No Vital Signs

[Aquaticus]

The scenario: 1998 Legacy Outback left unattended for ten months in remote location in a backward country. The battery, possibly beyond recovery, seemed to be holding a charge after an hour on an AC charger. The charger has a 50amp starting function but when combined with the charging battery there were no signs of life as the ignition key was turned.

Am I expecting too much?

Do I need to wait until the battery has amassed some number of cranking amps?

I would have hoped for some dashboard indicator lamp to light up or even a faint murmur from the starter.

All the fuses are intact.

Could a completely dead battery be the problem or does it suggest something more complex?

When I temporarily removed the charger from the battery it showed a healthy voltage although I haven't left it off the charger to see how quickly it might drop.

I don't have another vehicle to try and jump start it with.

Any suggestions?

[DaveT]

The battery is likely dead. With the charger on, you should be able to get lights and other things to run, maybe not all at the same time.

 

If the battery was new when parked, maybe it would recover. If it was past a few years old when left, I'd expect it's toast.

[Fairtax4me]

Mice.

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

... Any suggestions?

 

Try to start the Car with ANOTHER, healthy Battery.

 

I see that you are in Central America also, if you don't know anybody that can let you use the Battery from their car only to start and warm the engine; try asking such favor to a Taxi driver; I've obtained help from them if I offer to pay them a small tip.

 

Kind Regards.

[Loyale 2.7 Turbo]

The ideas behind my suggestion above, are:

 

► First: to be Sure that the car is alright.

► Second: if it gets to normal operating temperatures, it will start easier with a low charged Battery.

► Third: then you can place your old battery back again, and drive until the alternator fully recharges it.

 

The Gasoline might be bad, so I kindly suggest you to get a refill as soon as possible.

 

Check for mice nest on the Muffler, prior to start it... Kind Regards.

[Aquaticus]

Thanks very much for the useful suggestions guys.

No mice, thank goodness!

 

I charged up the battery.

Discovered that the positive cable leading to the fuse box was damaged. Replaced the broken cable terminal.

The starter wouldn't spin. Replaced worn copper points on the solenoid.

 

The engine is turning over now but will only fire with a spray of starting fluid and dies immediately after.

The fuel pump seems to work, I can hear it when the key is turned.

I removed the fuel filter which is full of clear gasoline as are the lines which meet it.

It seems to me that the engine isn't receiving fuel. I had hoped rather optimistically that any old fuel or varnish in the fuel line would be pushed through and combusted and afterwards run smoothly.

The fuel tank is still half full of gasoline which has been sitting for ten months.

Could the quality of the fuel have deteriorated to the point where the engine won't run on it? If so, is it necessary to remove all traces of it from the lines and tank?

Should I be disconnecting the fuel line and forcing air or new fuel through under pressure to clear it out?

Is there a procedure which I should be following for this situation?

[Numbchux]

It's probably not bad fuel, My XT6 ran just fine on 5 year old fuel....

 

Pull the fuel line from the rail (after the filter), put it into a container, and cycle the key. That will tell you if you're getting any fuel.

 

If that's good, I would want to put an actual fuel pressure gauge on it, to make sure it's getting enough fuel.

 

Then noid lights to see if the ECU is even trying to fire the injectors.

[Aquaticus]

Thanks for the advice.

The engine was receiving fuel but I think it got even more after I removed the other end of the line from the tank and blew it through with a foot pump for an inflatable boat.

That seemed to do the trick because I got her running.