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  #1  
Old 06-21-2011, 03:00 PM
jeffs92svx jeffs92svx is offline
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weird power issue

We went to the beach for a week and when we got back the battery was dead on the svx. Well I jumped it and everything was fine for a while. Within the last few days my wife will go to get in the car to go to work and there is no power whatsoever, just like a completely dead battery. Well, i went out a couple of hours later and it started right up, all kinds of battery power. This has happened twice, both times in the morning. Both times, now power at all, no lights or anything come on, then a little later it will fire right up. Anyone else ever had this happen? Thanks.
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  #2  
Old 06-21-2011, 03:20 PM
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icingdeath88 icingdeath88 is offline
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Re: weird power issue

Check the connections to the battery and also any and all grounds.
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Old 06-21-2011, 03:34 PM
jeffs92svx jeffs92svx is offline
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Re: weird power issue

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Originally Posted by icingdeath88 View Post
Check the connections to the battery and also any and all grounds.
Oh yeah, i forgot, i couldnt find anything loose either.
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Old 06-21-2011, 04:45 PM
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Re: weird power issue

still new to SVX but could it be the security system acting up?
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Old 06-21-2011, 06:32 PM
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Re: weird power issue

There's a ground in front of the battery that bolts to the chassis, take a look at that. Sometimes they are held down ok, but when you look closely it'll be corroded so that it doesn't make a good connection.
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Now a mod "over there" ............Photo album
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Old 06-21-2011, 07:11 PM
oab_au oab_au is offline
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Re: weird power issue

Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffs92svx View Post
We went to the beach for a week and when we got back the battery was dead on the svx. Well I jumped it and everything was fine for a while. Within the last few days my wife will go to get in the car to go to work and there is no power whatsoever, just like a completely dead battery. Well, i went out a couple of hours later and it started right up, all kinds of battery power. This has happened twice, both times in the morning. Both times, now power at all, no lights or anything come on, then a little later it will fire right up. Anyone else ever had this happen? Thanks.
When there is absolutely no power, then it reappears to be OK, it sounds like the battery terminal is loosing contact. The terminal gets progressive dirty, till you hit the starter and the last bit of contact heats up to open, and there is nothing. Let it cool down and it goes, but to do it again some day, till you pull it off and clean it.

Harvey.
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  #7  
Old 06-21-2011, 08:23 PM
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Re: weird power issue

Even if it looks good clean all terminals
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  #8  
Old 06-21-2011, 10:41 PM
XT6Wagon XT6Wagon is offline
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Re: weird power issue

Don't forget to take the cable terminal connections off the cables and clean the surfaces there, as it likely has never been done even if the other contact points have been.

I'd also say this is one car that seriously needs more ground wires than the single tiny ground wire next to the battery. I've just done one extra wire between the engine and the body so far, but plan to do a couple more to ensure a good ground. Subaru is a bit weird in that the engine/transmission has the primary ground, but little to the body. Then they ground the ECU to the body. So any grounding issues for the body mean the ECU stops seeing and sending proper signals.
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Old 07-03-2011, 02:54 AM
jeffs92svx jeffs92svx is offline
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Re: weird power issue

Thanks guys, I found the issue. My wife was driving and the lights started to flicker and the car died. So I went to the car and got to thinking of what all got power to the car and opened the fuse box. Well, there is a jumper wire that just goes from one male plug to another male plug in the box and I wiggled it and got power. Someone had already rigged that wire before. Is that wire supposed to be a fusable link? It just has a straight wire on it now. Thanks.
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Old 07-03-2011, 08:29 AM
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Re: weird power issue

"Then they ground the ECU to the body. So any grounding issues for the body mean the ECU stops seeing and sending proper signals."

U mention a bad ground can cause the EGR to get a bad signal .Would that be Y we get the CEL with a EGR code?
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