06b9beca

Found this! http://strongforsubaru.com/subaru-alternator-fault-fix/

Yeah, I am hoping so. Thanks for your time. Going down the road with no accessories today, I saw a couple of spots using Torque Lite where it seems the ECU was shutting down the alternator completely...so I was at battery voltage for about 20 seconds and then back to normal and then back down to battery voltage. Looks like the ECU can control this in favor of fuel economy. Check out the "cross-thread" on the outback forums: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/80-electrical-electronics/451329-06-tribeca-ez30r-charging-system-issue.html

So here are the final results. FXT - Warmed up with charged battery....lowest current draw on cable at idle 9A-12A. Tribeca - Warmed up with charged battery....lowest current draw on cable at idle 19A-20A Tribeca - Warmed up with charged battery....lowest current draw on cable with Headlight fuses removed to stop DRL 12A-14A. I suspect that this is all normal especially with the voltage drop on the FXT doing pretty much the same thing under load. The Tribeca has a few things that can't be shut off that the FXT doesn't (as far as I know anyways). Central Trip console which displays a laundry list of parameters. Numerous lit interior buttons like door switches, etc. I also have an overhead DVD player in the Tribeca which was shut off but will still draw minimal current. There is only a 2-3 amp draw difference between the 2 if the DRL's are discounted.

I was afraid you'd say that. I don't even want to talk about the draw on the Alt output wire without accessories. I think that I'd do best to make sure that the battery is charged next time I measure, but IIRC the draw on that wire is like 30A with no accessories. The FXT is not far behind though at 15-20A with no accessories. I cannot get any real readings on the negative battery terminal which I find strange. Something like 2.5A. The FXT is similar though. Also, the 30A drops to like 22A as I go down the wire. Wondering if it's the cheap meter that I am using. I'd still doubt it. Come to think of it, it is probably interference from the Alternator's spinning so I'll measure further downstream. Has had good reviews historically: One thing that comes to mind is that I am getting the red ring around the ignition indicating Factory Mode as opposed to Market Mode. Doubt that is the issue, but I recall something about that drawing more current. Too cheap to have it reset...especially by my local two star/two bit local dealership. Thanks for your help so far!

Does it matter which side I check? Negative or positive terminal? Do I check all wires going to that terminal and add the total amperage together? Thanks.

Thanks for the data. Going to check against my Tribeca and FXT. If they both act the same then I think we have concluded. I do think that the Tribeca is drawing about 40 amps with the Radar Detector/GPS running and the DRL at idle though. Then again, I have a cheapo clamp meter....gotta wonder if it's accurate. It's usually not like the old days though where you had to spend big bucks for accuracy. Will check into this.

Yep, I can get the voltage to stop dropping if I rev it to about 1000 RPM. With 2 alternators doing the same thing, and the reputation of these Mitsubishi Alternators, I'd doubt this is an alternator problem. Top it off with my Forester XT acting the same way I seriously doubt it's an issue. You have some good points. What do you figure current draw might be with everything turned off? I have an accessory in there that I tend to forget about. Aftermarket GPS and radar detector. Also, the DRL's will be on and they are Osram Rallye bulbs 65 Watts when running as low beams. Would be nice to have a baseline. Very few Tribecas around though. Thanks.

What do you think is a normal load at idle?

I turned on the front and rear dewipers and it dropped down to 11.8x VDC. I mean, I'd guess that no human does all of this for long at idle but this is rather low no?

This has the same part number as the other EZ30R alternator though. I see what you are saying. This looks like it came off a JDM engine...came right from the JDM shop. Of course, looks mean nothing, but the likelihood is much higher that it was just an accessory from Japan. I am going to rescind upon my Forester's activity statement. I turned on everything including the heated seats and it also dropped down tot he 12.xx range at idle at around 58 Amps and I have never ever feared being stuck in that vehicle especially when it came to the electrical system. I wonder if this was some EPA thing that got implemented at some point that I hadn't noticed. My Van's issue might be different. HMMMMM

Thank you very much. If left alone it drops down to the 12.2 range and continues to decline. I am going to let it run and report back. So apparently this model has an external regulator which is regulated from the ECU. My 04 Forester XT doesn't act like this. I can idle it all day and get it to stay in the 13.x range with no problems. Next time around the draw was only 68.x amps at idle. (After I recharged the battery, but the 12.2x situation exists) It still takes longer.

I couldn't post this in the electrical forum, so I am posting here. Since getting my EZ30R equipped Tribeca back from the JDM shop I have not been able to resolve the following issue: I am experiencing a poorly charging electrical system with all accessories running at idle. The vehicle starts off charging at about 14.4 VDC, but after about 2 minutes of running voltage dips down to about 12.2 VDC and continues to fall. Idle is about 750 rpm. Current Draw is about 78 Amps with all accessories running as checked with my DC clamp meter. The low voltage appears at the alternator terminal, not just the battery terminal. I tried grounding different parts of the engine block to the battery negative terminal to no avail. The vehicle has a brand new Advanced Auto Autocraft Gold battery and I have tried alternators from both engines to no avail. If I rev the engine up a few hundred RPM(s), the alternator is able to reach 13.8 VDC. HISTORY: I recently had a JDM engine put in by a JDM engine shop due to a head gasket issue on my EZ30R Tribeca. Since I got the vehicle back, it has naturally had a few issues. First the power steering pump whined away and was dumping fluid onto the top of the motor. I asked for my old pump back and that worked with the exception of a small unknown leak at the pump. Unfortunately my old pump was missing the sensor with the wire at the back of the pump. It seems like the shop broke that off and put the JDM pump on instead. I only mention this just in case that disconnected wire might be the cause of my issue. I doubt it because I connected the JDM pump wire to that wire after installing the original pump and grounded it. I ran the engine and the voltage still continued to drop so that wire likely has nothing to do with it. The JDM shop is pretty far away so it's a MAJOR hassle to get it back over there. SIDE NOTE: I had the EXACT same thing happen to my Dodge Caravan and no one could ever answer. In that enthusiast forum, the first week or so were arguments back and forth about whether or not the alternator could actually maintain voltage with all accessories running at idle. Come on now, these are family vehicles and the Tribeca is a luxury vehicle! I'll NEVER believe that voltage is supposed to go so low that your rear blower motor fan shuts off! I could be stranded with my family if I get stuck in the every day 50 mile bumper to bumper traffic encountered in the DC area! The second week or so I was able to convince someone to check their voltages with all accessories running and they confirmed voltage well above 12.5 VDC. The third week or so I purchased a clamp meter where a few folks mentioned that the current draw at idle was a bit too high, but could offer no solutions as to why. The 4th week or so I ended up giving up and getting a heavy duty alternator which burnt up in no time. As a result, for the last 4 years I have run a smaller alternator pulley on that Caravan which allowed me to get more alternator juice at idle. Unfortunately, I have to replace the alternator every 8 months and hope that it didn't burn up in the middle of a long trip with family and pets aboard. In that case, I re-grounded everything with thick gauge wires and ring terminals to no avail and the grounds on this Tribeca are pretty doggone hard to reach. I feel like I am headed for a repeat with this Tribeca and I'd rather sell it as is than drive myself insane or delegate it to "junk pickup" duty like I did with my Caravan. I think that is just going to be an unsolvable issue! Can anyone help? Thanks!