ibroad
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Posts posted by ibroad
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So I accidentally ripped the red rubber cover on the cable.
Anyone know what that thing is called?
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Okay! So I just replaced the alternator! You guys are right, that was easy.
I ended up wrapping the cable in the picture above with electrical tape to cover the wires that show.
Is this okay to do?
Does that cable look okay?
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Thanks for the help so far.
I went and bought the ToughOne alternator from Advance because it was the only place that had one in stock and I have to get this done by Monday.
My plan is, if it fails sometime, to use the warranty to get a new and just sell it. Then buy an OEM one.
So I took the melted parts off the cable and here is what it looks like:
Notice where the wires are showing? Is this okay?
Can I just wrap that area with electric tape?
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That looks like whoever installed the alternator over tightened the nut onto the post. This probably cracked the plastic insulation that is around the post allowing it to arc to ground and melt.
The onl;y other way can see it melting like that would be if you were running a super high power Amplifier, or some other high Amperage load.
Thanks, that's actually what a mechanic I talked to told me as well.
Anyone know of a walk through for replacing the alternator? I know you all say it's easy, but I'm new to all this.
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My best guess would be physical damage or corrosion damage to the output post that was not repaired when the alternator was rebuilt. One of the reasons I avoid parts store rebuilds like the one you posted the link to.
It's cheap for a reason. The places the rebuild them replace only what is absolutely necessary, and often don't even do that. They clean the unit, test it, and if it meets their lackluster standards for operation, spray a coat of silver paint on and call it "remanufactured". They often fail in less than a year, I've had some rebuilt parts that lasted only a few days.
A Subaru remanufactured alternator can be had from a dealer for around $225. Maybe it's more than you want to spend right now, but do you really want to be stranded on the side of the road again to save a few $$?
I just called my local Subaru dealership and they said the alternator would be $299.
Any idea where I can get one for a price closer to what you listed?
Also, what makes the battery go bad? If my battery got drained from the bad alternator does that ruin the battery?
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I don't see anything wrong with the cable. I was going to ask for pics of the alternator since it looked to me like the terminal on the alternator melted off. Certainly looks that way from the pics you posted.
Time for a new alternator. Did the shop that did the work put a warranty on it? Alternator only takes 20 minutes to change on these. You could replace it with a used one yourself and save some $$. I avoid parts store rebuilds like the plague because of experiences with repeat failures and damaged parts right out of the box.
Yeah the cable looks fine to me.
I guess my main concern is whether this was caused by the alternator itself or something else?
I called the place I had it fixed and they said the warranty was over. It's pretty crappy place I'll never go back to again.
I'm going to go over to Advance Auto and buy this alternator:
It's the cheapest one around and they have it in stock and it has a lifetime warranty.
Do you have any idea what could have caused this? Is it just the alternator itself?
Thanks.
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Your alternator is probably fine, you need a new terminal on that wire, though! Probably wasn't torqued down and the nut came loose, causing arcing at that connection. You really have to start with replacing that before anything else, because even at this point a new alternator would be useless without the wire connected to it.
Take this as a lesson to stop the car and figure out what's wrong before you set something on fire, melting wires is bad.
The wire in the picture is the main output lead of the alternator that ties to the battery. The trouble was most likely caused by a bad electrical connection and that creates a lot of heat due to the high current that flows through that lead to keep the battery charged. That wire is hot to the battery so disconnect the negative battery lead when you work on it to prevent a short condition.
You are most likely going to have to splice in a new piece to fix the problem. You could get a replacement from a salvage yard possibly. If you splice in a new piece you are going to have to do a good splice job.
Replacing the alternator itself is pretty easy to do. If you get a remanufactured one get one with a lifetime warranty.
I'm a little confused now.
Do you think the alternator is bad if this happened?
What would you replace first in this situation?
Here are some more pictures:
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Last year I posted on here about my brake and battery light flashing on my dash on my '02 Outback. Everyone said it was my alternator.
I took it to a shop and they confirmed and said my battery was bad too.
So, they installed a new battery and alternator for about $600.
Fast-forward to a couple weeks ago, my brake and battery light come on again, but don't flash. They just stay on.
I decided it might be a fluke and just continue driving it. Nothing seemed wrong.
Now, fast-forward to yesterday. I was driving from an appointment that was in a town about an hour away.
I noticed something was wrong when I put the car in first gear and the radio shut off.
