07spec Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 Hi everyone, I have been having the same problem with my 07 SpecB, which is completely stock and has only 2200 miles. Anytime the car is parked for more then 2 days, totally dead battery. This has happened to me 3 times. Totally dead, key fob will not even unlock doors. I have XM installed, but nothing else. Took car to dealer today, they found no problem (of course) they told me that I must have left the dome light on. I explained to them that leaving a light on is acutally impossible on 07 Subarus. They have "Anti-Battery Rundown Feature" the lights automatically turn off after 15 minutes. They told me to come back if it happens again. I guess we will see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02BlkRex Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 I am having a similar problem on my '07 LGT. Mine has always started so far but it has to crank a bit and I always lose my radio presets. Very annoying. It has been pretty cold out here lately and I don't have a garage but my '02 WRX never had a problem and my wife's '03 Saturn and '07 Forester are fine also. I have the OEM sub but no XM option. I have a stealership appointment for next weekend so I will let you guys know if they find something. I'm guessing it'll be warmer then and they won't be able to duplicate the problem... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07spec Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Just as a follow up to my other post: I got a call from the dealership again today, they want to "test" my car for a few days. They gave me a loaner and said they will park my car and let it sit till the battery dies so they can duplicate the problem and then fix it. I guess we will see what happens. I suggested the XM radio problem, and they just said they would test everything. I will post the results in a few days. Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07spec Posted January 19, 2007 Share Posted January 19, 2007 I heard back from the dealer, and picked my car up. They had it for 3 days. The found a "hot to ground short" on the right map light. They ordered a new map light, saying this one was defective. New map light assembly comes next week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02BlkRex Posted January 20, 2007 Share Posted January 20, 2007 I took my '07 LGT to the dealer today and...SURPRISE!...nothing was wrong. After much threatening and whining, they finally agreed to order me a new head unit in case that one is faulty. The tech said he checked "everything" out and found nothing wrong. I'm not sure how long it takes to check everything out but he had my car for about 20 minutes tops. Maybe he is just a fast tech? I got home and the edging around my sunroof is coming off! WTF?! This car has less than 400 miles on it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HieroGLFX Posted January 23, 2007 Author Share Posted January 23, 2007 I took my '07 LGT to the dealer today and...SURPRISE!...nothing was wrong. After much threatening and whining, they finally agreed to order me a new head unit in case that one is faulty. The tech said he checked "everything" out and found nothing wrong. I'm not sure how long it takes to check everything out but he had my car for about 20 minutes tops. Maybe he is just a fast tech? I got home and the edging around my sunroof is coming off! WTF?! This car has less than 400 miles on it!! Did they check to see if there was some kind of a draw on your battery? Update on my problem: So far so good. But, I did lose my radio presets, probably because I left my map light on overnight. I'm working mainly from home this week and I'm gonna let it sit in my garage for at least 2 days and see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirsimon Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 I just found this thread...yay! I can cry and hopefully get some sympathy myself. I am in the same boat as many of the rest of you: 2007 SpecB, XM installed. Park the car for more than 1.5 to 2 days. Battery totally dead, no keyless entry etc. Gah! Dealer also told me "you must've left the dome light on". Now they have the car overnight (got a Chrysler Sebring rental for me...yikes!). This is getting out of hand, Subaru. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZinFreak Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 It would be really interesting for someone with a 2007 Legacy and integrated XM to get a volt/current meter and measure the parasitic current draw off the battery. Then pull the fuse for the radio/XM unit and note the difference in current draw. Just a hunch, but I bet we'd see that the XM satellite unit isn't powering down or sleeping properly. This is really easy to do and would take about 15 minutes. -Zin 06 LGT LTD GRP 5MT 07 FXT LTD OBP 4EAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one69chev Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 with electrical gremlins, anything is possible; a lot of systems have what's called KMA--keep memory alive, for various functions; possibly not working properly... in most cars, the kma has a module/relay, maybe an open circuit in one or the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HieroGLFX Posted January 26, 2007 Author Share Posted January 26, 2007 Post Repair Update: I've had my car for more than 2 weeks now. Since then, I've lost my radio presets and settings once. But, that was my fault, I've left my map lights on over night. Doh! This week I left my car sitting in my garage from Sunday night until Thursday morning. My car started fine, the crank was still strong, and my presets were still in place. For people that doesn't have XM or Subwoofer installed and are still experiencing electrical draw on their 07 LGT, have the dealer check out the radio, which they replaced. That fixed my problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07spec