm not sure if both of these are female connections, I know one of them is for sure but the other may just be packed with dirt. They lead back into the firewall. I also have no idea what they connect to. The only idea I have about the blue female connection is that it may plug into this unit that is mounted on the strut tower because there is a male lead but that entire unit is grounded to the frame. Also, what are these boxes? [/url] Here is the beautiful fuse orifice. Is the circled one a fusible link? (PO said that the car wasn't getting spark and guessed it was either the coil, fusible link, or regulator). The green fuse is melted but not blown. Does anyone have a list of what the fuses are for?
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Hello and sorry for the long message. I've been here for a while as a non-member reading other people's posts and following suggestions relating to my '95 Subaru Legacy Wagon (Automatic AWD). My Problems: Are very similar to other people having issues starting my car when hot or after being driven for long or short distance. Car works almost perfectly in the morning and at initial startup (no problems). Drive for 1 hour or so and then park to go inside to work with clients Finish up inside, then come back to leave and head home...car may start after 3 or 4 tries Car also dies after being driven for long distance locally in town or between communities in my areas. When this happens, I can usually pop the hood and wait having the car cool down for 30 or so mins to 1 hour and will crank right up allowing me to finish my drive home As I've mentioned, I've already implemented many changes and updates to my Legacy including many provided by Flatuous Blather suggestions (Thanks bunches) and other peoples suggestions, but still no go and my Legacy still runs intermittent. What seemed to help for a while and then same old same old includes: New Rebuilt Gas Pump (recently swapped 6/23 with used Outback pump with a larger motor) Fixed over two years ago when initial problems occurred...no go and did not help...multiple diagnostics by my mechanic (testing voltage levels, gas pressure, and misc...) New Power Steering Pump - leaking badly, but not directly related to my problems besides fluid getting into Spark Plug Holes and needing cleanup on motor and underneath New Battery, Cables, and Connectors also years ago and recently, but even when new did not fix my problems or improve condition New Spark Plugs and Cables and Coil Pack also replaced Almost every sensor (Coolant Temp, O2, and recently both Crank Position and Camshaft Positions sensors) has been pulled and replaced with new after-market and bone yard pulls (trying to keep costs down years ago) Many many bolts/nuts/connectors that were rusted or corroded (wow I know I live in Florida, but not that close to the beach) Starter replacement (years ago), pulled and bench tested working at Advanced Auto last year, and recent rebuild (finding corrosion on solenoid contacts) replacing with new contacts and plunger parts suggested and still no go at this state Added additional Grounding Cable from Battery to Starter and replaced Positive Battery Terminal to remove older unit and possible problems Starter Relay Addition (thanks for the help) - thought this worked well and only lasted a few hours before same problems...sometimes my car gets lucky. Quick Test and Never Fail button/switch (thanks again Flatuous and many others) - added to Starter Relay above and helps most of the time, but not perfect and only provides an additional option when Keyed on starting fails. Recent changes as of June 23, 2013, I swapped out from my 96 Legacy Outback U-Pull-It volunteer: Fuel Pump - much larger unit with short return line tubing into tank (no problems so far and much less noisy replacing my rebuilt unit swapped years ago) Cleaned/checked all Gas and Vacuum sender and return lines MAF Sensor and Idle Control Valve - swapped with used units that were cleaned and then reinstalled. Also noticed the MAF and ICV both working, but took a while for them to register and level out properly The ignitor - also used replacement...but so far so good! Other Notes: Legacy works and runs MUCH Much better in the winter time...Summers in Florida are miserable without A/C (thank God that is still working) What has not been replaced is the Ignition Switch and possible Neutral/Part Position Sensor, but if this was my problem...the Never Fail Button should resolve these issues Others have mentioned Clogged Catalytic Converters causing similar problems...but checking air pressure shows exhaust volumes as normal and similar to other vehicles Update - also forgot to mention on my previous post...NO Codes being reported...nothing, Nada, and suspect the 95 Legacy simply doesn't report very much Also of note, people have referenced if I tried spraying "small amount of starter fluid into the air intake" and I did this previously, but it only had minor effect, car would not start, and continue to run as normal. (referencing my igniter issues) My Legacy is running much