Thanks in advance for your help/advice...

We have a 2015 Subaru Outback with an intermittent problem.

A few months ago we stopped and were eating in our car at a fast "food" restaurant. The only draw on the non-running car was the radio. We finished eating in 5-10 minutes and the car would not start. We jumped the car and were off and running.

No problems since then until we went to a Mizzou football game this past Saturday. We had the tailgate up for ~1-1/2 hours, locked up the car, went to the game, came back, and of course the car would not start. Jumped. Back on the road and no problem with restarts.

Yesterday I stopped by WalMart, Consumer Reports gives their batteries high ratings and cost ~$100, and their check showed the battery was OK.

Given WalMart's report below, I'm thinking the alternator is not doing its job and is just keeping the battery at the minimal level. Hence any non-running electrical draws, drain the battery.

Any advice/thoughts?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: h2oys,

The alternator was working (at least during the test) with the 14.2 volts. The 10.19 volts with the starter is getting down there. I would try a new battery since it is 4 years old and looks weak to me.

Is this the original battery?

If so, go get a new one.

Your alternator is fine.

2.5 engine?
Common issue, Subaru put crap batteries in them.
tail gate up uses power.

https://www.subaruoutback.org/...-with-better.391217/

Just going by percentages, it’s most likely the battery. Check what you can, make sure any belts are doing their job.

Any ‘parasite draw’ & possibly type of driving(very short trips) could contribute.

You could take the battery out & evaluate it with a maintainer of sorts, if available.

I’ve been happy with Johnson Controls batteries from Wally World.

Looks like a weak battery. Alternator output is fine.

quote:

Originally posted by OKCGene:
Is this the original battery?

.

Yes it's the original battery and we do have the 2.5 liter 4 cylinder engine.

I am with everyone else, replace the battery.

I drive an OB and as others have said, it's the Subaru OE battery that's the culprit.

The problems are twofold with the crappy factory battery:

1. Look at the CCA. It's very low comparted to what's available. Move up to a size 34 battery like a lot of people, myself included of if you're inclined, a 25 but with at least 700 CCA.

2. Subie received lots of complaints over this and part of the problem was that the alternator wasn't charging very much on short trips. This was designed for fuel effiency aka if the alternator isn't being charged at adds to the city mileage. There's likley a software update for you.

Finally, the Subaru philosophy is that the battery only needs to be strong enough to start the car and not power everything with the engine off. This means they can have a smaller battery, save weight and still start the car.

Taken together, it all is receipe for disaster. Buy non-Subaru battery of sufficient CCA and also, a jump pack to keep in your car for just in case.

I replaced my battery with an Optima 34 and it's been perfect. No issues.

quote:

"You can't just go to Walmart with a gift card and get a new brother." --Janice Serrano

But you can get a new size 34 battery?

Only 355 CCA ?
Looks like it should be 500-550 CCA.

My motorcycle battery is 230 CCA.

Replace it with a quality battery.... Deka, Duracell (same as Deka), etc.
"Batteries plus bulbs" is a good place to purchase a new battery.

"I'm not dead yet" does not mean you should not toss that battery on the dead cart.

Buy a good AGM battery. Optima, Duralast Gold, etc. $200. Money well spent.

The battery is only factory rated at 355 CCA? It's a weak-ass battery to start with, and now it's four years old. I think you need a battery. The cranking voltage (under the load of the starter) is low. I'd like to see at least 10.5, in fact, closer to 11. The charging voltage looks fine.

If you buy the battery from Wal-Mart the warranty is good throughout the country. They are also Deka BTW. As a matter of fact, if you see a black with white letter and number date code dot on a battery it is most likely a Deka.

My 2015 Subaru Legacy battery lasted three years. Buy a new battery.

Looks like your battery and alternator are fine, but that's a small battery. It won't take much to drain it to the point of not starting the car, so quit leaving stuff on! When it finally does go, I'd put a bigger battery in.

quote:

Originally posted by trapper189:
Looks like your battery and alternator are fine...

Actually, the voltage drops too low when cranking. Battery is weak and should be replaced now before it leaves him stranded.

I no longer use Johnson Controls batteries in any of my cars. The last few I have had have leaked acid (in less than 2 years) through the posts or the caps. I now only use East Penn manufactured batteries.

Johnson Controls no longer makes automotive batteries. They sold that division off to another company.

quote:

Originally posted by petr:
Johnson Controls no longer makes automotive batteries. They sold that division off to another company.

Good point. I don’t know if their new batteries have started showing up with their new name “Clarios” instead of Johnson Controls or not.

quote:

Originally posted by PowerSurge:

Actually, the voltage drops too low when cranking. Battery is weak and should be replaced now before it leaves him stranded.

Are you sure the voltage drop isn't just because it's only a 355CCA battery to begin with? It put out 373CCA in the test. If it had say a 500CCA battery, the voltage wouldn't drop nearly as much.