[Danh002]

Also, be sure to program your pin code access into the button on the liftgate so you can get in if you disable the key fob and accidently lock it in the car (or if you lose it).
Watch this video:

 

[Marv2]

This I would question as how else would you replace the vehicle battery and/or recover from a flat battery?

FOB De-Programmed : Your FOB is supposed to have a Mechanical-Key ... check your Owners-Manual to discover where it is "hidden" !!!!!

 

[12secFord]

@‘19 forester girl
Your profile says you have a limited edition. I'm assuming you have the push button start option?

The carabiner trick should not be necessary because the cargo light will time out with the battery saver feature.

Recommend red interior lights to preserve night vision. Current saving feature of LED's don't apply if you use load resistors.

Also I'd add tinted windows if you haven't already,

According to her pictures, she already has privacy glass.

 

[‘19 forester girl]

@‘19 forester girl
I've found that I take a key, or something skinny, and push the latch on the rear hatch twice - so the car thinks it's locked I have left my car all day without a problem.

When you say you pressed the latch twice, do you mean you shoved something into it twice? It still thinks it’s locked after you pull the item out? I thought you had to keep it in the whole time to trick the hatch into thinking it’s closed?
Thanks for the advice!

 

[‘19 forester girl]

Most of the people I’ve seen that sleep in their vehicles tend to build platforms, pull out kitchens, and sleep with the hatch closed. What hatch tent did you go with?

After some research, I found the Napier 84000 tent had the best option- its tall with plenty of space to be comfortable (I’m 5’11” so not feeling cramped is an important comfort factor for me.) plus I love the built in awning so I can still cook if it’s rainy.
I think the battery upgrade will be the way to go, thank you!

 

[12secFord]

When you say you pressed the latch twice, do you mean you shoved something into it twice? It still thinks it’s locked after you pull the item out? I thought you had to keep it in the whole time to trick the hatch into thinking it’s closed?
Thanks for the advice!

The latch will still think it's locked even after you pull the item out. Just be sure to hit the unlock button or pull the emergency cord before you close the hatch.

 

[12secFord]

If you're still experimenting with your battery and lift gate, I strongly suggest you become familiar with your emergency pull strap hidden behind the access panel inside the middle of the lift gate. As you know, the latch is electrically operated in the newer Foresters. If your battery dies, you're SOL! This is shown in your owners manual or your dealer will be happy to show you. (No tools needed if you have long fingernails)

 

[photon225]

One way to keep the car electrical system energized while the battery is disconnected is to use a charging cable into the OBDII connector. I have trickle charged the battery this way with a NOCO cable as well as changed batteries without losing your mind... But the Redarc gizmo described below solves this problem and several others.

Many modern vehicles do not start charging the battery for a good long while after you start them up. This means starting the car to charge the battery without waiting out the delay period (several miles/20 minutes???) will further discharge the battery. This is one reason why having some kind of starting battery backup with you at all times becomes almost a requirement these days. Having a cheap DC voltmeter/multimeter (Hazard Fraught, I mean Harbor Freight) to check your state of charge and charging status can be helpful to tell what is going on. 12.8 Volts is fully charged for a lead acid battery, usually, and the battery terminals should read at least 14+ V if the car battery is actually receiving charging current at the moment. It's not hard to memorize the correct voltages for your specific system when you check them often.

Buy most batteries by weight; the heavier it is the more plate material, typically. Heavier means more plate, more power and longer battery life.

Having a second battery for camping which does not involve discharging the car system is probably the safest option. One excellent way to do this is use a Redarc BCDC1225D DC to DC battery charger which also acts as an automatic battery isolator and solar charge controller all in one tiny package.The DC to DC design means your camping battery can be fully charged no matter what weird charging setups you are using, and you can plug in your solar charging components and the solar inputs are prioritized for charging when available. This may be overkill for your purposes, but the device is so elegant you need to know about it.

Speaking of solar, Hazard Fraught sells a very cheap 100 Watt solar power photovoltaic kit and some accessories that allow you to get solar charging going easily and cheaply. If you use the Redarc you can plug these panels directly into it. You can use as many of these panels as you like to satisfy your electrical loads and weather conditions and leave the rest at home.

Just a note about name-brand equipment; these days almost everything is cheap junk from China, even name brands you wouldn't think of this way. My experience is you have to research very carefully to figure out if a specific product is any good, or just buy it cheap and try it. Referrals are great. Price and brand usually have little to do with utility and longevity.

 

[Marv2]

@photon225,
The-BEST !
This Post is The-Very-Best that I have ever seen .... anywhere ... not just on SUbaru Forums !!!!!! It is even totally devoid of the usual My-Vehicle-Is-God vernacular !!! What a Joy-To-Read !!!!

I only have one problem ... If the Vehicle-Battery is "Disconnected" ... how does any charge get into it ???? For a Top-Of-The-Line-Post, this one comment leaves me .... bewildered !!!! Are you describing two different stand-by power arrangements (Hook-UPS !).

