sylquist Posted December 30, 2021 Share Posted December 30, 2021 Jump started my 2015 Legacy Limited and noticed that the analog speedometer is significantly off (at 65 mph reads 100 mph, at 25 mph reads 35 mph). The digital speedometer between the analog speedometer and tachometer still works (confirmed by GPS on my phone). Additionally, the odometer doesn’t show up. You just see dashes. I already took my battery to AutoZone and had it charged (battery is good and not faulty). Also checked fuses with multimeter and fuses are all good. Any ideas before I call my mechanic to schedule a diagnostic? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sylquist Posted December 30, 2021 Author Share Posted December 30, 2021 Wanted to add that already scanned it with my scanner and no error codes. Everything else works fine (eyesight, lights, stereo, etc). Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoleMan Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 Heres an idea. Look at the date on the Battery. If its more then four years old just replace it. Autozones testers generally only tell the truth 50% of the time. You have to remember when you had it tested you drove the car to the Autozone. The alternator was putting charge into it. So it would test good at that time. I would test the battery cold before you start the car. If you are in the 13-14 volt range you are fine. If you are under that as suggested go and replace your battery. If you are running a Subaru OEM battery they generally are only good for three years if that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammcinnis Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 I would test the battery cold before you start the car. If you are in the 13-14 volt range you are fine. The quiescent voltage for a fully-charged (i.e. state of charge = 100%) flooded-cell automotive battery is 12.6 volts. For an AGM battery it's 12.6 to 12.8 volts, depending on the manufacturer. "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." ~ The Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brisvegas Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 The quiescent voltage for a fully-charged (i.e. state of charge = 100%) flooded-cell automotive battery is 12.6 volts./QUOTE] Correct !! https://www.autobatteries.com/en-us/battery-testing-and-maintenance/car-battery-voltage-and-testing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sylquist Posted January 2, 2022 Author Share Posted January 2, 2022 Appreciate the thoughts. Battery tested on multimeter and comes back ~12.5ish. Battery is also less than two years old. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scubaboo Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 I would try removing the battery terminals then reinstalling and starting the car. You will of course lose some settings but hopefully will get everything working again. No I have not tried it on a 6th gen but it has worked for me on a variety of cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted January 2, 2022 Share Posted January 2, 2022 I would do what the dealership calls a "cap discharge". disconnect both battery terminals and touch them together for 30-60 seconds, it really just needs 10-15 but "they say..". when you reconnect the battery, clean the throttle body and reset your window pinch protection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoleMan Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 I would not recommend the "cap discharge" method as described. Never have heard of this of seen it done. To touch the negative and positive cables together seems like it would just invite an issue to the electrical system and I can not see any trained professional mechanic doing this at all. The other method of removing the negative and positive cables will reset the computer etc. The only setting you will lose on this car will be the window settings(relearn procedure a five year old can do as it's easy) and maybe the TPMS display in the cluster. But it won't move your seat settings like other cars. But since you have said that your meter tested the battery at 12.5 volts just go ahead and replace it with a non Subaru upgraded battery(huge discussions on this issue) you take your pick of the two sizes and go from their. I would not do anything else at this time besides replace the battery. Once again please DO NOT touch the negative and positive cables together! Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 (edited) Okay. Well... I am a trained subaru mechanic so.. weird. Edited January 3, 2022 by silverton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 https://www.ascentforums.com/threads/audio-completely-dead.4153/ crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 but i suppose since you can't view the dislike count any more, who knows if it's true or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoleMan Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 @Sliverton, Just saying I would never touch the negative and positive cables together. Yeah it could work. And yeah if you are a trained Subaru mechanic I would also expect the dealer to take up responsibility if something goes wrong. Not saying it does not work. With the battery pulling 12.5 volts any mechanic would say replace the battery regardless if factory trained or backyard. I design aircraft parts for military aircraft and also have worked on commercial airliners such as the 787 designing parts. You would never believe me if I told you how many people freak out when I tell them the wings flex and it’s designed to do that. But let me ask have you done this procedure and have any electrical issues happened specifically with the sixth and seventh gen cars? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 (edited) I have had to do this procedure hundreds of times, only on canbus cars, and most commonly on the 15+'s. And it is to fix exactly these kinds of gremlins. It has never caused NEW gremlins. Much like you saying wings flex, and I know that they do, but I'm not going to be confidently incorrect about saying they shouldn't when you tell me they do. I'd google it before I went on a forum and straight up contradicted something. 12.5 volts is perfect for a battery at rest. If it drops below 10 while cranking, you have issues. While running It should be between 13.5'ish and 14.5'ish. +/- .3v Edited January 3, 2022 by silverton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 With the battery pulling 12.5 volts any mechanic would say replace the battery regardless if factory trained or backyard. https://deepcyclebatterystore.com/how-to-maintain-batteries/ When checking the batteries, (at rest) use these “Voltage Landmarks”. 