I continued driving and notice my spedometer stopped working, basically everything stopped working.
I was still able to drive about 15 miles close to home until my powersteering went out and I lucky pulled into an offroad.
I looked under the hood to see what was wrong and found this:
Any idea what could cause this to happen? This is the positive wire that connects to the back of the alternator.
It appears to come from under the fuse relay box near the battery.
It completely got fried off!
So my questions are:
1) What could cause this to happen?
2) Does anyone have walk-through on how to install a new alternator.
3) What brand of alternator is the best? Should I get a re-manufactured or new one?
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gas shouldn't matter unless your ECU is calibrated differently, etc....if you recently moved East you may want to disconnect the battery and let it relearn everything.
seafoam is generally added to the intake manifold...but i think you can add it to the gas as well.
adding to the intake cleans the throttle body, intake runners in the heads, and valves.
others have done it more than me so wait for their advice.
personally i'd probably MMO the gas and Seafoam the intake...but not sure if anyway is better and i've never really seen it "work".
What exactly does MMO the gas mean?
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I had new spark plugs and new original spark plug wires put in a couple months ago, so I know that's not the problem.
I'll try the seafoam. Can I just add it to the gas?
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I'm been filling up with 87. Should I be using a higher octane? I live on the east coast.
I used to live in Colorado, so maybe that's what got me in the habit of using 87.
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looks like there is a second code on that reader - top right corner reads 1 / 2 (one of two?) - what is the other one for?
Same code, it was just more description
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2002 Subaru Outback, 2.5 L, manual
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I need to replace the passenger side mirror glass on my 2002 Outback, the glass is shattered.
It's a heated/electric mirror.
I have the mirror and plastic backing that came with it, but I can't figure out how to get the old glass off!
I tried for about an hour today and failed miserably. I tried to look up under the mirror but I couldn't see anything.
How exactly do I replace the mirror glass?
Thanks for any help!
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Super glue or some kind of epoxy. Just a little bit on each of the mounting posts should do it.
That was my first thought as well. Thanks for confirming it.
or buy used replacement parts, the boot, the ''wood colored'' trim and maybe the larger trim piece. depends on how it attaches as to what you need.
Yeah, all I really need is the small wood colored trim that the boot fits into, but I can't find it anywhere.
Doesnt the boot just snap on to the trim?
It sure does, but like I said the clips are broken.
PS - the new MultiQuote feature is kickass
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not worth using crap !
What do you mean by that exactly?
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i've never noticed a difference. it's easier and cheaper to get new grommets with aftermarket kits i believe. sometimes Subaru grommets are insanely expensive relatively speaking for how many you have to buy.
the subaru valve cover gaskets aren't that great, or maybe it's just the nature of valve cover gaskets, of all the gaskets and seals it's the least likely to make 200,000 miles.
Hm, alright.
Well I can get the Subaru gasket kit here for $62:
http://www.subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partdetail.php?partid=7878
Or this Felpro gasket kit here for $27:
But I guess you're saying the difference in quality isn't big enough for it to matter between 1 or the other.
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I've had leaky valve cover gaskets for quite awhile now, and I've finally decided to do something about it.
For those of you who have replaced yours, did you use a Subaru valve cover gasket kit or some Aftermarket valve cover gasket kit?
The aftermarket kit is about half the price of the Subaru kit, but is the Subaru kit a lot higher in quality? I don't mind spending the extra money if it's truly worth it.
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It's probably enough but I do two - they're cheap.
Well, Dave. If you do 2, then I'm going to do two too. Thanks.
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I'm going to be changing my coolant and was wondering if 1 bottle of the coolant conditioner is enough or if I need to buy more than one?
http://www.subarupartsforyou.com/cp_partdetail.php?partid=10732
Thanks
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The price difference is because the dealer cable is the harness that includes both positive AND negative cables, of the exact length and diameter specified by Subaru. With the exact terminals you need at each end. It's wrapped in wire loom, taped, and even has the clips that secure it in the proper places.
Number 3 here:
http://opposedforces.com/parts/legacy/us_b11/type_7/electronic/battery_equipment/
So if you needed new cables would you buy the dealer ones?
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I need help! Alternator died on me. (story inside
in 1990 to Present Legacy, Impreza, Outback, Forester, Baja, WRX&WrxSTI, SVX
Posted
You're awesome, did you know that? Thanks for all your help today.