the_bard Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 So I was heading up to the Hoosick St. Friendly's, to grab some ice cream for the ladies in the house (wife and sis-in-law). Got going off a stop light, and I noticed that the heater blower sounded a lot louder than normal. Glanced at the voltmeter on the gauge... 'bout 17 volts. Let off the gas, and it settled back down. Pulled into a parking lot, rev'ed it up to 3,000 RPM's, and it launches up to 18V. Blower motor rev's right up along with it, and the dash lights get brighter. Didn't notice whether the headlights got brigher, though. Let it idle, and everything's fine. Proceeded to drive back home, trying to keep the rpm's under 2,500 (the point where that voltmeter needle starts to climb). Yeah... sluggin' around under 2,500 RPM's in a Subie is not fun. Anyhow, I figure that means my voltage regulator is toast. I suppose I could verify it with a voltmeter, but I figure the blower motor and the dash lights corroborate the theory well enough. A quick search 'round the board says I could replace just the VR, but it'll be a lot easier to yank the entire alternator. Makes sense to me... I remember fooling around with bushings on an old generator. Not fun. I'm going to take a look at the local junkyard, and see how much they're asking for it. I need to pick up two tires, too, preferably with the 13" rims along with 'em. What's a reasonable j/y price for the set? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danbob99 Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 take caution, that happened on my car, and about a day later the alternator went out on it, i think running that high of voltage just eats right through your alternator, so take caution, or just replcae the alternator all to gether with a pap special... oem alternator runs about 70$, if you need to take that route. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkyardgabe Posted March 13, 2004 Share Posted March 13, 2004 you've only got a few days before the alt. craps out on you and a pair of tires should run you more than $25 i would think 13" aren't that exp. any way for new ones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_bard Posted March 13, 2004 Author Share Posted March 13, 2004 Thought about replacing just the VR, but for the hassle, I may as well swap out the alternator itself. Took it out, ran it up to Autozone, and had them test it. Under load, it'd put out 19 volts... when not loaded, it went above 22 volts and off the scale. :wave: They wanted $55 for the new one... I grabbed it, slapped it in, and now that voltmeter is steady as a rock. Life is good. I'll pick up the tires towards the end of the month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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