2017 Forester

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Oct 8, 2017
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1,261
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Car started oddly yesterday. Cranking longer than usual. Turned key off and started a second time and it was fine. After work and this morning started fine. Battery tested at 12.6v, load test showed alternator 14.7v, starter tested fine on the system readout, showed 520CCA's and battery is rated 550.

So, my gut leans toward a fluke, bad gas, or fuel/spark delivery issues. About 90k on it. Most parts original. Anyone work on these and know a common problem? Or one of those "could be a lot of things, glad to hear you have AAA because that's your troubleshooting backup..."
 
Is it still the original battery? Did you have anything else on when you tried to start he car the first time? How cold was it? :unsure:

That said, if you still have the original battery, you should consider replacing it. 5-6 years is the typical lifespan of a battery, and you don't want to get caught before it's too late.

See if it happens again soon.
 
If it still cranks the engine at the same speed as it did when the battery was new, just takes longer to start it likely isn't the battery.

FWIW, I had a 2014 outback for 95k miles, after a few years of ownership, that is what it did on occasion, just took longer to start. Otherwise never a starting issue. I did have to replace the battery a couple of time throughout my ownership.
 
How many miles on it?
Locally driven only?
See if the throttle body is dirty/sticking.
Give it a full dose of Techron and as the tank nears E throw in some premium and slalom it around the mountains like you mean it.
That'll fix you right up.
 
Is it still the original battery? Did you have anything else on when you tried to start he car the first time? How cold was it? :unsure:

That said, if you still have the original battery, you should consider replacing it. 5-6 years is the typical lifespan of a battery, and you don't want to get caught before it's too late.

See if it happens again soon.
First battery replaced last December. It was about 5 years old. When tested, showed significant drop in CCA and I tested it because it sounded a little slower than I liked. Probably could've kept it until this winter.

Edit: wife keeps lights, fan, and seats on. Never had trouble previously but told her to turn that stuff to off before starting.
 
First battery replaced last December. It was about 5 years old. When tested, showed significant drop in CCA and I tested it because it sounded a little slower than I liked. Probably could've kept it until this winter.
Second the replace recommendation. Do it now before it strands you.
AAA is nice about replacing batteries. Battery tested ok this morning. Load test and such. It's a 9 month old battery...

Edit: 11 months old. Months aren't in base 10. 12-1 = 11. 10-1= 9.
 
If it still cranks the engine at the same speed as it did when the battery was new, just takes longer to start it likely isn't the battery.

FWIW, I had a 2014 outback for 95k miles, after a few years of ownership, that is what it did on occasion, just took longer to start. Otherwise never a starting issue. I did have to replace the battery a couple of time throughout my ownership.
It was cranking acceptably this morning and started fine. Started fine last night for wife after sitting at work in 45° temps all day. So, either a hiccup or it'll quit again soon LOL
 
How many miles on it?
Locally driven only?
See if the throttle body is dirty/sticking.
Give it a full dose of Techron and as the tank nears E throw in some premium and slalom it around the mountains like you mean it.
That'll fix you right up.
87k. 35 miles each way, highway, daily commuter. Fed Top-Tier gas almost always. I could probably Google it, but is the throttle body easy to get to on these? Idles smoothly, plugs only have 25k on them. No other driveability issues or stuttering that my wife has noticed. I gave it a couple good, long pulls on uphill on ramps today WOT. Seemed fine except for the fact it's a CVT which makes everything seem weird just by default.
 
We have a 2015 Forester 2.5 and it will randomly crank 2x longer before starting. It has done this for at least 5 years. Typically on a Hot restart. Sounds like the same issue you have.

If the battery tests good its good. We got 5 years out of the OE battery. I replaced it because of age proactively.
 
One thing to help troubleshooting- always wait until you hear the fuel pump pre-charge kick off before you crank it. If it pumps up and then takes long, it could be pump. Catching it in middle of pressurization adds not knowing if it’s fuel or voltage.

Another vote to replace battery. Only way a battery really gets longer than 5-6 years is if it’s frequently put on an optimizer.
 
One thing to help troubleshooting- always wait until you hear the fuel pump pre-charge kick off before you crank it. If it pumps up and then takes long, it could be pump. Catching it in middle of pressurization adds not knowing if it’s fuel or voltage.

Another vote to replace battery. Only way a battery really gets longer than 5-6 years is if it’s frequently put on an optimizer.
The battery is less than a year. And it cranked fine. I'm going to roll the dice and assume it's good, given my testing of it today.

Yeah, I told my wife to pause just before the full turn as it's getting colder to let the fuel pump get going.
 
Yes, it could just be a fluke. I've had a few with my car over the past 9 years. About a half dozen times nothing happened when I turned the key, then it would start fine on the next try. I think it was an intermittent key fob thing. There's so many computers and electronics that have to all line up for everything to work that it amazes me we don't have more glitches.

I've learned to not expect perfection 100% of the time, especially as a vehicle ages. We don't go to the emergency room every time we have an ache or pain. Have concern, be mindful, and carry on.
 
87k. 35 miles each way, highway, daily commuter. Fed Top-Tier gas almost always. I could probably Google it, but is the throttle body easy to get to on these? Idles smoothly, plugs only have 25k on them. No other driveability issues or stuttering that my wife has noticed. I gave it a couple good, long pulls on uphill on ramps today WOT. Seemed fine except for the fact it's a CVT which makes everything seem weird just by default.
Throttle body has been easily accessible on every Subaru I’ve seen, although I haven’t seen any since ‘13…I’m pretty sure location and layout under the hood is unchanged. Should be up near the wiper cowl, remove the air box or silencer box right there and clean it. It is almost a requirement to clean the throttle body on a Subaru to get it to idle normally after a battery replacement (unless they used a memory saver). The Subarus seem to take their sweet time relearning after a battery disconnect (the Subarus “throttle by wire”).
 
Throttle body has been easily accessible on every Subaru I’ve seen, although I haven’t seen any since ‘13…I’m pretty sure location and layout under the hood is unchanged. Should be up near the wiper cowl, remove the air box or silencer box right there and clean it. It is almost a requirement to clean the throttle body on a Subaru to get it to idle normally after a battery replacement (unless they used a memory saver). The Subarus seem to take their sweet time relearning after a battery disconnect (the Subarus “throttle by wire”).
I assumed that was the general location. The octopus of plastic looking intakes/covers on top of the engine connected to the air box.
 
How many miles on it?
Locally driven only?
See if the throttle body is dirty/sticking.
Give it a full dose of Techron and as the tank nears E throw in some premium and slalom it around the mountains like you mean it.
That'll fix you right up.
Why would you put premium in ?
 
I'd give any engine a shot of premium before hard running so the engine could deal itself the most spark advance.
Feeling a little snap would be my reward.
 
The battery is less than a year. And it cranked fine. I'm going to roll the dice and assume it's good, given my testing of it today.

Yeah, I told my wife to pause just before the full turn as it's getting colder to let the fuel pump get going.
There is a TSB for updated software to resolve the extended crank concern. TSB #11-153-15R. Of course, this should only be relevant if all other mechanical or battery concerns have been ruled out.
 
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