subie94 Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Besides the Battery,Alt (along with belt) and connections..is there anything else that would trigger the batter and brake light to come on ? It doesn't come on all the time but on occasion it'll flicker on dimly then come on bright.stays on for about 10 secs then goes back out..might do it again about 20 mins later (or maybe not) It doesn't matter if any accessory's (lights,radio,heat,etc) are on..couple weeks ago during the day with just heat on low,it kept doing it while driving on the highway.. now when i bought the Outback (which is a 97) back in Sept,the previous owner said the Alt,both belts,and battery were replaced about 6 months prior,so unless they put a bad alt or battery in..i can't see the issue being those two. (btw,belts were tightened the other day and are in great shape) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzam Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 This is a good indication of a bad alternator. Rebuilds have a good chance of not being 100% reliable. Usually the cheaper rebuilds mean new bearings (if needed) and brushes with a general cleanup and paint. Unless the alternator is dead, the diodes and voltage regulator often get reused. Since they are easy to remove you can get it bench tested for free at most auto parts stores. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebugs Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Alternator. Infact often ABS and Brake lights light up but ironically not the battery light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted December 24, 2011 Share Posted December 24, 2011 Cheap alternator. They usually last about 6 months. Sad part is that this alternator was part of a recall through the dealer and quality Subaru reman's are only $65 for the 95 to 98 models. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subie94 Posted December 24, 2011 Author Share Posted December 24, 2011 were it doesn't do it all the time,i'll assume having it tested while still in the car won't kick back a bad alt print out..? $65ish is cheap enough for me..one for the Jeep was $120..(and located underneath the front of the engine..) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subie94 Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 On a side note,something i noticed while trying to figure what the problem was that was causing the Battery/Brake light to come on.. I noticed the Crank shaft pulley looked like it was wobbling.. the other pulleys didn't look like the crank did while spinning..if it's on slightly off,will it cause any damage to anything ? doesn't look like belt is getting chewed or anything.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebugs Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 GET THAT FIXED ASAP!!! Small stuff it'll melt the TB cover. But it'll chew up the keyway in the crank, and I even had one ruin the oil pump. I believe I have a pic or 2 in my photo album here. Last person to have the TB off didn't get crank bolt tight enough! If keyway is chewed I pull engine to fix, some junk the engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebugs Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Another thought. Occasioanlly the rubber part craps out. The insode is still good where it fots onto the crank. But the outer part that the accessory belts ride on is compromised. Only way I really tell is undo both accessory belts then try and wiggle the harmonic balancer. If you try and wigle it with accessory belts on you can't tell much. But if you can see it wiggle you've got problems. And continued driving is likely hurting the end of your crankshaft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subie94 Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 (edited) I'll have to have it checked out today. **cancel that,have appt 1st thing tomorrow morning at 7:30** Edited December 27, 2011 by subie94 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subie94 Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 (edited) well it turns out the Crank shaft pulley (aka-harmonic balancer) has separated at the rubber.which could be causing the alt to not spin correctly.. was quoted close to $300-$400 for it from dealer (must be gold) now the odd thing is,advance auto can't get em (apparently a dealer only part) but i found this one on line for a 96 legacy (i think)..would it still work on a 97 ? (well fit note says "Production: -05/1996, Harmonic Balancer for Models w/ Engine made in Japan" ) http://www.carpartswholesale.com/v5/details/Subaru/Legacy/OES_Genuine/Crankshaft_Pulley/1997/Outback_Limited/4_Cyl_2-dot-5L/W0133-1618586.html?sc=Product+Listing+Page:2 Subaru dealer also said they noticed oil in the coolant res(head gasket was down about 100K ago),the oil pan is either leaking or the separator plate is leaking (i knew something at the back of the engine is leaking oil,just hope it's the pan..) Edited December 28, 2011 by subie94 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebugs Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I have those harmonic balancers used if interested. But when you replace make SURE the bilt was tight before removal. Because it may turn into a larger repair job if keyway and stuff is damaged. I'd bet it's the baffle plate and it runs down back of engine at meeting of eng/trans and looks at first glance like the pan. PM me if interested in harmonic balancer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subie94 Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 P/M sent.. is the baffle plate the same thing as separator plate ? which requires engine removal right ? :-\ or am i thinking of the wrong thing.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebugs Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 P/M sent.. is the baffle plate the same thing as separator plate ? which requires engine removal right ? :-\ or am i thinking of the wrong thing.. That's it! I'd just wait until you do HG's if possible. Then reseal the engine, new plugs, idlers, belts, an be good for a long while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subie94 Posted December 28, 2011 Author Share Posted December 28, 2011 it hardly leaks so i'll probably wait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subie94 Posted January 3, 2012 Author Share Posted January 3, 2012 ok so i'll be getting the crank pulley replaced this weekend (fingers crossed that it doesn't separate completely before then)..a buddy of mine is a Subie Mech and has a used one he'll install for me cheap (providing he doesn't have any issues) the weird thing i have noticed..when the Battery/Brake light comes on,the lights get a little brighter and heater fan speed picks up a little..i should probably wait till crank pulley is replaced to see if the slipping is messing with the alt..(might not get correct reading if the separated pulley is effecting alt..am i correct in thinking that ?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted January 4, 2012 Share Posted January 4, 2012 Unless the slipping is extremely bad I wouldn't think that would cause the warning lights to turn on. The voltage regulator could have an intermittent problem and may be causing the things to run higher than normal. The warning light circuit is tied to the field circuit of the alternator and is at ground potential when the alternator isn't running. The lights turn on with power provided from the ignition switch. When the alternator gets going it provides power to the field lead also and that turns the light off, unless there is a problem with the alternator. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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