With cold months coming, automobiles often suffer, the most general situation is to have difficulties starting your Subaru Forester early in the day with very low temperatures. In general this is associated with problems recharging the battery of your Subaru Forester . There are several factors that can describe why your battery does not recharge properly anymore, and in this article we will try to help you to solve this issue that can prevent you from using your motor vehicle. To get this done, first we will describe how recharging your car battery functions, then the different problems of recharging a Subaru Forester, and at last how to recharge an empty car battery.

charging-problem-battery-subaru-forester

How does recharging the battery of a Subaru Forester work?

Before we detail the different problems of recharging the battery on a Subaru Forester , we will describe to you how its recharging system operates so that you can discover the problems you are facing. A motor vehicle battery functions like a phone battery, it will store energy to start your Subaru Forester , turn on your headlights, enjoy music, lower your power windows… Nevertheless all these actions will consume energy and it may possibly deplete the energy reserve that your battery can store. To get over this issue, the engineers have designed a element called the alternator , this element will use the energy generated by the engine unit of your Subaru Forester to create energy thanks to a copper coil and a magnet. This energy will recharge the battery of your motor vehicle . Nevertheless, take into account that this process can just work when your car is running, using electrical components of your motor vehicle when it is stopped will drain the energy reserve of your motor vehicle. It is considered that a battery of a xxx has a life span of 3 to 5 years.

Problems recharging a Subaru Forester’s battery

We will now describe the different battery charging problems on a Subaru Forester you might be victim of. If your battery is not recharging because there is necessarily a issue in your electrical installation, we will now see the different cases.

Battery charging problem on Subaru Forester: My battery is discharging even if I am recharging it with a specific charger

In this first case, it is quite possible that your alternator is dead , obviously, if you manage to recharge your battery with a charger and your Subaru Forester to start, the problem obviously originates from your alternator which should not be able to create any more current.

Battery charging issue on Subaru Forester: My motor vehicle shuts off and does not start even if I have charged the battery

If you have recharged your battery and you have been able to start your Subaru Forester but it switches off while you are driving and then does not start, the problem with recharging the battery of your Subaru Forester is that your battery no longer holds the charge .

Battery charging issue on Subaru Forester: My battery is discharged nevertheless it is new

.
If you’ve just bought a battery and it discharges while you’re driving, the issue most likely originates from your alternator. It cannot come from your battery, which is new and therefore holds the charge. The second possibility is that you have a ground somewhere in your electrical system.

How to solve the issue of battery charging on Subaru Forester?

We will now give you the solutions according to the issue you are facing. Here are the different problems and their solutions:

  • Faulty alternator: You can try with simple mechanics to check it with a pressure gauge to see if it’s producing power. If it doesn’t, replacing it is the best solution, based on your motor you will pay a few hundred euros. This fix is feasible in case your alternator is accessible.
  • Battery that no longer holds the charge: In this case, the purchase of a new battery is the just realistic solution. In fact, if you have already recharged it but it is still empty because it is good to be replaced, count between 60 and 100 euros based on your engine.
  • Ground in the electrical circuit: If you cannot start your Subaru Forester but your alternator and battery are in good condition, it is possible that you have a ground on your wiring harness and that you lose energy, a check by a motor vehicle electrician is in such a case necessary.

How to recharge an empty battery of a Subaru Forester

At last, to recharge the empty battery of a Subaru Forester there are just few solutions, using a battery charger is the most efficient solution, you can find some for 50 to 100 euros at vendors like Oscaro. Otherwise you can use cables that will just provide the energy needed to begin.

If you want more tutorials on the Subaru Forester, go to our Subaru Forester category.