My car (2013 Impreza) wouldn’t start the other day. It had been near 0°F overnight. The accessories seemed to work just fine, but nothing from the starter, not even a weak turn over and then die. Jumping with my NOCO jumper failed. Based on some possibly inaccurate results from a multi-meter and charger, 10V and only taking 2A, I bought a new battery. I say possibly inaccurate because the new battery had the same voltage / charging results, and also wouldn’t start or even turn the starter when I first put it in. After some charging and using my jumper though, I was able to get it started. I had trouble with the starter a few more times, but it has been largely back to normal since. I still am carrying my NOCO every time I drive though, just in case.
There was a weird humming that seemed to come from the engine cavity when the starter wasn’t working. It only appeared when the key was turned to on. When trying to start during this time, there may have been a light clicking. I’m not sure if the humming still is happening but I don’t notice it anymore and haven’t had somebody to listen with the hood up since.
Another problem cropped up after the new battery. Sometimes when stopping or some other instances, the engine will drop down below idle and struggle for a moment before going back up to proper idle RPM. It has stalled once and come close a few times. Based on some reading online, I was worried it could be various other issues, including water in the gas or fuel pump dying. My brother brought up that having the battery out a long time may have caused the car’s computer to “forget” some of its settings and need to rebuild them. So I’ve driven it a good bit. I’ve also filled the tank fully, since low tanks can get water build-up in very low temperatures. I think the problem is improving but is still there. Hopefully it’s nothing to worry about.
I went with a mid-level Walmart battery. I didn’t want to put much into this because I just but $2k into the car and am not sure home much it is going to last. This was $120 more. Hopefully the car lasts me a while without needing even more put into it, besides the fixing of the exhaust that I’ve been putting off.
Because of the weird issues with the new battery, I was worried that I didn’t need it and wasted money. However, the old battery was 5 years old, so it was probably getting close to the end anyway. And obviously the car starts now.