edrach

I've cut apart an early EA81 a while back and I see evidence that other cars have been cut apart recently. Not sure who is cutting them up. I know about their rule against jacks and torches; I haven't seen anything regarding saws. I recently asked about the cost for a pair of rocker panels and did not get an additional cost for having them cut it up.

Well, so far we haven't checked resistance to ground of the S (and L just for SNG) terminals in the alternator.

You might call Jason in Parts at Mike Scarf Subaru (866-528-5282) and ask him what his internet price is.

Connie, I can't argue with the fact that the dash isn't there and that might account for the zero volts you found when you measured the lower wire. My understanding is that it goes to the charge lamp in the dash. I checked my '84 Brat this evening and it came up with 11.4V also. If the dash is not installed, I can see that happening. However, if the wire that goes to the charge lamp goes elsewhere (not ground since you measured open circuit), that might be the cause of your drain problem. What range of resistance were you using when you measured that resistance?

Interesting, should have 11V or so on the bottem pin of the T connector. High resistance is correct for both pins of the T connector. How about the two pins in the alternator with the T connector unplugged.

Those are the correct voltages for the connector off and the ignition off. Leave the connector off and measure the voltages with the ignition on (upper one should still be 12.63 and lower one will change (my Brat reads 11.7V there with the ignition on). Some final resistance tests to do: Using one of the higher resistance ranges of the voltmeter. Turn off the ignition. Unplug the T connector on the alternator and measure the resistance of each pin against ground; put the black lead from the voltmeter on the negative terminal of the battery and use the red lead on each of the internal pins of the T connector. Let me know what you get. Lastly, again still with the ignition off, measure the resistance of each pin inside the white T receptacle of the alternator against the battery's negative terminal. If this doesn't yield a significant result, I'll be giving up also. Thanks for your patience and perseverance Connie.

Connie, just to be sure the wires are in the correct position. The connector is shaped like a "T". The top of the T should have the fatter of the two wires and it should have white insulation on it. The stem part of the T should be the thinner of the two wires and has white insulation with a red stripe winding around it.

I had an old transmission that I was planning on having rebuilt so I pulled off the rear housing and had some idea of what was involved. Opted to have my mechanic do the work and was glad I didn't have the responsibility of screwing it up myself.

Remember is you don't demount the original tires you can take them back for a refund. Once you strip a tire off you've eliminated the opportunity to take it back.

Doesn't if feel great now that it's running right again. I no longer fear making a u-turn or parking.:banana::banana:

Since you did the job yourself, I guess you realize that 10 hours labor was a rip-off. $550 for the VC is the list price; when I had mine changed, the shop only charged 3 hours for labor. Knowing what's involved, I thought that was fair. It only took my mechanic 10 minutes to diagnose the problem; five minutes of driving to suspect it and 5 minutes on the lift to confirm it.

Let's differentiate joints: CVJ (outer joint), common failure symptom is clicking under full lock turns in one direction. DOJ (inner joint), common failure symptom is mild vibration up to severe vibration (feeling like the transmission will fall out of the car) while on positive throttle which goes away instantly as soon as you let off the gas. VC bind never shows up while travelling straight; thumps while turning in either direction. The sharper the turning the more severe the thumping.

Sorry I mis-read your post; I was thinking of the alternator +BAT terminal and not the starter.

Connie, my suspicion is that a pinched or reversed wire somewhere in the alternator circuit is causing an internal failure in each alternator you installed. I would more believe you have three faulty alternators than one bad motor. You've made some good measurements that point to the alternator circuit and disconnecting the white plug from the alternator appears to stop the drain on the battery. I think you're pretty close to solving this if you wish to continue.

Alternator is grounded correctly as soon as you bolt it to the engine. Besides a poor or open ground causes an open circuit and would not lead to draining the battery.

Sorry a short like that would blow a fuse or fusible link and that isn't what's happening.

Connie, more and more looking like the alternator. Have a good sleep and tomorrow we can continue with some logical troubleshooting. Please don't pull the engine and start over....un-necessary work and it won't get you any closer to a solution since we still haven't found the solution. Have faith, you (and we) will lick this thing.

I hate to say it but there are a ton of previous posts about the 390s.

