TSiWRX Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 If you're still on your OEM battery, it might be time to replace it - nevertheless, the kind of temporary drain that you're talking about isn't necessarily abnormal or worrisome, IMveryHO, unless extreme. <-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges '16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawlwawl06 Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 yes OEM battery, idk I thought the slow window issue had to do with the battery. My alternator whines a lot too. I'm really not prepared for winter, I need to have a battery ready and some jumper cables to throw in the car. I did put a coleman sleeping bag in the trunk just in case shite hits the fan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSiWRX Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 ^ I hear ya - looks like you guys and gals over there need to bunker-in for a day or two. Your Scooby is more than capable of handling the snow, just don't get her high-centered, and you'll be OK. Be careful of the other yahoos out there, though! Here in NE-Ohio, with a toddler in the car, we carry "a trunkful" of emergency supplies, too, with a lot of it dedicated to cold-weather comfort (not necessarily "survival," as we live in a well-populated suburban area). Hopefully, you'll make it through the cold snap A-OK. My '05 is an early-build, with a DOB of June, 2004. I just replaced her OEM battery this fall, as a winter precaution. I'm not driving anything that needs lots of juice from the battery, but I noticed longer cranks in the AM, when it started getting cold, so I just said "why not, it's about time." Beats waking up to needing a jump, from the wifey's new FXT! <-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges '16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanB Posted December 19, 2009 Share Posted December 19, 2009 Mine are fine as long as it's warm out, when the temp drops they are slow as molasses, and even the auto down kicks out 2x before the driver side window is fully open! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ppettit2005 Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 if it's a battery issue, would a larger ground strap help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amp27 Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 probably not. but if its a bad ground that wouldn't hurt to fix it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ppettit2005 Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 considering that the ground is the switched negative terminal on our cars, I think it would. more current flowing through the wires to the motor only results in the motor turning faster after all... I need to add a ground strap to my car anyway though... I can see my lights change in brightness when I switch gears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSiWRX Posted December 21, 2009 Share Posted December 21, 2009 I transferred the old grounding kit on my DSM over to my LGT - just for the bling. No difference, as far as I can tell, on the windows. <-- I love Winky, my "periwinkle" (ABP) LGT! - Allen / Usual Suspect "DumboRAT" / One of the Three Stooges '16 Outback, '16 WRX, 7th Subaru Family Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ppettit2005 Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 darn... there goes that theory... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maestro8 Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 I just spent some time looking at the wiring diagram, all the motors are in parallel so voltage isn't an issue, if anything the amperage is choked but I can't really see why from the wiring. The wiring diagram is just that: a diagram with perfect lines and junctions. The actual wiring may not be in the same condition; there could be bad a connection or corrosion at some junction. Any faults could add resistance to the system. The same thing goes with the grounding. Although the chassis should be able to deliver ground current with little resistance, that's not guaranteed. Check that your connection(s) to the chassis are clean, tight and free of corrosion. The wire gauge won't choke current, a circuit will take exactly what current it wants, thats why wire sizing is so important. On what basis can you make such a claim? On the contrary, larger gauge wires have lower resistivity. A circuit can only take as much current as is provided, no matter how much it "wants". Considering the 22 gauge wire mentioned in this thread, and assuming there is 10 feet of wire and 10A of current flowing to the motor, the wire itself will cause a voltage drop of over 1.3 volts! Switching to 18 gauge wire, the drop is reduced to just over 0.6 volts. The more windows you put up at once, the slower they go. Plus as they go up, all of my lights dim. Your electrical system can only put out so much power at once. The supply comes from the battery and/or your alternator. One or both of those supplies may need upgrade if you're experiencing such troubles... but first you must make sure the supplies are properly connected! (keep reading) if it's a battery issue, would a larger ground strap help? First check your connections. Are they loose or corroded? That in itself would cause issues. A solid connection won't, however, help a wimpy battery. Mine are fine as long as it's warm out, when the temp drops they are slow as molasses Your battery provides energy from a chemical reaction. This reaction slows as the battery's temperature drops. You may need to look for a battery with a higher CCA rating (cold cranking amperage). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawlwawl06 Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 hmmm maybe its the alternator slowly failing. . .I just bought a new battery and it hasn't helped eliminate my electrical problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spec.B Dream Posted January 19, 2010 Share Posted January 19, 2010 I bought my slightly used 08 in April and the windows have been slow from day 1. Seems like the fix should be more than a bad battery/alternator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imrac Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Anyone have a link for an after market alt? My lights dim because of my noise makers in the back of the car. I don't think just a cap will cut it because it will dim for long periods of time if my car sits at idle with high volume. From my understanding caps are just good for those quick voltage drops and are terrible for anything longer because it has to recharge while still pumping to the amps. I also should get a new ground strap. Also, with an after market amp, is there a difference between the GT and NA alternators? