outback got jump then dies when foot put on brake

when you tried to start it, did you get normal lights on the dash? hear clicking when you turned the key? did the strater engage and the engine spin? did it cough and sputter and then die? any other odd sounds?

Remove the battery and take it to an O'reilly or similar car parts shop for charging and testing. You might consider taking the alternator as well.

generally, it's a good idea let us know how many miles are on the car, if there have been recent wrecks, mods or repairs, if it's new to you and how well maintaned it has been.

what city are you in and how old is the battery?

battery is relatively new. Got 196,000 miles on car. When car started it took a while to catch. Had to charge battery and other car had to rev engine before charge would 'take'.

No wrecks, leaking fluid on garage floor (brown in color) that is not oil - forgot to mention that!

Lights all normal when started. foot on brake killed it.

Complementing what has already been said . . . .

Had to charge battery . . .

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Did you connect the battery to a battery charger for a long while, and made sure it was fully charged, or do you mean that it was connected to (jumpered) the other car?

The battery might be dead, or deeply discharged, and the alternator is not working as well (which might have been why the battery was dead in the morning).

The other car is able to help get it started, but as soon as the jumper cables are removed, the dead battery can barely support the engine. Press the brake and the extra load of the stop lights drops the battery below the level required by the ECM to keep the engine going.

Lights all normal when started.

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Does the BATT warning light in the instrument panel come on when the key is at ON but the engine is not yet started?

Sounds like a bad battery......But the battery could be bad because the alternator is not charging. The alternator will not charge if it is not excited by battery voltage. With a completely dead (Bad cell) battery, the alternator will not keep the car running. If it was running OK in the recent past, it is most likely a catastrophic battery failure. I think you would have noticed, if the alternator was not working long enough for the battery to go dead.

4wheeldog said:

Sounds like a bad battery......But the battery could be bad because the alternator is not charging. The alternator will not charge if it is not excited by battery voltage. With a completely dead (Bad cell) battery, the alternator will not keep the car running. If it was running OK in the recent past, it is most likely a catastrophic battery failure. I think you would have noticed, if the alternator was not working long enough for the battery to go dead.

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I agree with this diagnosis. If the alternator had been on the way out, you would have had odd electrical issues or warning lights on the dash (like ABS). The battery is likely toast.

- Jeremy.