Dear Car Talk:
Most people write to you to ask how their car is broken. But I’m wondering how my car was OK.
I live in Boston, and last winter, I was out of state for three months. I was supposed to be gone for seven weeks, but it turned into 13 weeks, as I avoided flying during the omicron spike and just stayed put. My 2017 Subaru Impreza sat in the Boston cold from midNovember to mid-February. Then it started up without a pause! How?!
How was my 5-year-old battery alive after two blizzards and a bunch of nights below 10 degrees? How did my fuel not cause starting problems? Was I blessed with a miracle?
I bet my sister $50 my car wouldn’t start. I lost and I’m curious why. — Claire
I would have lost that $50, too, Claire.
The gasoline would not have posed any problem. It wouldn’t degrade in a few months. And regardless of the temperatures while you were gone, a key factor would have been the temperature on the day you started the car.
So if it was 9 degrees out the week before, but 45 degrees on the day you started the car, the battery might have worked fine.
Cold weather diminishes battery power, but only during the cold weather.
What surprises me is that your 5-year-old battery lived to start the car at all. Five years is about how long most batteries last these days. And when modern cars sit, most of them slowly drain your battery in order to power things like the alarm, the computer and the emissions system.
In fact, it’s not unusual for modern cars to not start after they’ve been sitting for three or four weeks, even in good weather.
So I can’t explain The Miracle of the 2017 Impreza, Claire. Maybe it’s the combination of a small engine, a big battery and the fact that you live a good, clean, compassionate life -- save for being willing to snatch $50 from your poor sister in the first place.
Now go get a new battery before you run out of luck.
Dear Car Talk:
I have a 2004 Jeep Cherokee with a starting issue. I turn the key and the starter doesn’t
budge, but everything else (all the lights, the radio, AC, etc.) powers up.
If I jiggle the shifter around while it’s in park, I can eventually get it to start. I’m afraid my trick is not going to work one day, and the car will leave me stranded.
Any ideas on what to check? I noticed that when I push the shifter forward (more into park) and jiggle it side to side, it works best. — Mike
You probably need a neutral safety switch, Mike.
Decades ago, there were lots of accidents in which someone would start their car, thinking it was in park. But it was actually in drive. The car would then bolt forward and hurt someone who was in front of it (or worse). Of less consequence, some people inadvertently started their car in drive and drove through the back wall of their garage. That wasn’t fun either, although the American Association of Building Contractors supported that feature.
Anyway, after enough of these accidents, the federal government stepped in to require that all cars be in park or neutral in order to be allowed start.
Introducing ... the neutral safety switch, a little electronic switch that prevents the car from starting unless the transmission is in park or neutral.
When a neutral safety switch gets old and wears out, it can get finicky. That’s why jiggling the shifter eventually works. You find just the right spot where contact is made, the circuit closes and — voila — the car starts.
If you want to test my theory, try putting the car in neutral the next time it won’t start. You may have better luck there. But regardless, you’re right that this will eventually leave you stranded. So I would strongly advise you to replace the switch.
It’s a $50 part, and it screws right into the side of the transmission on this car. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer, it’s something you can probably handle.
If that doesn’t fix it, then my guess is that your shifter cable has gotten stretched over the years. Adjusting, or more likely replacing, the cable would be a job for mechanic. Or a do-it-yourselfer with a very liberal “work from home” job.
Got a question about cars? Write to Ray in care of King Features, 628 Virginia Drive, Orlando, FL 32803, or email by visiting the Car Talk website at www.cartalk.com.