Computer problems Continue
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10,942 Posts
Have you had it check out? That's not the computer going crazy. It means something is wrong. Could be as simple as a loose gas cap, or more serious.
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561 Posts
Very likely the battery. Seems that Subaru chooses a pretty wimpy battery for these power hog Ascents. My 2015 Forester's stock battery didn't last 2 years and it was a lot less power hungry.
There are threads here to follow up on battery issues and solutions.
There are threads here to follow up on battery issues and solutions.
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1,312 Posts
Yes, get another battery. I haven't had any such problems after I replaced mine. The OE battery is worthless.
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814 Posts
Check the terminals make sure they’re all tight,never know.
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561 Posts
Funny you mention this. Reminds me that when I replaced my battery, I noticed the terminals were drenched in some light tan colored goo. I suppose it was an attempt to address any poor contacts the connections may have been contributing to a for-crap battery. Took me a bit clean things up when the new battery went in.
Also, the clamps that are on the cable ends will bottom out before fully tightening on my new Bosch AGM battery. I used some battery post shims to ensure things would be property tight;
Amazon battery shim link
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1,312 Posts
The goo is there to help prevent corrosion of the battery contacts. Vaseline, dielectric grease, ordinary grease, or other coatings are often used to prevent corrosion from moisture and from minute quantities of hydrogen gas being released from the acid in the battery as well as copper in the wire clamps reacting with the lead in the battery terminals or from sulfation. The bluish-green power-like substance that accumulates over time is usually copper sulfate while the whitish substance may be aluminum or lead sulfate. Coating the terminals can help prevent corrosion from these substances.
Where'd you find this picture? I would hate to see what the rest of the vehicle looked like. That battery has been totally neglected.
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1,312 Posts
It's just an example photo of battery terminal corrosion I found online, but I've seen this happen in many vehicles. A lot of people are unaware that this can happen and neglect to protect their terminals until corrosion occurs. If this happens, first clean the terminals with a solution of water and baking soda to neutralize the sulfate, then carefully remove any remaining debris. Coat the terminals with dielectric grease, ordinary grease, or simply some vaseline.
I’m a big fan of the green and red felt pads + red spay. Stuff works. I’ve had many low and high mileage cars I’ve used them on. 4 years later (when the battery is toast), still immaculate terminals. I always use the terminal and post scoring tool as well with them.
One thing I used to do, which has gotten a lot better in recent year cars, is upgrade the factory grounds off the battery. Almost all ’90s/’00s era Subarus and Honda’s had awful factory grounds. Upon upgrading, lights were brighter, car started better(fewer cranks), windows rolled up/down faster, lights didn’t dim anymore etc. Did this on a LOT of customer’s cars as well.
All of these new electronics, especially safety stuff has forced better grounding in the cars - manus can’t get away with crap electrical systems anymore. Unless it’s a CVT harness doh
All that said, I will probably try gouping on a boatload of clear, thick di-electric grease on the Ascent as it can look a little... cleaner.
This is good stuff:
Amazon.com: Dielectric Grease/Silicone Paste/Waterproof Marine Grease (8 Oz.) Made in USA- Excellent Silicone Grease: Home Improvement
Amazon.com: Dielectric Grease/Silicone Paste/Waterproof Marine Grease (8 Oz.) Made in USA- Excellent Silicone Grease: Home Improvement
smile.amazon.com
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90 Posts
This has happened to me 3 times in my 13 months of ownership. The first time was at the bottom of the road down from my cabin, descending a couple thousand feet in 1.5 miles of bumpy gravel. No obvious cause, just started as I was approaching the stop sign. Turned the car off and on and the problem resolved. The second two times I think occurred when I gave kind of a halfassed press of power button to turn the vehicle off - as the Ascent powered down it was also popping up engine warnings. Then when restarting I got the dash christmas lights phenomenon. The second time had to drive two more hours of a road trip without any safety features, and it took a few more on/off cycles of driving before resolving itself. The most recent time was at the end of the day, and the problem was still going the next morning, and resolved itself when stopping for gas 10 miles later.
In all three instances my Subaru service department hasn't been able to find the cause or any codes related to these instances despite being given dates, times, and photos, and can't tell me anything about them. I just get a shrug.
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56 Posts
On December 16 I took my 2019 Ascent in for two recall items, one of which was for computer reprogramming. I was notified that there was an issue in the reprogramming and a new computer was going to be installed. Then I got another call saying that the new computer also had an issue. Now I am waiting for another new computer....Have to wait for it to get here from China. I feel like I am getting the run around.
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1,312 Posts
You may have something as simple as a loose electrical connection. Take it to the dealer to have it evaluated. If possible, video (in a safe manner) whenever the symptoms occur so your dealer can see exactly what's going on. Once these issues are found and resolved, they often never return. I had a Ford Taurus once that went crazy and all the dash lights came on and then it burnt out many wires near the fuse panel. The car was totally dead. It turned out that some of the wires shorted out on a sharp piece of metal under the dash. Once I had it repaired, that never happened again for the life of the car.
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1,312 Posts
You not getting the run-around, but rather a probable misdiagnosis. It's been my experience that when a component is suspected and replaced, but the problem reoccurs, the replaced component wasn't the actual problem and the real issue has yet to be discovered.
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56 Posts
That is very interesting...still do not have my car. Have a case number with SOA. Trying to decide if I just want them to take the car back and get something else.
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