noexprnce Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I was changing the struts on my 99 Forester this past winter. It was bitter cold and my work schedule made the project take a long time. When I finished the project the battery was dead. I jumped the battery and now the marker lights flash and the dashboard lights flash as well. The car has well over 250000 miles on it and used mainly as an about town car for the family...no long trips. Are the flashing lights the result of a bad battery..it is very old or is this potentialy a more serious problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 I don't know the cause, but you may want to disconnect one of the battery cables, wait 20 minutes, then re-attach. Computers, and sensors, and "what not" will have a chance to re-boot fresh, when re-powered. This action may fix the problem, or at least can't hurt anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tirod Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Do you have the factory remote door locks with alarm? If so, disconnect the battery terminal, reconnect, and then on the first start, look under the dash for the small push button dangling from the wiring to the left of the steering wheel. It's the alarm reset - press it while cranking the car and it should reset the alarm. What you are seeing with the lights is a programmed "Tamper" alert that your battery was disconnected. I had the same situation while removing and replacing both the engine and transmission. Working on major drivetrain parts, you disconnect the battery and on the restart, the system tells you what you did. If the car is to be parked for weeks at a time, it's best to disconnect the battery to prevent ghost loads in the system draining it dead. In my daughter's 98 Legacy, we couldn't cure it until the starter was replaced. Apparently the solenoid was causing the problem which activated the alert. With an 85 pound wiring harness, Subaru has a lot of back feed and electrical interrelationships that start popping up as the harness ages. And since auto wiring isn't even as good as a bass boat, the incentive to buy new creeps into our thinking, and off to the dealer we finally go to eliminate the problem. It's planned slobsolesence, IMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Downbound Posted March 19, 2014 Share Posted March 19, 2014 Had the same problem when I had my 99 forester..can't remember where I found the solution but wrote it down. Hold the unlock button on the fob for 5 sec. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tirod Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 Yes, for those with a fob, that is the correct procedure. Some of this is detailed in depth in the Owner's Manual. Often, a used car doesn't get the fob or book. If you have a choice, get the book FIRST and worry about the alarm function later. Salvage yards or ebay sell the owners manuals and you get a ton of info that even Chiltons gets wrong or won't tell you. Downloads from the internet are also available. By all means get a copy and read thru it, many questions will be answered even before you thought you needed to know it. It took me two weeks to realize that the high beams push forward, pulling back only flashed them. In terms of Detroit car experience, I thought it was broken. A coworker was accused of it with another Japanese make just a week ago by a driver who had borrowed a car. Neither were familiar with it. Things work different and an owners manual is your friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86BRATMAN Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 http://www.cars101.com/subaru/keyless.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted March 20, 2014 Share Posted March 20, 2014 disconnect the battery. put the key in the ignition and turn it to start and then let go. connect the battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarl Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 (edited) (note to self: whenever you leave a thread open, re-read it before responding with an answer to a different question) Edited March 21, 2014 by jarl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzam Posted March 21, 2014 Share Posted March 21, 2014 (edited) disconnect the battery. put the key in the ignition and turn it to start and then let go. connect the battery. Leave the key in the "run" position while you re-connect the battery, this should reset it. It may spark slightly but it's not a big draw of power. ALSO LET US KNOW how you made out. Solutions posted for problems help us all. Edited March 21, 2014 by Suzam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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