BTW; I have actually used a Home-Type Computer System BACK-UPS System, modified for Automotive 12-V Battery Input Supply, to use for Field Powering small Appliances Use ... just can not hook up any MicroWave Oven (YET !!!). Am still looking for a "smaller" version of MicroWave Oven that can run on my System : would make Camping a whole lot simpler !!!!!

 

[boureesub]

@photon225, nice post. I’ve not seen the Forester charge system exhibit any delay in applying charge voltage to the battery upon starting. Typically goes right to 14.2 V and mostly holds there since start/stop is active.

The last time I assembled a two battery/solar system was for a van camper, Redarc wasn’t readily available in the US. I see it is now and the folks down under seem to like their products. Premium price tag. My current B2B charger is Sterling. It’s feature rich, but I’ve not been at all happy with reliability.

 

[12secFord]

@boureesub
I thought you could toggle through the dash display menu to read battery voltage.

 

[boureesub]

Yes, you can read voltage at the battery that way, and I often do. Is there a reason you’re asking?

 

[12secFord]

Someone in the thread was talking about using a stand alone voltmeter.

 

[photon225]

@photon225,
I only have one problem ... If the Vehicle-Battery is "Disconnected" ... how does any charge get into it ???? For a Top-Of-The-Line-Post, this one comment leaves me .... bewildered !!!! Are you describing two different stand-by power arrangements (Hook-UPS !).

My thinking was the battery isolator function of the Redarc disconnects the vehicle battery from the camping loads so it doesn't get excessively discharged by camping functions external to all the endless internal parasitic loads new cars impose on the vehicle battery. You all are doing a great job figuring out how to turn the d--n thing off, but we still need a starting battery backup to be safe. We can also use PV to charge the vehicle battery directly, but shade and clouds can reduce the predictability of state of charge (SOC) for starting up. If the battery isolator has disconnected the car battery from the auxiliary battery, you would need two separate PV arrays to charge the vehicle battery and the camping battery at the same time. I don't know if the PV can charge the car battery "backwards" through the Redarc; that would take a call to the company to sort out..

Lead-acid battery life suffers mightily when the battery spends much time discharged past maybe 90%?. So using the car battery for camping will likely increase your battery costs as well as get you stranded occasionally. This is another reason the Redarc doesn't seem so expensive if it helps you maintain all your batteries at full SOC more of the time..

That UPS hack is great, but microwaved food is not good for us.

 

[foresters23432]

@‘19 forester girl
Your profile says you have a limited edition. I'm assuming you have the push button start option?

The carabiner trick should not be necessary because the cargo light will time out with the battery saver feature.

Recommend red interior lights to preserve night vision. Current saving feature of LED's don't apply if you use load resistors.


According to her pictures, she already has privacy glass.

I have a 19' limited and the battery still died on me when I left the trunk open. Haven't tried the carbines but need to remember it.

 

[Kevin]

I don't know if the PV can charge the car battery "backwards" through the Redarc

Definitely can with CTEK DC-DC chargers so there's probably a similar function for Redarc. Once the aux battery is full the solar charge is diverted to the starter battery; problem is that if you are running a fridge it rarely happens ;-)

 

[Marv2]

@photon225
Re-Charge-Function : It would seem a lot more worth-while to figure out how to Auto-Start the Vehicle periodically to maintain SOC than to do all these Over-Engineered-Projects ... especially when the SUbaru "systems" are so .... poorly interrelated as far as systems reliability is concerned ! It is a lot more sensible to carry a few extra gallons of Gasoline, than to carry a half-of-a-space-ship Power-Systems-Back-Up Components ! For those of US who have Remote-Start already installed, the Re-Start-Process seem like it is almost a reality ... just need the Low-Voltage Auto-Start feature added .... !

 

[Kevin]

@Marv2 Idling a vehicle does very little to recharge a battery especially if it's running a fridge at the same time. And who wants vehicles starting and stopping while you are peacefully camping!

 

[Tiggers]

The biggest drain I can think of is the powered rear lift gate (if you have one), it will use power for a time after it's been opened; it's also part of the reason there's a minor manufacturer recall service program for it. The dome light for the rear lift gate can be shut off, too.

Turning off the fob may be more trouble than it is worth, especially if you find yourself opening/closing the doors regularly. According to the manual, the outside lighting should only come on if the fob is outside the vehicle anyway.

Lastly, thank you for everything you do, especially these days. 😊

Well - did the fake-out-the hatch latch - and STILL had a dead battery again this past weekend. This is advertised as a "dog vehicle" - and if I can't leave doors and hatch open, the thing is NOT dog friendly!!! I am getting very frustrated!!!! Had dead battery twice in our first weekend out. GEESH!!!!!

 

[boureesub]

@Tiggers , A few things to check...

• If you have a power rear gate, did you get the control module replaced? That fixes the current draw problem. There was a "courtesy" recall.
• Have you measured the dark current under normal conditions? It should be less then 70mA. Perhaps your car has something else going on.
• Was your battery fully charged?