Cougar

Which alternator you choose to use in the car will make no difference to the digi-dash. As long as the alternator is working properly and has the power capacity to run devices being powered by it, accessories do not care what is charging the battery (remember, 12 volts dc is 12 volts dc). It just needs to have enough minimum current capacity to run things in the car. Having a 90 amp capacity gives you more margin to work with but will installing a larger unit make any difference? You most likely won't notice anything different unless you have installed an extra accessory that requires a lot of power. If the battery is getting the power it needs to keep the charge up with the original alternator then installing a larger one is not needed.

I suggest you get a test light probe so you can check where the voltage is getting to, and isn't getting to. This takes the guess work out of the testing. Having the proper test equipment makes problems like this easy to test out.

Check to see if the ignition switch is working correctly. There is a white wire that supplies power to the switch and there is a blue wire that is switched power to the fuse panel. There is a connector under the steering column that can be a problem also tied to the switch.

The radiator could be partially clogged so you may need to replace it. You could also have a block check done to see if exhaust gases are getting into the coolant. This will cause a increase in water temperature also.

You are going to have to check all the paths tieing to the fuse. Having a wiring diagram would be of great value here. I suggest you purchase one or try getting some info at your local library. One thing you can do to help locate the problem is to use a ohmmeter tied to the gauge side of the fuse connection and ground. This will show the resistance of the circuit and you can see the resistance change as you disconnect suspected wire paths to the problem. Since this ties to the dash there may only be one wire for this. In that case you will have to most likely disconnect and remove the cluster and then inspect it for a problem. You could also remove the main harness to it and see if the problem goes away then.

You're welcome. The spec shows the resistance should be 330 ohms at 176 deg. F.

Looking at some data for a '97 model it shows the CTS resistance should be about 240 ohms at 194 deg.F . Perhaps the newer models may be the same.

It sounds to me the fan relays are working ok. The question is why they are being turned on early. Assuming the dash gauge is reading correctly.

I wish I could tell you what the voltage should be across the sensor when at normal temperature but I don't know what it should be.

I think the temperature sensor for the ECU is in the circuit that controls the fan relays, which are controlled through the ECU. I would first check that CTS is working as it should be and indicating the correct water temperature. The sensor should be within a certain resistance range at normal engine operating temperatures. If the resistance goes lower than normal the ECU will think the engine is too hot and turn on the fans through the relays.

Please tell us what year and model car you are working on. Is this for a '01 OBW?

My car has always been in Alaska. I have never driven a VDC and don't think it is a real must have option. The LL Bean has a good control system also but not as fancy as the VDC is. I would like to have the McIntosh sound system that the VDC has in it but sadly this wasn't an option for the LL Bean. Both cars have expensive features so they will cost more, even used.

You may be able to find out some information about that on the Crutchfield web site.

I have owned a '01 LL Bean since it was new and I can say that it is by far the best Subaru I have owned and also the most expensive. It handles great. I doubt you will be able tell any difference in handling compared to a VDC.

If the radio section works ok then you need to check the CD signal wires I would say.

Soobs rule here in Alaska also.

The gaskets were somewhat of a problem up until around 2000. The late 80's and up to the late 90's had the worst record. This doesn't mean they were all bad or even the majority had problems. I wouldn't worry about any model you really liked. You can have it checked out before you purchase it to see if it has a problem. Even if it does, you can make a price offer that can be adjusted for the repairs. I wouldn't replace any gaskets if they aren't proven to be bad. It doesn't make sense to me. Repair costs may be around 1,500 dollars just for the gasket job if you have someone do it for you. Depending on other things that should be replaced while doing the job, it may run up to around 2,500 dollars. There have been improvements made to the gaskets that help solve the problems of the previous ones.

Yes, I think you are correct about that.

I suspect the fan you are talking about is for the AC unit. It should come on when the AC is turned on. If the engine gets really hot, the second fan turns on also I believe. Since the engine is getting hot I would try replacing the thermostat if you haven't done that yet. It is best to use an OEM unit and be sure to install it like the old one is installed. If the a new thermostat doesn't fix things then there may be a headgasket leak causing the overheating. Check for bubbles in the coolant reservoir while the engine is running and after it is shut down.

Another easy thing you can do is see if it will start when you spray some starter fluid into the intake. If it does then the fuel system has another problem. It may be a bad filter near the pump.

The problem with the switches is usually inside the switch itself. If you don't have something to check voltage with you could try swapping the front and rear passenger door switches to see if that solves the problem.

Glad to hear it helped you out. Thanks for the feedback.

You are welcome for the help. Glad to hear you are making progress. I recommend you start the check by looking at the voltages on both fuses 7 and 8 with the headlights on, just to make sure the feed to the lights is correct. Place your meter probe in the little slit on top of the fuse and reference to ground. If the voltages are ok there then check the voltage at the connector to the lights, while it is connected to the lights and they are on, so you have a load on the wiring system. It is pretty common to have a bad connector at the light.

Ok, you got the other lights working, good deal. It sounded like you working on the wrong relay. I am still wondering about the hot relay you mentioned as that doesn't sound normal to me. The left headlight may be dim due to a connection problem at the light socket. This is a fairly common problem also so check the voltage at the connector to the light and see what you have there. For the high beam trouble, see if they will work in the flash position. That should verify the ground connection through the switch, if that works. The problem is most likely within the switch connection for that trouble but it could be a pin connector connection problem also.

Since a replacement relay didn't work then the problem may be with the connector for the relay. You say one of the relays is getting hot and that leads me to think that may be the one that is having trouble. Did any of the lead connections on the old relay look like they got hot? That is a sign of a bad connection. Check the voltage across the larger wire leads going to the relay while the lights are on. A good connection will show very little voltage drop across the connection and no heat. You should also be able to check the voltage at fuses 7 and 8 with the lights on. You will most likely see the voltage on 7 is low due to the voltage drop across the bad connection. You can also identify the correct relay by monitoring the voltage at fuse 7. When you pull the correct one the voltage on fuse 7 will drop to zero. Hopefully you are working on the correct relays. My info says the sockets are black, but this is for an '88.