i don't know... first thing came into my mind is the battery. My protege was like that (it would turn over few time before start, giving a little gas before start, etc) and after I replaced the battery it was okay. Good luck!

 

Crap I only get 5 miles free towing. Can anyone recommend a shop closer?

 

ok, before i try to clutch start it let me know if i'll have any problem maneuvering it. It's in my garage. I would need to back it down my driveway which has a grade of ~15 degrees. Then I would need to turn the car on a road that is about 2 car widths wide (private road no street parking). I assume no power steering without the car on or does the key in the on position provide me with power steering?

Thanks

 

AAA will try to jump start it. If it's the battery, great no problem changing that. It sounds like it to me too now that i think about it since the battery drains when the ignition is off and charges while i use it. That might explain why it was having problems more in the morning yesterday than later after I had been using it for some time. I just always assumed that if the lights worked, then the battery is not dead.

 

Where in San Jose are you located? If its not too far I can swing by when I get off work to take a look at it.

I am no mechanic but have had enough car problems that I know of a few things to check.

The battery could still be dead even if everything turns on.

When you turn the key to start it, do the lights dim to almost nothing?
Does it sound like the starter is clicking loud?


What was the last mod you installed? maybe something was not put back in correctly?

Let us know.

 

it take much less to power the lights than to start the car.

 

Seriously try jumping it before getting it towed somewhere. Go knock on your neihbors doors and see if anyone can try and give you a jump. No point wasting the money to get towed when all you need is a battery.

 

Heck, I'll nab some cables and come visit if neccessary ;-)

 

ah thanks for the offer but I think I figured it out. I pulled the car out of the garage getting it ready for AAA to jump start. Everything still worked fine meaning lights, radio, etc. However, when I turned on my alarm, the horn was noticeably softer. This means the battery is slowly dying. Should be it. Thanks for all the input and advice.

Just waiting for AAA now. You know how long they take to arrive.

 

When is the last time you checked the fluid level in your battery? For whatever reason subaru uses cheap batteries that require water to be added every once in a while. My car was starting poorly for a coule days, so I checked the battery and one of the cells was about half way empty. Once the electrolyte gets too low the battery is dead. Time for an Optima red top!

 

yes, that is very true! I always see the techs at Santa Cruz Subaru top it off when they service the cars.

 

jump started fine. Time to buy a new battery.

Thanks All

 

you can clutch start it in reverse and you actually don't have to be rolling that fast to be able to clutch start it. pop the clutch out really quick at 5+ mph. if it doesn't work, keep on popping it but make sure you aren't gonna hit anything. i know you started the car already and figured out it was the battery, but good thing to know is how to start a MT car without power. that was actually one of the first thing my friend showed me when i was learning manual. you should try it so you'll know how it's like, even though it does do a little harm to the car.

 

IIRC a battery needs atleast 12Volts out of it's total 13.2 volts to start a car. When clutch starting it, make sure the key is on "ON" cuz we were trying to start my friend's CRX for 30 minutes to realize his key was on the ACC not the ON position.

 

Volts don't start the car, its Amps.
That is why batteries have labels like 850cca(cold cranking amps).
It only takes a few amps to light your accessory lights, run the radio, etc, but takes hundreds of amps to start the car.
The voltage level is a good indicator of how strong or weak the battery is though.