Posted January 27, 2007 Share Posted January 27, 2007 Continuing the saga of my SpecB, Dealer got the map light in, took car in to have it replaced. Dealer ordered the wrong map light. They kept car overnight again to get correct part in. Finally installed the correct map light, and then they called me. They still found an abnormal drain on the battery. It's not just the hot to ground short from defective map light. They said they would investigate more. 2 days go by, they called me back. The verdict: Defective Engine Control Module! They said they would have to call SOA and see about what to do next. This is the third time I have been to the dealer about the same problem, car dying after being parked for 2 days. I really hope this ECM is it, otherwise the car is a Lemon! This is my 3rd Subaru, and I just can't believe this is happening... Sigh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02BlkRex Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Did they check to see if there was some kind of a draw on your battery? Update on my problem: So far so good. But, I did lose my radio presets, probably because I left my map light on overnight. I'm working mainly from home this week and I'm gonna let it sit in my garage for at least 2 days and see what happens. They said they checked and could find no draw on my battery but are replacing my radio anyway. I go in Thursday... It has been cold again and my car sat for a weekend and started right up with my presets intact. I don't understand. Maybe the dealer found something on accident and accidently fixed it while rummaging around testing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
02BlkRex Posted February 2, 2007 Share Posted February 2, 2007 They think your radio is causing the problem? The only reason your radio loses the presets is when the battery drains. I have left my map lights on a few times overnight and haven't had any problems. In fact, I think it turns them off anyway... not sure on that tho. But the car still starts so I'm not sure it's entirely the battery. It cranks a bit more than I'd like but has always started for me so far. In any case, they replaced the radio today and it is 3 degrees outside now so we will see what happens in the morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrD Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 Crap. I have the same problem with my car 2006 LGT 5MT starting this morning. The car would not start the battery was stone cold dead. I did not drive it for 3-4 days. I jumped it with my wife's car and it started fine, I took it around the block for 15 minutes and the car started again after I turned it off. Tonight I tried to start the car and the battery was stone cold dead again. -MrD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZinFreak Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 Crap. I have the same problem with my car 2006 LGT 5MT starting this morning. The car would not start the battery was stone cold dead. I did not drive it for 3-4 days. I jumped it with my wife's car and it started fine, I took it around the block for 15 minutes and the car started again after I turned it off. Tonight I tried to start the car and the battery was stone cold dead again. -MrD Look at the vehicle and find the build date. I assume you bought it new. Determine how long it sat before purchase. There is a good chance you are in the same boat I was. My battery had almost six months of sitting around with the radio and security system nibbling away on the battery before I purchased it. That scenario is really bad for the life of a lead acid battery. I replaced mine and have had no problems since. A Suby dealer should replace it under warranty, but I just went to Costco and bought another. The time it would have taken going to the dealer and let them screw around with it wasn't worth the $50 I spent for the new battery. -Zin 06 LGT LTD GRP 5MT 07 FXT LTD OBP 4EAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrD Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 Look at the vehicle and find the build date. I assume you bought it new. Determine how long it sat before purchase. There is a good chance you are in the same boat I was. My battery had almost six months of sitting around with the radio and security system nibbling away on the battery before I purchased it. That scenario is really bad for the life of a lead acid battery. I replaced mine and have had no problems since. A Suby dealer should replace it under warranty, but I just went to Costco and bought another. The time it would have taken going to the dealer and let them screw around with it wasn't worth the $50 I spent for the new battery. Agreed. I replaced my battery today, we'll see how it goes. The battery I replaced it with has 50% more CCA than the OEM battery. I tested the voltage across the terminals while the car was running and it is at 14+V which seems to be accurate. I did not look for a parasitic current though... too much trouble, plus I did not want to pull 50A fuses. Let me say though replacing this battery was much more painful compared to previous vehicles I have owned -MrD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZinFreak Posted February 4, 2007 Share Posted February 4, 2007 Agreed. I replaced my battery today, we'll see how it goes. The battery I replaced it with has 50% more CCA than the OEM battery. I tested the voltage across the terminals while the car was running and it is at 14+V which seems to be accurate. I did not look for a parasitic current though... too much trouble, plus I did not want to pull 50A fuses. Let me say though replacing this battery was much more painful compared to previous vehicles I have owned -MrD The +14V across the battery when running means that the charging system is functioning fine. What you'd really need to do is measure the voltage across the battery