I've been dealing with some intermittent electrical problems on my 2015 Subaru WRX. The problems have only occurred in very cold weather (below -25°C).
The first problem was a DTC (P2146) related to the fuel injector circuit power supply, that would result in a crank no start. When this first happened several years ago, the battery was replaced and that seemed to fix the problem. This winter, it happened again with a new battery, a heated battery blanket, a battery charger, and very healthy battery voltage even in the coldest weather. I replaced the fuel injector relay and that seems to have fixed the problem.
I've had a similar problem with the headlights being disabled for several minutes after starting the engine, again in extreme cold. I can replicate the error message on the dash by removing one of the light fuses, so I'm going to replace the relay on that circuit (low beam circuit).
When testing the new fuel injector relay in the coldest weather of the year, I also had the accessory/heated seat circuit and the blower fan stop working for several minutes.
What I've noticed when removing fuses, is that the blades are pretty tarnished, and also have some "rainbow" discoloration.
Here are the fuses for the lighting and fuel injector circuits from the main fuse box in the engine bay. The others I've checked tend to look similar, even the fuses in the interior fuse box. The blades on the relays look much better.
I thought that maybe they were getting hot from a poor connection, but then I checked the spare fuses that have never been used, located in the same fuse box. They have the same "rainbow" discoloration, despite never having been used, and a lot more corrosion as well. They yellow fuse below had significant resistance between the tarnished parts of the blades. All other fuses seem to have low contact resistance even with fairly light pressure, and they fit tightly in the fuse holders.
Spare Fuses:
I don't really think that the fuses have been causing the issues I've been having, but I'm considering just replacing all of them with some quality fuses, spraying down all the connections with contact cleaner, and applying dielectric grease to the connections. I'll probably give the relay contacts the same treatment.
So, how likely are the fuses to be part of the problem? Was a bad batch of fuses used on this car?
Also, I'd appreciate if any Subaru or electrical gurus could chime in regarding these issues in general, and what other steps I should take. Troubleshooting in -30 degree weather is next to impossible, so I don't really mind throwing the parts cannon at this in preparation for next winter.
The first problem was a DTC (P2146) related to the fuel injector circuit power supply, that would result in a crank no start. When this first happened several years ago, the battery was replaced and that seemed to fix the problem. This winter, it happened again with a new battery, a heated battery blanket, a battery charger, and very healthy battery voltage even in the coldest weather. I replaced the fuel injector relay and that seems to have fixed the problem.
I've had a similar problem with the headlights being disabled for several minutes after starting the engine, again in extreme cold. I can replicate the error message on the dash by removing one of the light fuses, so I'm going to replace the relay on that circuit (low beam circuit).
When testing the new fuel injector relay in the coldest weather of the year, I also had the accessory/heated seat circuit and the blower fan stop working for several minutes.
What I've noticed when removing fuses, is that the blades are pretty tarnished, and also have some "rainbow" discoloration.
Here are the fuses for the lighting and fuel injector circuits from the main fuse box in the engine bay. The others I've checked tend to look similar, even the fuses in the interior fuse box. The blades on the relays look much better.
I thought that maybe they were getting hot from a poor connection, but then I checked the spare fuses that have never been used, located in the same fuse box. They have the same "rainbow" discoloration, despite never having been used, and a lot more corrosion as well. They yellow fuse below had significant resistance between the tarnished parts of the blades. All other fuses seem to have low contact resistance even with fairly light pressure, and they fit tightly in the fuse holders.
Spare Fuses:
I don't really think that the fuses have been causing the issues I've been having, but I'm considering just replacing all of them with some quality fuses, spraying down all the connections with contact cleaner, and applying dielectric grease to the connections. I'll probably give the relay contacts the same treatment.
So, how likely are the fuses to be part of the problem? Was a bad batch of fuses used on this car?
Also, I'd appreciate if any Subaru or electrical gurus could chime in regarding these issues in general, and what other steps I should take. Troubleshooting in -30 degree weather is next to impossible, so I don't really mind throwing the parts cannon at this in preparation for next winter.
