Topic: Subaru Guru? Fixed?

[Don R]

 My sisters 2019 Subaru suv, the electrical system is killing the battery and then goes crazy flashing lights and beeping alarms. The two-week-old battery won't recharge unless unhooked from the vehicle. Any ideas besides a tow to a dealer?
 Of course we live in a town with no Subaru dealer.
 

[PeWe]

I have no knowledge about Subaru.
Maybe a google search can find similar issues on car forums.

Find where all fuses are located. Remove one by one and measure the current between the fuse posts when everything is off.
Alarm will be on, but what more?

If the generator has a leak. I do not know if it has rectifying diodes that can be faulty and leak.
A friend had that in an old car many years ago. That car was old 40 years ago

Another current thief discharging battery can be glove compartment illumination that never switches off due to wrong adjusted switch when closing its lid.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

My sisters 2019 Subaru suv, the electrical system is killing the battery and then goes crazy flashing lights and beeping alarms. The two-week-old battery won't recharge unless unhooked from the vehicle. Any ideas besides a tow to a dealer?
 Of course we live in a town with no Subaru dealer.

MY sister's (haha PITA. I had 3 of them) sold me her 2004 Lexus GX470. Her receipts and CarFax showed many batteries replaced. Sure didn't solve the problem. Last battery I replaced was the original on my 2012 Vette after 11 years. WTF! Sometimes drained/drains the battery like that. Maybe after 2 or 3 days with no driving. Nothing obvious like a light on. No codes. It was setting off the alarm when locking/unlocking the driver door which is the only exterior lock. I decided to replace the EBay $7 switch (rubber covered) near the latch (not the ignition switch). 1 simple bolt. I metered and compared the old vs the new off the vehicle with no power and the old was given wonky readings, not just on or off like the new. Problem solved? Maybe not but definitely not as much trouble. Thought it was but I had to hook up my trickle last week. Yesterday the starter spun as fast as ever. Next step is as PeWe's always good advice, pull one fuse at a time and check for current flow. One youtuber says to unhook the ground at the battery and and place the 2 leads between the cable and battery. That sounds fine but a 2 person job for any fuse not close to the battery. Or maybe replace more door switches haha.     

[Mark1976]

My sisters 2019 Subaru suv, the electrical system is killing the battery and then goes crazy flashing lights and beeping alarms. The two-week-old battery won't recharge unless unhooked from the vehicle. Any ideas besides a tow to a dealer?
 Of course we live in a town with no Subaru dealer.

MY sister's (haha PITA. I had 3 of them) sold me her 2004 Lexus GX470. Her receipts and CarFax showed many batteries replaced. Sure didn't solve the problem. Last battery I replaced was the original on my 2012 Vette after 11 years. WTF! Sometimes drained/drains the battery like that. Maybe after 2 or 3 days with no driving. Nothing obvious like a light on. No codes. It was setting off the alarm when locking/unlocking the driver door which is the only exterior lock. I decided to replace the EBay $7 switch (rubber covered) near the latch (not the ignition switch). 1 simple bolt. I metered and compared the old vs the new off the vehicle with no power and the old was given wonky readings, not just on or off like the new. Problem solved? Maybe not but definitely not as much trouble. Thought it was but I had to hook up my trickle last week. Yesterday the starter spun as fast as ever. Next step is as PeWe's always good advice, pull one fuse at a time and check for current flow. One youtuber says to unhook the ground at the battery and and place the 2 leads between the cable and battery. That sounds fine but a 2 person job for any fuse not close to the battery. Or maybe replace more door switches haha.     

   It'll take more than that, first research to see if there's a predominance of something of this nature. If not your stuck finding a dealer who will more than likely already know or be familiar with it. It could be a single issue on a line with multiple points of parasitic drain, like the dash panel, you could have multiple ports and any one or more could be at fault. Its normally just a single point, like a temp gauge or alt gauge, but you have to isolate each one to single it out, or it could be a hard/software issue..... Yours almost sounds like a hardware issue, it really sucks, I've been there, go to the f<&%<@ng dealership...

