svx dead
 

Went out this morning to drive my daughter to school. remote did not appear to work, used key, car dead, battery is charged. Transmission is stuck in park.
Last night was cold, which for northern california, bay area was upper 30s. I did drive and park the car late last night and noticed the ABS light on. I recall having a similar incident some time ago which was related to the car pushed against a curb but this did not appear to be the case, anyway I tried to gently rock the car and see if there was a mechanical lockup problem but to no avail. So to sum up the problem: remote won't work, battery good, transmission won't come out of park, and daughter was late to school. Any suggestions on what to look for would be greatly appreciated, by the way I have a complete set of manuals for the car but with the exception of replacing one window cable clip and the drivers side auto window switch have left everything else up to a mechanic.

So you charged the battery after you tried to start it? Or you just knew it was charged?

It is possible that the ABS light meant that the ABS motor was stuck on and drained the battery. I have had times where the ABS motor got stuck in the ON position. Did not change when the key was removed. I had to remove the relay to make the motor stop.

Try charging or jumping it.

How did you confirm that the battery is good? 'Cos your symptoms add up to one very dead battery.

dcb

Sounds like a dead battery. Remote didn't work because the car's battery is dead, car wouldn't start because battery is dead, shifter wouldn't move because the shift lock solenoid doesn't work because the battery is dead. Did I miss anything?

You can shift out of park with a dead battery if you use the shift lock over ride feature. On 92's it was as easy as pushing the button near the shifter. On 93 and up you need to pop off a small cover and use a screw driver to access the over ride switch.


Dave

I looked at the idiot indicator on the maintenance free delco battery and it appeared green. Just confirmed that the battery is indeed dead with a volt meter. Thank you for the quick replies and I am some what sheepish that I didn't reseach this problem better before posting. I did thou fine a wonderful site which I will try and visit, maybe to share the tale of five replaced rear axle bearings or the moving idler pulley on a car that was always serviced by "subaru trained" machanics.

Glad you found the problem!

Don't be a stranger. :)

Agreed. This site is useful for owners even when you don't have problems with your SVX. ;)

-Chike

You should visit the site alot more. You will find out some great things about our car...not to mention get to meet some great people who will help you out in time of need. Hope to see you around! :cool:

Remember to check out the ABS relay after you change the battery, or else you may be in for another rude awakening tomorrow morning.

KuoH

Where is the ABS relay and what must be checked.

Funny....I had the same problem three days ago. During a short drive, the ABS light came on. I parked car overnight, & a perfectly good battery was stone dead next morning. At first thought I must have left an interior light on. Bought a new battery, connected it, & heard the whirr coming from the ABS relay. I tapped the the bugger with a wrench, & the whirring stopped. Odd thing is that I didn't hear this noise after exiting the car, but half 'a box o' Chardonney might explain things.

Ron. (loving the company of misery).

This is the time of year it starts to get cold. That means that batteries that are ok during the summer will not have enough power to turn the car over during the cold. :confused:

Sweet. Another reason 92s are the best.

;) still easy anyways....I just keep a small screwdriver in my center counsel

The best I tell you! >:O

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Console.