January 21, 200719 yr A couple of days ago a new phenomenon started and I'm not happy about it. The behavior is that when accelerating to highway speed, when the car should be shifting into 4th, it slips a bit, and during this slipping the battery and brake lights come on together. The headlights also dim a little and I can hear the heater fan slow down. Tonight I drove about 2 miles at 65 in 3rd gear with the battery and brake lights on before the transmission shifted into 4th. I don't know if this is temperature related or not. We finally got wintery weather this week and that's when this started. The car is a 95 Legacy wagon, with the 2.2L engine and automatic transmission. The engine was warm according to the water temp guage due to the remote starter getting the engine warm before I got in the car. I'd only driven a quarter mile when getting onto the highway and having this problem. The outside temp was 14 degrees. Any ideas? Help would be much appreciated!
January 21, 200719 yr Get your charging system checked out the alternator is most likely not charging or on it's way SEA#3
January 21, 200719 yr Ditto on the alternator; might be as simple as the belt is slipping, but more likely time to replace the alternator.
January 21, 200719 yr I have that now when i first start Blu in the morning. Its the altenator, but have the entire system tested. nipper
January 21, 200719 yr Author Thanks for the replies, everyone. Too bad it's winter now and I don't have a garage. Replacing the alternator isn't a tough job normally, but I can't imagine doing it right with a wind chill below zero :-) Would the alternator not working properly contribute to the transmission not shifting?
January 21, 200719 yr besides the shifting, I had the same problem awhile back. My alternator tension bolt broke and left the alternator belt very lose.
January 21, 200719 yr Thanks for the replies, everyone. Too bad it's winter now and I don't have a garage. Replacing the alternator isn't a tough job normally, but I can't imagine doing it right with a wind chill below zero :-) Would the alternator not working properly contribute to the transmission not shifting? If you have an automatic transmission, some of the control is with electric solenoid; if the voltage is too low, those could cause the solenoids not to work consistently. Check the belt tension first; you might be pleasantly surprised and it would be a quick and easy fix.
January 21, 200719 yr try turning all the electrical stuff off and seee if it shifts better. especially headlights. check the alt. don't wait too long or you might need a battery also.
January 22, 200719 yr Author After a highly intense troubleshooting session... it turns out that it's probably just corroded battery terminals. I didn't even look at anything except to check the belt tension, then went to the parts store to have them test the charging system for me. As soon as the parts guy went to attach the cables we saw what the problem was. He went ahead with the test anyway and the initial charge from the alternator was in the normal range. The store was out of battery cleaning solvent and I'm out of baking soda at home, so this looks like a job for after work tomorrow. Thanks again for all the replies, everyone.
January 22, 200719 yr After a highly intense troubleshooting session... it turns out that it's probably just corroded battery terminals. I didn't even look at anything except to check the belt tension, then went to the parts store to have them test the charging system for me. As soon as the parts guy went to attach the cables we saw what the problem was. He went ahead with the test anyway and the initial charge from the alternator was in the normal range. The store was out of battery cleaning solvent and I'm out of baking soda at home, so this looks like a job for after work tomorrow. Thanks again for all the replies, everyone. steel wool works too. nipper
January 22, 200719 yr After a highly intense troubleshooting session... it turns out that it's probably just corroded battery terminals.[...] The store was out of battery cleaning solvent and I'm out of baking soda at home, so this looks like a job for after work tomorrow. Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) is used primarily to neutralize battery acid (which is why none should be allowed to get into the battery cells); it isn't sufficient by itself to clean the terminals of corrosion. Usually a special wire brush is used for cleaning, or steel wool (preferably coarse) as Nipper suggested could be used (but not soap pads ). Some people use "sandpaper", but such abrasives are typically metal oxides themselves (and therefore semiconductors or insulators), making them a bad choice due to the residue they can leave behind.
January 22, 200719 yr After a highly intense troubleshooting session... it turns out that it's probably just corroded battery terminals. I didn't even look at anything except to check the belt tension, then went to the parts store to have them test the charging system for me. As soon as the parts guy went to attach the cables we saw what the problem was. He went ahead with the test anyway and the initial charge from the alternator was in the normal range. The store was out of battery cleaning solvent and I'm out of baking soda at home, so this looks like a job for after work tomorrow. Thanks again for all the replies, everyone. get a 2 liter bottle of real coke and pour it on. i'll bet it starts. i keep some in my trunck 'just in case'.
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