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emilbus Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Well the slow-window problem is too common to be a bad connection or bad battery. It seems that all but 1 person in this thread has slow windows. I just bought my '07 Legacy (n/a) with 17,000 miles and I noticed the slow windows before I even test drove it.My 2002 Maxima has very good window speed with Auto Up ANDDown for both front windows. I am highly disappointed that the Subaru windows are slow and lacking this feature for an '07.... What will it take to get an AUTO up/down switch hooked up for these?? That will lessen the heartache of the slow-a$$ windows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boostin1657615274 Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 I cant believe how much people on this forum complain about Subaru and their 'cheap interiors', 'slow windows', 'poor engineering' etc. Try owning a Mitsubishi, and the Subaru will suddenly feel like a Lexus. Problem solved. On the search for a new DD... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spec.B Dream Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 I do own a Mitsu, wife's 07 Outlander. My Leggy has better ergonomics, but that interior is more solid. It has little to no rattles, the driver's side window has both auto-down and up, and all four windows are very fast. There are many reasons why I chose my Leggy, but interior quality was not the deciding factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schwinn Posted January 20, 2010 Share Posted January 20, 2010 Anyone have a link for an after market alt? My lights dim because of my noise makers in the back of the car. I don't think just a cap will cut it because it will dim for long periods of time if my car sits at idle with high volume. From my understanding caps are just good for those quick voltage drops and are terrible for anything longer because it has to recharge while still pumping to the amps. I also should get a new ground strap. Also, with an after market amp, is there a difference between the GT and NA alternators?you are correct, caps won't solve the problem for you - you need a bigger alternator. I don't know of any aftermarket off-the-shelf units... you may need to get your stocker rewound/rebuilt for higher output... or add a second alternator (if there is room... never investigated that!) New ground strap - yes... I don't know where you plan to put in this new straps, but if you're using stockers, then you definitely need bigger ones there. As far as the stocker, I don't believe there is any diff between GT/NA alternators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ppettit2005 Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 I went to a bigger ground strap, and if the windows are faster then they are barely faster... but I have noticed that my remote locks and alarm work from farther away and are more consistant now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EquinnoxX Posted January 21, 2010 Share Posted January 21, 2010 I noticed the windows were pretty slow when I bought the car new. I also had gotten a grounding kit as a freebie with some other parts I ordered awhile back but it didn't help. After the tints when on it, they got even slower. On the really cold mornings when i roll down / up all 4 windows at once, I can almost get thru a full song before they complete the cycle! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ppettit2005 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 what? mine don't do that and I have window tint... that's really weird... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rao Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 You might want to ground the window tint..... Rob IF YOU CARE ABOUT YOUR CAR YOU SHOULD NEVER DRIVE IT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schwinn Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 And be sure to use a black ground wire... red ones or clear ones don't ground as good because they're not made for grounding purposes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maestro8 Posted January 22, 2010 Share Posted January 22, 2010 I went to a bigger ground strap, and if the windows are faster then they are barely faster... Someone's forgetting their basic electronics! A circuit can only deliver as much power as the weakest link in the circuit will allow. You've likely replaced the strongest link in the battery - switch - relay - window motor circuit. Looking at the wiring diagram, there are several places where voltage drop could occur in the circuit. There are two switches and 1-3 connectors through which each signal must pass to reach the motor (both +12 and ground!). My guess as to the source of the drop is resistive loss in the wiring, but a conclusive answer wouldn't be too hard to get with a voltmeter and some patience. Have you measured the voltage at the window motors? I'd bet it's at least a volt lower than your battery's potential output. How much rewiring are you willing to do? A proper fix may require adding some electronics, switching the power at the motor instead of inside the driver's door panel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwolson2 Posted May 30, 2011 Share Posted May 30, 2011 oh the year long revival, any new updates, my windows have been slow since new in 06 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mega Users paintpollz Posted June 9, 2011 Mega Users Share Posted June 9, 2011 Does anyone have a DIY write up with pictures on how to lube the window track and motor components and locks? I feel like this should be done around 100,000mi "Remember Danny - Two wrongs don't make a right but three rights make a left." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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