12.6 volts = 100% 12.5 volts = 70% 12.3 volts = 50% 11.4 volts = 20% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammcinnis Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Just saying I would never touch the negative and positive cables together. Assuming that 1) either of the cables is disconnected from the battery, and 2) the ignition switch is OFF or ACC (i.e. engine not running): Connecting the positive and ground cables together is unnecessary ... but it's not going to hurt anything, either. I design aircraft parts for military aircraft and also have worked on commercial airliners such as the 787 designing parts. You would never believe me if I told you how many people freak out when I tell them the wings flex and it’s designed to do that. Irrelevant. "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." ~ The Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Connecting the positive and ground cables together is unnecessary I'd say it's only necessary in electrical gremlin situations such as this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sylquist Posted January 4, 2022 Author Share Posted January 4, 2022 Tried all the suggestions. Battery is a Napa Legend Premium. Nothing worked. I suspect I must’ve fried something during the jump. I have a service appointment tomorrow with Subaru. Will let you guys know when I know. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoleMan Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 @Sliverton, The OP mentioned that his voltage was at 12.5 volts AFTER the car was on and running. I assumed this since they said they had it checked at Autozone while it was in the car and after I once assumed they drove it to said parts store. So at that point the battery at that voltage would be toast and require a replacement. To give reference. I drove my 3.6 a total of 320 miles in 2021. It has a stock battery. The battery is dead. I have a Schumacher plug in jumper/tender which I use to start the car. On occasion The car gives an eyesight warning issue on the center display between the speedometer and the tach. I have come to the conclusion that since I don’t drive the car and it’s in a garage and the windshield gets dirty the eyesight cameras are just going haywire until I clean the windshield near the cameras and then the car is fine. In this case this is a simple battery issue with the voltage issue when the car is running/has been run recent. Some of us live in climates where the weather gets below zero quite often In The winter months(it was -12 where I was yesterday and only 6 durning the day yesterday)so the average life of a good battery is generally 2-3 years instead of the normal 4 or more when going through the climate cycle. @slyquist, If the dealer does conclude it does need a battery replacement be sure to tell them you want your old battery back. You can get a proration or free replacement if you are within the warranty period. Napa is really good about not giving you BS if you are within the warranty period. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Jump started my 2015 Legacy Limited ... I already took my battery to AutoZone and had it charged (battery is good and not faulty). Wanted to add that already scanned it with my scanner and no error codes. Everything else works fine (eyesight, lights, stereo, etc). Appreciate the thoughts. Battery tested on multimeter and comes back ~12.5ish. Battery is also less than two years old. Tried all the suggestions. Battery is a Napa Legend Premium. Nothing worked. I suspect I must’ve fried something during the jump. I have a service appointment tomorrow with Subaru. Will let you guys know when I know. @Sliverton, The OP mentioned that his voltage was at 12.5 volts AFTER the car was on and running. I assumed this since they said they had it checked at Autozone while it was in the car and after I once assumed they drove it to said parts store. So at that point the battery at that voltage would be toast and require a replacement. Not once did OP mention that the battery voltage was 12.5 after the car was started. And the way it reads, they removed the battery and took it to autozone, not took the whole car. I've learned you make a lot of assumptions MoleMan, it's....frustrating. IF @sylquist had mentioned that his battery was only showing 12.5 volts while running, I would have recommended an alternator and this thread would be a whole lot shorter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sylquist Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 For clarification, it’s 12.5v, car not running. Dealer said they’ve never seen this problem before. The Lead Technician is working on it and they asked to keep it an extra day. Service Advisor tried to get me out of there asap by doing the basic reset stuff already mentioned in this thread. As with me, none of it worked. I suspect a hefty bill is coming my way. But I could be pleasantly surprised. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sylquist Posted January 5, 2022 Author Share Posted January 5, 2022 Dealership got back to me. During the jump, a voltage spike occurred that caused the circuit board on the instrument cluster to burn out. So basically the worst case scenario happened. Apparently after all the diagnostics, the technician just decided to start taking the car apart and saw the burnt out board. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ammcinnis Posted January 5, 2022 Share Posted January 5, 2022 [Theory:] During the jump, a voltage spike occurred that caused the circuit board on the instrument cluster to burn out. That makes sense. Unfortunately, it's a risk you take when jump starting any modern car with a lot of onboard electronics. Using a stand-alone booster pack is safer than using jumper cables connected to another vehicle, but neither method is 100% safe. (Then there is always the risk of connecting jumper cables with the polarity backwards. On the other hand, most ... but not all ... booster packs include some kind of reverse-polarity protection.) "If you don't know where you're going, any road will take you there." ~ The Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sylquist Posted January 6, 2022 Author Share Posted January 6, 2022 That makes sense. Unfortunately, it's a risk you take when jump starting any modern car with a lot of onboard electronics. Using a stand-alone booster pack is safer than using jumper cables connected to another vehicle, but neither method is 100% safe. (Then there is always the risk of connecting jumper cables with the polarity backwards. On the other hand, most ... but not all ... booster packs include some kind of reverse-polarity protection.) Yup. Did everything as safe and properly as I possibly could short of disconnecting the battery and taking it to get charged before hand. Used a jump pack. Connected the cables properly. Then double checked polarities and connections. Even used eye and hand PPE just cause I had it available. One in a million as the tech said. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 Dealership got back to me. During the jump, a voltage spike occurred that caused the circuit board on the instrument cluster to burn out. So basically the worst case scenario happened. Apparently after all the diagnostics, the technician just decided to start taking the car apart and saw the burnt out board. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk The technician didn't have to do much, the cluster in your car practically falls out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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