I have a 98 Subaru Legacy L Wagon and I really love the car. For quite some time not I have had a lot of odd electrical issues. I have taken the car to different mechanics and one mechanic in particular who "loves electrical issues" without much success.

 

Anyways, some of the problems I have encountered include:

 

Fan running when car is off running battery dead

Instrument panel lights out

Head lights turning off randomly

Head lights staying on when switch is off

Key won't come out of ignition

Running lights won't turn on

 

The electrical mechanic I mentioned before did "hard wire" my running and headlights and this also would turn on my instrument panel.

 

Recently I have decided to tackle this issue on my own by purchasing a brand new ignition and combination switch but this hasn't solved my issues either.

 

I have also tried purchasing and swapping relays under the dash.

 

I am just hoping perhaps someone here can point my in the right direction. I have done a lot of work to this car in upgrades and really want it functioning properly again.

 

Thanks for your help in advance.

Edited January 16, 20179 yr by Subarufan89

Yikes.

 

 

http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Legacy%20Outback/1998/

 

There are good OE wiring diagrams under "Service Manual" there, and some aftermarket ones under "Wiring diagrams" that are laid out a bit differently. both a good source.

 

 

Get yourself a good multimeter so you can test for voltage, continuity, ground, and resistance.

 

 

Then pick a symptom, and start tracing it back. I'd probably start with the fan, and start by testing things at the relay. It shouldn't take long to tell if the relay is sticking on, or if it's in the signal side that something is telling the relay to stay on...

 

 

 

A friend of mine had a '93 Legacy that had been run for years without a driver's fender liner, and the fuse box (which is in the engine bay, but right above the LF tire) was horribly corroded, and caused a myriad of gremlins like that that didn't seem to have any pattern or connection.

doesn't really match the symptoms perfectly, but make sure the green connectors are DISCONNECTED under the dash - they are for diagnostics only.

 

any sign the ignition switch was changed-out or tampered with?

Thanks for the reply. It's interesting you mention the fender liner because neither one of my front fender liners are in.

When replacing the ignition and combination switches I didn't see any evidence or tampering. Also the green plugs under the dash are both also disconnected. This car has seen it's fair share of mud and rough conditions without fender liners so I think we may be on to something with that.

Thanks for the reply. It's interesting you mention the fender liner because neither one of my front fender liners are in.

 

Yep, the majority of the wiring for the body runs through the LH fender, that will have nothing but loom and tape to protect it now. And the fuse box isn't far away either. I bet you have some nasty corrosion issues in that area...

As expected there does seem to be a lot of mud and dirt in the wire loom but I don't see any wire damage.

 

I did notice when I unbolted the fuse box and would move it around one of the fans would keep trying to turn on.

Yikes.

 

 

http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Legacy%20Outback/1998/

 

There are good OE wiring diagrams under "Service Manual" there, and some aftermarket ones under "Wiring diagrams" that are laid out a bit differently. both a good source.

 

 

Get yourself a good multimeter so you can test for voltage, continuity, ground, and resistance.

 

 

Then pick a symptom, and start tracing it back. I'd probably start with the fan, and start by testing things at the relay. It shouldn't take long to tell if the relay is sticking on, or if it's in the signal side that something is telling the relay to stay on...

 

 

 

A friend of mine had a '93 Legacy that had been run for years without a driver's fender liner, and the fuse box (which is in the engine bay, but right above the LF tire) was horribly corroded, and caused a myriad of gremlins like that that didn't seem to have any pattern or connection.

I ended up pulling a couple of fuse boxes from a junkyard and that didn't seem to resolve the issue. I also don't see any damage to my wires despite not having fender liners in either. I guess I can clean all the grounds? Any other ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Yikes.

 

 

http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Legacy%20Outback/1998/

 

There are good OE wiring diagrams under "Service Manual" there, and some aftermarket ones under "Wiring diagrams" that are laid out a bit differently. both a good source.

 

 

Get yourself a good multimeter so you can test for voltage, continuity, ground, and resistance.

 

 

Then pick a symptom, and start tracing it back. I'd probably start with the fan, and start by testing things at the relay. It shouldn't take long to tell if the relay is sticking on, or if it's in the signal side that something is telling the relay to stay on...

 

 

 

A friend of mine had a '93 Legacy that had been run for years without a driver's fender liner, and the fuse box (which is in the engine bay, but right above the LF tire) was horribly corroded, and caused a myriad of gremlins like that that didn't seem to have any pattern or connection.

I ended up pulling a couple of fuse boxes from a junkyard and that didn't seem to resolve the issue. I also don't see any damage to my wires despite not having fender liners in either. I guess I can clean all the grounds? Any other ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Yikes.

 

 

http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Legacy%20Outback/1998/

 

There are good OE wiring diagrams under "Service Manual" there, and some aftermarket ones under "Wiring diagrams" that are laid out a bit differently. both a good source.

 

 

Get yourself a good multimeter so you can test for voltage, continuity, ground, and resistance.

 

 

Then pick a symptom, and start tracing it back. I'd probably start with the fan, and start by testing things at the relay. It shouldn't take long to tell if the relay is sticking on, or if it's in the signal side that something is telling the relay to stay on...

 

 

 

A friend of mine had a '93 Legacy that had been run for years without a driver's fender liner, and the fuse box (which is in the engine bay, but right above the LF tire) was horribly corroded, and caused a myriad of gremlins like that that didn't seem to have any pattern or connection.

I ended up pulling a couple of fuse boxes from a junkyard and that didn't seem to resolve the issue. I also don't see any damage to my wires despite not having fender liners in either. I guess I can clean all the grounds? Any other ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Does it have any aftermarket electronics installed? Like an alarm system? I would check all the grounds and then if those are good, start tracing the harness. It wont be fun. Also, check for draw at the battery when the car is off. youd be surprised the number of things that can pop up with even the tiniest brake in any part of the harness.

I ended up pulling a couple of fuse boxes from a junkyard and that didn't seem to resolve the issue. I also don't see any damage to my wires despite not having fender liners in either. I guess I can clean all the grounds? Any other ideas will be greatly appreciated.

 

My mentioning of the fuse box was an example, not a diagnosis.

 

Refer to my previous post, buy a multimeter, and pick a symptom.

It's no problem man. I thought the fuse box was a really good guess because I had blown fuses in there.

My mentioning of the fuse box was an example, not a diagnosis.

 

Refer to my previous post, buy a multimeter, and pick a symptom.

Could you explain what I should actually do or possibly link me to a video that may help me?

I ran into a bizarre electrical issue captured in this thread:

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/158835-96-legacy-22-electrical-shutdown-when-driving-cranks-wont-start-no-warning-lights-will-come-on/?do=findComment&comment=1325934

 

Aging wiring at the connectors - like the spades or multi-wire connectors that plug into the fuse blocks - may cause intermittent problems.   In my case, the big red wire for the dash fuse block had a flaky spade which is embedded in the connector B52.

 

You can have all good fuses and relays, but if any of the wiring is damaged or corroded, you will need to get down and dirty with verifying every leg of the wiring - connector to connector.

 

Good luck!