Electrical Problems

[sean56a]

Hi,

 

I replaced the head gaskets on my 97 Outback a couple of months ago. First time I've done anything this major so I'm wondering what I messed up. Or if it was me at all. I've been having some electrical problems that have popped up one by one and intermittently:

 

• Headlights dim when I hit the brakes
  
• High-pitched whine coming from engine compartment (EGR valve?!)
  
• Airbag light on intermittently
  
• Stereo dead as dead; clock works though (I can even set it)
  
• Seat belt idiot light flickers on with accompanying, stuttering, alarm noise
  
• Car randomly won't start -- fixed by removing the negative battery wire for a second
  

 

Thanks everyone for your attention. Take care.

 

Sean

[nipper]

First thing first. Chek all your grounds and connections, but I dont think that is it. You are missing the ever popular Brake light and ABS light.

 

Check your Alr output at 1800 RPM with everything on.

 

How old is your bettery?

[johnceggleston]

high pitched whine? alt belt/pulley bearing?

 

although the radio not working is weird. but i think the clock and the radio come off different feeds, clock is always on radio only when car is on. but i agree, it sounds like the alt to me.

 

just for grins, try the radio with everything else off.

[Rooster2]

Agree with others advise........check all electrical connections, particularly the ground connections. Don't think the EGR is the problem; it doesn't whine. Suggest checking the fuse box for a bad fuse on the radio circuit.

 

You may want to go to a car parts store, where they will give you a free alternator output check, and battery check. Hunting down electrical gremlins is never fun, but if you know that the battery and alternator are good, then you are at a starting point to find the real culprit.

[naru]

Check for unwanted AC voltage at the alternator output w/a high electrical load(high beams,blower fan etc. on) and engine at mid rpms.

 

Measure at the alternator rather than the battery.

0.5 volts max.

[Cougar]

Actually, any AC voltage at the battery should be less than .1 volt in my book. Any more than that means bad diodes in the alternator.

 

Clean your battery posts and cable connections using a battery post cleaning brush. Check the fuses for any bad ones in the dash and under the hood. If thry are ok then check the radio harness to see if power is getting to the radio itself. If you have power to it then something inside the radio is bad.

Edited February 14, 2010 by Cougar

[Allpar Mod]

The radio should have two hots, one constant on from the battery to run the clock and memory, and one hot when the ignition is on. It sounds like the constant hot is good and the ignition is not. Could be blown fuses. I'd check the fuses first, all of them. It's always possible that after you did the engine repair, when you reconnected the battery, something was slightly amiss in the wiring and blew fuses. I'd check any wiring you disconnected during the process. Go simple first always. Bad ground connections could explain the dimming headlights. I'd still check them well. If you haven't found the culprit(s) at this point, make sure the battery terminals are clean as you were already told to and do an alternator check.

[sean56a]

All right. I went to Kragen and had a test run. Unfortunately he did everything from the battery, so if you all need the alternator tested I'll have to do it myself tomorrow. Here are his results:

 

Battery, engine off: 12.8 v

Cold cranking amps: 391

Starter: 10.05 v

Alternator w/o loads: 13.8 v

Alternator with loads: 14.0 v

 

I checked the fuse for my radio; no dice. It's intact. I've been having some belt squealing recently (which, I should mention, is quite a different noise from the high-pitched drone of a whine that I heard once before) so I checked the belts. I noticed that the alternator wasn't properly seated on its mounts. I tightened everything and put the belt guards in place. Perhaps the alternator wasn't turning properly with a loose belt?

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

[Cougar]

The test voltages look good to me. I see nothing wrong with the charging system and starter circuit.

[sean56a]

Hi everyone,

 

I resolved the problem (mostly!). Thanks for your help. For posterity, I might as well say what it was. The problem was the loose connection to the negative battery terminal. I cut off the little piece of plastic that fits in between the two ends of the loop clamp of the battery lead, the one that the bolt goes through. This let me tighten the clamp down on the worn, skinny post. No problems (other than lingering AT TEMP / AIRBAG lights at startup)...

[Cougar]

Thanks for the update.