Cars turn out into a liability after a specific period of time. It can be quite frustrating when it comes to dealing with those car problems and their repairs. However, it can get even more frustrating when you don’t know the reason behind what is wrong with your vehicle. What if your subaru crosstrek won’t start dash lights flashing? It can be quite frustrating.
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Causes Of Subaru Crosstrek Won’t Start Dash Lights Flashing?
The most common causes for flickering dashboard lights and no engine crank in Subaru Crosstrek are weak battery, corrosion on battery terminals, and bad ground connection.
1. Weak Battery:-
The leading cause of flickering dashboard lights and no start in Subaru Crosstrek is a weak battery. You may also hear a rapid clicking noise when you try to start the engine. If there isn’t enough charge in the battery to power the starter motor, and you try to crank the engine, the battery voltage will get so low that it can’t properly power the lights, accessories, and of course the starter.
2. Poor Battery Connection:-
It is possible the battery in your Subaru Crosstrek is in good health, but the current flow is interrupted due to a loose electrical connection, damaged wire, or corrosion on the battery terminals.
3. Bad Ground Connection:-
If the ground connection of the chassis or the engine goes bad in your Crosstrek due to rust or corrosion, you will face all sorts of electrical issues, including clicking noises, and subaru crosstrek won’t start dash lights flashing. The starter motor and its solenoid rely on the ground connection of the engine to function properly. When the ground is bad, the starter solenoid may still work and make clicking noises as it has a low current requirement, but the starter motor may not turn over the engine due to the high current requirement.
How To Fix The Subaru Crosstrek Won’t Start And Dash Lights Flashing Problem?
Step 1:- Test The Battery In Crosstrek
The easiest method to check the 12v battery in Crosstrek is by measuring the voltage with a multimeter. A healthy battery should have 12.6 volts or more when fully charged. But keep in mind, that a volt meter will only give you a rough idea of the condition of the battery. Sometimes a battery showing over 12.4 volts may not be able to supply enough current to crank the engine.
Step 2:- Voltage Drop Test
You can also check the voltage drop at the battery when you try to start the engine. If the voltage drops too much, below 10 volts, your battery doesn’t have enough charge to start the engine. This can happen due to internal degradation of the battery, if the vehicle has been sitting for a long time, or if the alternator in your Crosstrek has malfunctioned and not charged the battery properly.
Step 3:- Jump Start Crosstrek
To rule out dead battery, your best course of action is to jump-start your Crosstrek using jumper cables and a healthy battery from another vehicle, or using a battery booster if available. The engine of both the vehicles should be off, and the transmission in Park.
- Connect the red cable to the positive terminal of the dead battery in Crosstrek and the other end of the red cable to the positive terminal of the donor battery.
- Connect the black cable to the negative terminal of the donor battery.
- Finally, connect the other end of the black cable to any bare unpainted metal part of the body or engine of your Crosstrek.
- Start your Crosstrek.
- Remove the cables in the reverse order.
Step 4:- Check Battery Terminals
To know if your Crosstrek starting problems are from dirty battery terminals, you need to investigate them. Lift the plastic covers over the terminals and check for any signs of corrosion. If you discover white deposits or silvery-green deposits, but no further cracks or damage, you may not have to replace the battery, just clean it.
Step 5:- Clean The Battery Terminals
There is a neat little trick with which you can clean corrosion on the battery terminals of your Crosstrek in under a minute. Pour hot boiling water over the corroded terminals and the corrosion will just melt away. Do one terminal at a time and don’t let water puddle on the top of the battery touch both terminals at the same time, this can short the battery.
Step 6:- Inspect The Ground Connections
You can check the quality of the ground connection in Crosstrek. By doing a conductivity test between the negative terminal of the battery and the chassis/body of the vehicle and the engine. Take a multimeter, and change its settings to the ohms symbol. Touch one probe to the negative terminal of the battery, and the other probe to any exposed metal (unpainted) part of the chassis/body. The reading should be at or very close to zero ohms. Do the same between the negative terminal of the battery and any exposed metal part of the engine.
If the conductivity test fails, check the condition of the ground connections in your Crosstrek. Inspect the connectors of the ground cables (battery to the body, body to the engine) for any signs of rust or corrosion. Clean the contacts with sandpaper.
Therefore, these are some steps through which you can fix the issue of subaru crosstrek won’t start dash lights flashing.
Conclusion:-
We hope the above-mentioned information about the issue of subaru crosstrek won’t start dash lights flashing will be helpful to all the readers. If anybody’s doubts persist feel free to comment in the comment section below. We’ll try to solve your doubts as soon as possible.