Yea, you got them off that Brat at Lynnwood PAP. Only tires that can be used on them is the ones from Michelin. Your best bet is to leave the old tires on them and return them for a refund. I hope you still have your receipt and had them marked. One of Michelin's worst ideas. They wanted to tie up the market with their proprietary tire size so they persuaded Peugeot, Renault and even BMW to have tires "customized" for their respective suspensions. Pissed off a lot of new car buyers the first time it came to replacing the tires. Also too late to take the car back to the dealer and tell them where they can stuff their 390's. Sorry you got stuck with a set. Hopefully you can return them for a refund. (Keep the centre caps unless they charged you for those also; they'll fit on the 15" non-390 rims just fine).

Your car is a bit "young" for this, but problems with the inner (DOJ) joint can give you those exact symptoms when it's bad. Very unusual for only 12K on the car. But if you find the inner joint rubber boot torn, that would be a definite sign that the axle has gone bad.

John, I know where you're coming from. I have my source of new/rebuilt axles and I have to agree with GD on his advice. However, I've found that I would rather buy "selected" used axles at Pull a Part than new. But I'm willing to spend the time to install another one every four or five months. If you ignore the time lost, and are willing to deal with the unexpected failure, this is certainly the cheapest way. Best of luck with it; we're here to help when you looking for advice or info.

Canyon De Chelly (I checked on spelling and this is correct; pronounced Dee-Shay oddly enough). Headquarters and the motel I remembered is in Chinle at the mouth of the canyon. Road I was thinking about does not go north, but runs SE along the canyon and then goes up and over some hills on the way to Ft. Defiance and Window Rock. Only way into the canyon itself and explore some of the ruins is to hire an Indian guide and go in on horseback. I don't believe they allow motor vehicles there since it's considered hallowed ground. The other road is NE along the other side of the canyon and goes to Tsaile. I was fortunate enough to do service work at the Indian Health Service hospitals scattered around Arizona and New Mexico. Great opportunity to see lots of neat stuff along the way on someone else's nickel. Another really cool road is the one between Lukachukai and Red Rock on the way to Shiprock and Farmington, NM (just north of the Canyon De Chelly). You have to cross a stream leaving Lukachukai. When I was there it was only 6 inches of water deep and my FWD Chevy made it across easily. I went uphill and through a few muddy sections where I was lucky not to get stuck. Ultimately, the road climbed to over 8000 feet above sea level and then came to a cliff over-looking the desert. I could see the top of Shiprock (a very large rock rising 1800 feet out of the desert floor that looks like an oldtime sailing ship from the distance) from there. A one lane dirt road (without guard rails zig-zagging 7000 feet down a vertical cliff to the desert floor) where the road was smoothly paved all the way to Highway 666. If you plan on sight seeing this, ask for details from the locals since there's a real possibility that the road may no longer exist or is dangerously impassible. I was really lucky to get through this without getting stuck (or killed) along the way. Hertz never knew but I spent about $20 running it through the local car wash until I couldn't see any more mud. By the way, if you travel on Hwy 666 between Shiprock, NM and Gallup, NM watch out for drunk drivers even during the day. Gallup is the only place where liquor sales are allowed and it's not unusual to encounter a drunk heading home (north) from Gallup. It's not called the "highway of death" for nothing. Amazing how many memorial crosses are along a perfectly straight road.

Canyon Deschelly (spelling?) is a great place. Not as spectacular as the Grand Canyon, but not the tourist mecca of the Grand Canyon either. There is an Indian-run motel there which is a great place to stay if you have the bucks. If you feel adventurous, take the road north along the east side of the canyon. It gets pretty primitive but I managed to get a Hertz rent-a-buggy through there on my way to somewhere (I didn't want to take the long way around). This was 10 years ago, so I can't vouch for the road now.

The car or the charger?

The VC definitely has a heat component to it when it starts to fail. I found mine showed no symptoms for the first 5 minutes of driving (after sitting overnight) and and then slowly started to bind. After a 2nd 5 minutes binding on all turns in either direction was quite evident. As to a CV axle failure: unless two axles fail at the same time and in the same manner, an axle failure produces symptoms generally when turning in one direction (a loud clicking under full lock for an outer joint (CVJ) failure) or a significant thumping or vibration IN A STRAIGHT LINE during acceleration which goes away instantly when you let off on the gas indicates an inner joint (DOJ) failure.