Gages going bonkers then power loss

[TWIST]

Hello Subi owners. I have an issue with my 1995  SUBARU  LEG LS/LSI, and I'm hoping for some help. I had noticed that a couple of times when starting it that I really had to push on the ignition switch to engage. Then I was going down the road and I noticed the speedometer and the RPM gages were not moving. Then they started jumping up and down as gages sometimes do when its subzero temps or not moving at all. It felt like the car was losing power and I was getting bumps of power and then none. Then completely lost power, no lights came on from the dash. Just zero power. I coasted to the side of the road and called a friend for a jump. The car started after the second try and I headed for home. Car stalled as I turned the corner to go down the hill to my house and coasted into its parking spot. Several friends mentioned the altenator. I have not pulled the positive cable off the battery because even after sitting the (brand new battery) is low and doesnt have enough power to start the car to test that. Could it be something besides the altenator? I would hate to spend that chuck of change if it wasnt even the altenator at all.

[Turbone]

If the alternator cant keep the battery charged, the car wont run. I suggest removing the alternator and take it to a local parts store (O'Reillys, Autozone etc) and have it tested.

[Rooster2]

Sounds like either the battery or alternator. Yes, new batteries can still be bad. Suggest you charge the battery, then drive to a parts store as above poster has recommended. No need to pull the alternator, if a parts store is nearby. Have them check the battery and alternator with their equipment to see if both check out good.Stores do not charge for this service done in their parking lot.

[1 Lucky Texan]

maybe a cable terminal was left loose if you recently bought a new battery?

 

on a 95, battery cables could be badly corroded. Corrosion could be severe but under the insulation .

 

not advising against the above suggestions, but inspecting battery cables/terminals is a good idea.

 

don't neglect the ground connection from the battery either. refreshing all ground connections would be a good idea.

[idosubaru]

1.  Paint/draw a mark across the crank pulley.  Then start/drive the car.  If that paint make separates then your crank pulley has failed and the OD isn't spinning at the same rate as the ID and your charging is way low and not keeping up with demand.  

 

I would start the car and test voltage at the battery and alternator - it takes like 1 minute. Then tell us the results, don't just guess because electrical stuff can be confusing and people often needlessly replace a battery or alternator. 

 

Or: 

 

1.  test the alternator - it's free at most national chains.  they can test it on the car or off the car. 

2.  test the battery - again national chains test batteries for free

[forester2002s]

+1 on battery terminals.

 

I had a similar experience recently, when the instrument-panel gauges started to go wonky. Then engine-power started surging. Then the car died at some traffic-lights.

A good samaritan helped me jump-start the car and I was off. It started on its own a couple of times after that, then died again.

I found the problem: it was the +ve battery-terminal. It was an aftermarket terminal with a wing-nut for attaching the +ve leads.  The battery-clamp was tight, but the wing-nut was loose.

So, if I had tested the battery, it would have been OK; ditto for the alternator. The problem was an intermittent fault in the wing-nut connection to the +ve leads.

 

So, check your battery clamps, and wiggle the 12V battery leads.

[idosubaru]

Yes good point - many charging and battery issues come down to dirty terminals and loose clamps.