[willbird]

Without any brand specific info I'd suspect a relay that has "failed closed". In Industrial controls we use some relays and relay output cards and they at times fail closed, can have you tearing your hair out. Some multimeter work might quickly find a circuit with voltage where there should be none with the ignition key off. The relays often live right in the fuse block on a lot of vehicles.

Bill

[Don R]

 I'm embarrassed to say it appears to have been the new diehard battery installation by Advance Auto. It had felt washers and grease over old corrosion and stretched battery cable clamps.  I load tested the battery; it tested a little weak but held 12.6 volts at rest.
 The charger was clamped to the non-conducting terminals so it couldn't operate properly.
 I squeezed the battery clamps with channel locks and pressed them back on, the thing started right up. Tomorrow I'll insert copper strips between the posts and terminals until we can get new cable terminals. 

[Mark1976]

I'm embarrassed to say it appears to have been the new diehard battery installation by Advance Auto. It had felt washers and grease over old corrosion and stretched battery cable clamps.  I load tested the battery; it tested a little weak but held 12.6 volts at rest.
 The charger was clamped to the non-conducting terminals so it couldn't operate properly.
 I squeezed the battery clamps with channel locks and pressed them back on, the thing started right up. Tomorrow I'll insert copper strips between the posts and terminals until we can get new cable terminals.

   If thats it, then your good to go, but mine did the very same thing, 2 weeks later it died again and the cycle continues until ya go, "wtf?". 2 more weeks and 2 mechanics and one electrician later no good resolution, we knew it was in the dash module that was constantly slowly draining, we could see it with a volt meter, but who wants to pull a dashboard module. Took it to the dealer, they pulled the dash cluster (god awful mess) found out one of the modules (a gauge cluster within) was the culprit. They knew exactly what they were looking for, we didn't.

[Don R]

 Thanks, it's a good chance it isn't fixed because it did this before it got the new battery. My sister said she found information that there was a class action lawsuit, subaru denied a problem but settled with the class.
  She's trying to get her finances in order and I don't think she can afford a huge bill. I've preached not trading cars often but this one might be the turkey that should go back where it came from.

[Don R]

 It went to the local repair shop on their stretcher. They are confident they can find the issue.

[Don R]

 The issue was the thin metal battery clamps and the new Die-Hard from Advance Auto was junk. The first time they checked it they told her it was fine. It wasn't. Now that I think back, I had the same problem with a bad Optima and a Die Hard CB750 battery. I'm now wondering if their warranty policy involves sending you on your way the first comeback.
  My Sister had to pay a bill at a repair shop because they insisted the battery was OK, then today after I went and explained my position, Viola! Bad Battery! 
 
  Sha also called the closest dealer and mentioned she had read online there was a Subaru problem that led to a lawsuit, so they might know what problem that was, suddenly she got transferred to a phone line that never picked up. Never use the L word to a doctor or mechanic. 

[Mark1976]

   Nothing wrong with an easy fix.....

[PeWe]

The battery was bad?
A cheap battery tester might show low CCA % despite recently charged.

Like my 2 yo battery that went from working fine to not working at all at a gas station.  I'm happy I did not shut the bike off at small remote roads when taking photos earlier.

See first photo here.
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,205375.msg2320069.html#msg2320069

After charging it, no life. I could get a little CCA after a few knocking battery to the floor.

First time a battery dies like that. Must be an internal damage. I left it at a recycle station yesterday.

Earlier bad batteries caused a slow starter. Kickstart and ride, keep revs over 4000rpm.
Battery reached "full" charge really quick and still tired.

Not the cheapest battery after that.
Both my bikes got plastic foam under batteries to reduce vibrations. 4 layers of 2mm foam. (Like floor foam)
Reused a foam bag I have got with ordered parts, maybe Yamiya.

I could not find an old camping foam sleeping mat quick enough.

[Don R]

 The guy at Advance said she needed the felt washers and grease, I said no. He mentioned how corroded it appeared. I reminded him it got new felts and grease less than a month ago, how well did it work?
 The shop that tested the car rolled down the windows, waited two hours and went through it with a really good infra-red camera, he also measured the millivolt draw between the battery and cable.
 Today the battery in her lawn tractor went south. She fixed it herself. Good work sister.