better and I took it for a test drive 30 mins or so to warm things up and plan to wait a hour and test again when the problems usually occur with engine getting hot and then sitting for a hour or two. Update (possibly final update) - looks like one of the options above has finally solved my problem! I suspect my problem was finally either Fuel Pump or Ignitor related, but I'm not going to switch either now they are working just to test my theory. In the end, I went through a bunch of different suggestions, Fuel Sender issues, Clogged/Leaking Fuel/Vacuum Lines, Relays, Sensors, with the final changes listed above. As noted, I got he car hot this afternoon and let it sit as usual for one or two hours as when the issues usually occur. Car cranked and turned over starting without hesitation and on the first try, which never happened before after driving and then sitting for a couple of hours. I'll know more in the coming days when I drive and test things out on a full day of driving in town and will update if I notice anything. I'd also like to hear form everyone on what you think my final problems were??? Thank You and appreciate all the feedback and patience with my efforts and questions! Sorli... -
I have a 97 impreza outback sport and yesterday the power started to cut in and out like a bad battery/ground connection. earlier that day I had swapped my battery with someone at the river that had left there lights on. and didn't have the proper tools to tighten it back up so that's what I thought was happening. but I start to smell soothing burning and notice a light from a fire by my feet. so I stopped to check it out at and notice it was my clutch cable arcing and almost catching fire. I do notice when I push down on the clutch just a nuff that the peddle meets the cable it stops and I regain power as if it is grounded -
Hi everyone, New here & did a search but didn't see anything relevant. I have a few-months old 2015 Forester that I'm loving so far. I've recently had some problems with the battery however. A few days ago the battery died completely while the car was sitting in my garage(had not been driven for ~3 days, but regular 15 min daily drives before that). The anti-theft, ignition, everything was completely dead. I used my backup-up battery to charge the battery a bit & was able to get the ignition lights on, but it didn't have enough juice to start the car. I blame the backup for that. Anyway I had roadside assistance jump the car & I drove it around for 20 minutes. Turned it off & was able to restart no problem. 24 hrs later, I try to turn it on again & the battery is dead once more. Ignition lights turn on, but not enough juice to turn over the cylinders. So I had the car jumped & taken to my local Subaru dealer, who claims they did a full diagnostic & see nothing wrong. They said the battery voltage is fine too. However there's clearly a problem here, I suspect a short somewhere that's draining the battery. Does anyone have any advice on where I can start ohm'ing out connections to see what's wrong? I'm an electrical engineer, so I feel like I can diagnose this on my own. Thanks for the help! --Varun -
Hi there, So I just bought a high mileage 1990 subaru legacy with the 2.2l and auto trans. I went into it knowing there were some issues to resolve, those being primarily leaking valve covers and some throttle body issues. While talking to the seller he told me that the alternator had recently gone bad and that he had replaced it with a junkyard one. He assured me he'd had it tested and it tested out well. I drove the vehicle a few days to figure out some of it's quirks before I dove into the project. After a thorough cleaning of the engine bay I drove about five miles, noticing some serious electrical malfunctions with the gauges and the headlights dimming, and eventually the car died from a lack of electrical power. Obviously, I jumped at the alternator. Pulled it and the battery out. Took the battery to work (I work at a Chevrolet dealership) for a full charge and a diagnostic to make sure that it was not in fact the problem. Battery tested great, so I charged it fully and put it back in the car. Next came the alternator. Again, took it down, got it bench tested and it too tested out fine. So I came home, installed everything again, hit the key and it starts right up. I hopped in to take it for a test drive and made it maybe 100 yards down the road before the whole vehicle just shuts off like someone hit an on/off switch. The only time I've ever had electrical failure to that extent is when the battery cables aren't properly hooked up, so I checked everything out and it's all hooked up fine. Tried to jump it with my Jeep and the motor still wouldn't turn over. So like I said, I'm a newbie to the Subaru world, so I was wondering if there's some engine ground that may have come loose that wasn't readily apparent or if there might be a fuse or relay that would cause these symptoms. It's very clearly all of a sudden not getting power to the starter and I can't figure out why. Any help is appreciated.
