Starting Problem with 2004 Outback when cool.

[John Rei chert]

Having sporadic problems stating car when the temperature drops below 40°F.
The car has under 2,200 miles with the manual transmission. So far we have
not been stranded but there is no confidence the car will start. We will
drop the car at the dealer to try to duplicate problem for a repair. My
concern is, if the dealer is not able to duplicate then we are left with the
problem. Anyone else have this problem. Thanks for helpful comments.
John

 

[Jim Stewart]

Having sporadic problems stating car when the temperature drops below 40°F.
The car has under 2,200 miles with the manual transmission. So far we have
not been stranded but there is no confidence the car will start. We will
drop the car at the dealer to try to duplicate problem for a repair. My
concern is, if the dealer is not able to duplicate then we are left with the
problem. Anyone else have this problem. Thanks for helpful comments.
John

Does it crank briskly and never fires or does
it seem like the battery is going dead?

When we picked up our car new, we had to
insist on a new battery. When we test
drove the car, the battery was dead and
had to be jumped. Just a couple of deep
discharges will ruin a battery. Perhaps
this happened to yours and you need a new
battery.

If it doesn't fire, I'd first dump a dose
of water absorber in the gas tank and see
if that helps.

 

[Ron]

I once had a Corolla that had a similar problem. Turned out that the clamps
on the battery were loose. When it got cold enough, the clamps worked loose
just enough to cause a mediocre contact. Tightened 'em up and the problem
was solved.

Just something easy to check...

 

[John Rei chert]

The car has been fine since I posted the note. The dealer found no problem.
My wife, her car, has a tendency to drive until the gas tank is almost
empty. I never liked this practice, especially in the fall when the
temperature can drop quickly and cause the moisture in the air to condense
in the tank. I did add a can of "dry gas" or methanol for the purist.
Hopefully the problem was moisture in the gasoline.
Thanks for comments. John