Scion FR-S Reset itself?
 

My 2014 Scion FR-S wouldn’t start this morning and I couldn’t figure out why. I had power going to my lights and 3700W subwoofer amp so I was confused as to why it wouldn’t start. I bring a up a truck in our yard and try to jump start it which did not work. I tried to let the battery charge for 15 min or so and it still wouldn’t work. I heard a click every time I turned the key but I wouldn’t start cranking. I took out a battery charger and hooked it up to the car to which it started first try. Once started I realized my settings were all reset. My clock was at 1pm. I have the setting that tell you what gear your in on and that got taken off, and my check engine light came on. I have the Toyota TRD exhaust from the previous owner so I don’t know if the check engine light is from an O2 sensor that’s not on the new exhaust and he got rid of the engine light code. The car seems to be running fine. If anyone has any idea as to what happened and could help that would be great!

Your battery was below the required voltage/amperage to start the car. Yes, the lights and other accessories work because they simply do not need the same amount of power as the starter. The boost cables were probably bad so that is why it didn't charge up with the boost but did with the charger.
In your attempts to start the car you dropped the battery power below where it need to be to keep the different computer systems working and that is why the car reset everything once it did get enough again.
The CEL could be related to the drop in power or could be something totally different. There is no reason to assume it is from the O2 sensor. Need to take it to somebody that can read and clear the code since any other speculation is just wild guesses without any data.

Sounds like a loss of power. All of those things that got reset typically get reset every time you disconnect the battery. Possibly fully drained the battery when trying to start.

I would start with checking the health of the battery.

Check battery health. Get OBD2 reader for future situations like this if you ever intend on owning a vehicle.

is there a large population that doesn't?

most auto parts stores will read the codes for free. it's where i send my parents if they have issues. the stores will print out all the listed codes, as well as any possible reason. then they give it to me, i sit on it for 3 weeks, and when i get bored, i look into it.

You sound like me with my folks when it comes to "fixing" their devices.

Places with good public transportation like NY I'd imagine. If I live there in the city I wouldn't own a vehicle :iono: I also did 6 years of motorcycle only.



I typically tell people to go to autoparts store to get their battery checked/codes but on the rare occasion the car can't be moved that's when the OBD2 reader you own is more convenient. Also like my case the other day when I was driving my CEL came on. Immediately pulled over, took the OBD2 out of my glove box and read it.

A reader is a great tool if you have the skills and resources to actually fix the issue it identifies.
It is an OK tool if you just want to know what the issue is before you take it to somebody else to fix.
It is a worthless tool if you do not understand what the issue is or what to do even after pulling the code.
For 99.9999% of the driving public owning a reader is a complete waste of time and money.

Feel free to poke holes in my theory. Holy crap, 3700W amp! Do you have three 10's in there? Seems like some serious audio pleasure that could draw more than your alternator can put back into the battery. Kind of sounds like the amp is being energized when the key is half-turned (auxiliary power), regardless if the radio is turned on or not. Again, just possible things that could be drawing power during un-commanded timelines (pardon the engineering/legal speak).

Unrelated to this topic, it reminded me of sneak circuits. I recall a scenario in the 80's-90's where the engine could be started if you engaged the left turn signal, pressed the brake, and turned on the radio. Most engineers are cognizant for sneak circuits these days though, but aftermarket mods open up Pandora's box again.

It's funny I had this same conversation with someone the other day. They had a CEL and was looking for a mechanic. I told them to pull the code to see whats wrong and they mentioned how they want it fixed, the light is less important than getting the issue resolved.


I responded saying that the code is literally the car telling you what is wrong with it. It's like going to the doctor, you don't just say that you're sick, you go there and explain what is wrong, the symptoms.



I don't think it's a waste of time or money for anyone at all. If you pull the code, you can at least google the results and it'll say what it is. Then you can call around shops to get quotes on what needs to be done based on the code. Instead of the usual up-sale of "you need a cabin air filter, wiper blades, etc". The local shop I take my car to (when I can't do it on my own) has to outsource some of their work depending on what needs to be done since they don't have the machines to do it. Again, this would be helpful if I know what needs to be done on the car and to call ahead.


Buying a used car? Plug in the reader to see.

You can. I can. Most people on here can.
To the MAJORITY of the driving public even the Google results are meaningless gibberish. They are not going to call around based on codes that they just simply do not understand or even care what they means.


"Car broke. Fix"


https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a6/1d...0a3e498957.jpg

Back to the point of OP should be owning an OBD2 reader. Since they went out of their way to find this site, registered and created a post they can surely google the code, which will point to the problem. For example code xxx "02 sensor faulty".

Well just to add my two cents that 3000 watt amp is probably the problem.
First of all any audiophile would know how to properly run a "real" 3000 watt amp. What you have is a cheap amp with a bad install. Check all of your grounds make sure it's properly grounded to metal to metal, everything is nice and tight.

If the battery keeps dying, dicth that cheap amp, or buy a beefy cap.

Oh I don't know about that. To me that's either a $70 "Diagnosing Fee" somewhere, or a $20 bluetooth dongle on Amazon plus Torque Lite. If all the code means is "you forgot to tighten the gas cap" then I think most people can pull that off. Bonus if it's just "little stuff" a few times throughout the life of the BT dongle. They might also accidentally learn a few things and fewer people might get ripped off at sketchy garages in bad situations.

Just a thought anyways, I know most people are way too lazy to bother.