when it is disconnected (the open circuit voltage). Moot point now with a new battery. I bet you'll be fine now. -Zin 06 LGT LTD GRP 5MT 07 FXT LTD OBP 4EAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrD Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 The +14V across the battery when running means that the charging system is functioning fine. What you'd really need to do is measure the voltage across the battery when it is disconnected (the open circuit voltage). Moot point now with a new battery. I bet you'll be fine now. Old battery was 6.5 volts. MrD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZinFreak Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 Holy Crap That qualifies as DEAD! Old battery was 6.5 volts. MrD -Zin 06 LGT LTD GRP 5MT 07 FXT LTD OBP 4EAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbninmn Posted February 5, 2007 Share Posted February 5, 2007 300 miles and lost all the presets and the XM radio de-activated this morning. All I got was channel 1 on XM. I had to reactivate it. I did that online instead of calling XM. I used the remote start so I did not know if it cranked slowly (was not out there!). It has been -10 degrees F around here lately (daily high temp!). I do not do short drives in this type of weather in any of my cars. So, the battery should be charged fine by the charging system. My car is in the garage all the time. I will start manually from now on to see how it cranks. The car came with remote start and the extra security system (perimeter) and I had dealer install XM. I have had the car 1.5 weeks so far! I had all the stations set, 1 am, 2 fm and 3 sat (XM). That sucks. This is the first time I had this happen without having the battery disconnected for service. This has happened on my first junkie cars but none of my new ones in the last 5+ years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Txchas Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 I'm at 800 miles. The car was on the showroom floor when I got it a few weeks ago. The battery was completely dead. They had to hook a charger to it to get it to crank. I've noticed a few mornings since then that it seemed to turn over slower....I thought it was just my imagination. I'll have to keep an eye on it. I have XM, but not the sub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HieroGLFX Posted February 8, 2007 Author Share Posted February 8, 2007 I'm at 800 miles. The car was on the showroom floor when I got it a few weeks ago. The battery was completely dead. They had to hook a charger to it to get it to crank. I've noticed a few mornings since then that it seemed to turn over slower....I thought it was just my imagination. I'll have to keep an eye on it. I have XM, but not the sub. Don't touch it for at least 2 days, then you might notice something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Txchas Posted February 12, 2007 Share Posted February 12, 2007 Didn't touch the car from Wednesday night until yesterday morning. 2.5 days...still started up....couldn't really tell if it was cranking slowly or not this time. Oh well....I'll find out for sure the next time I go on vacation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjo Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 Hm... just found this post, my 05 OBXT seems to be having the same problem... i drove it up to canada the other day, got back, and forgot to turn of the map lights, no big deal.. so i come back a few days later, and jump it, and let it charge for a while. the next day i came back and it was dead again... so i jump it again, then drive around (~9-10 miles) go inside for about 2 hours... go to turn it on again.. and there's power, but not enough to crank the engine (click click click click click....) so... i just jumped it again, and drove it around town, left it running when i went shopping etc.. (on for about 2 hours) i guess i'll see how that turns out.. when the car is running, across the battery terminals reads ~14.5V, with the car off it's ~12.5V i pulled the + terminal, and checked the amperage and it was 0.100mA... seems a bit high for a little blinking security light, aye? i also tried pulling some fuses and checking the amperage, i pulled out the 'lighting' fuse in the engine box... nothing else looked like it would do much.. i'll try more later if it continues to be a little whore... any ideas? maybe the map light browned out when i left it on the other night?.. doesn't really make sense.. because it still works... the battery is an optima red top.. so it should have no problems.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZinFreak Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 when the car is running, across the battery terminals reads ~14.5V, with the car off it's ~12.5V i pulled the + terminal, and checked the amperage and it was 0.100mA... seems a bit high for a little blinking security light, aye? Andyjo, 14.5V during charging sounds a bit high, I think 14V is the right number. Your alternator may be working a bit harder than it should. Now when you measured the voltage (12.5V) across the battery when the car was off, did you measure the OCV, that is disconnect the negative, then measure the voltage across the terminals? If you measure the voltage with the negative connected, it will be wrong. You need the OCV. Next did you temperature correct the voltage? I posted a temperature correction for the battery voltage vs. battery temperature. Not sure what to what to say on the parasitic draw. No one has posted any numbers on this, however, I would think 20 to 50 milli amps is probably in the right ball park. The parasitic draw will include the radio (presets), the automatic lock radio, plus the alarm, and the blinky light on the dash. -Zin 06 LGT LTD GRP 5MT 07 FXT LTD OBP 4EAT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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