TurboPropAirman Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 I have a 99 Legacy GT, I was driving down the highway, and after about an hour of driving my speedometer and odometer plumeted straight down with no lag time. I later realized everytime I used my blinkers it would pop up and down with the blinkers. It did the same thing with the heater/ac, headlights, radio, and windshield wipers. The battery would not go past 10 Volts. I just recently had my alternator checked out (it was great) and all battery cables are tight and secure. Could it possibly be a relay, or is this a symptom of something much worse? How can I check a relay? (All fuses are good). Thanks in advance for the help, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 When you say the battery wouldn't go past 10 volts, is that reading right at the battery terminals, or is that a reading in the gauge cluster? Some number of '99s seem to have had clusters that went south. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboPropAirman Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 I was reading the voltage right after I turned the car off, and it was with a multi-meter at the terminals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 Ok yes that is a low voltage. Assuming the meter is good, could either be a bad cell in the battery or something like that, or a bad alternator, or one or more bad connections. How about engine running, all accessories turned off, idling, check voltage at terminals? I wouldn't drive the vehicle like that because it may die in traffic and/or leave you stranded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 HAve the charging system tested. Dont by an altenator at an autoparts sotre unless you are in a rush or get a good price. I got one for my 97 at 61.00 plus core plus shipping. from the on line dealers. sounds like the alt. Alt is used to run the car, battery is used to start it. The car will run off the batter if the alt isnt doing its job. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboPropAirman Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 Hey, I have to jump start the car to get it running. Once running the voltage is between 8-10 with no accessories on. Can I remove the alternator to get it tested or does it have to be attached to the car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboPropAirman Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 Also just about every warning light under the sun went on, starting with low battery, ABS, and a very fast blinking "AT oil temp" light. Where would I find that alternator? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 Hey, I have to jump start the car to get it running. Once running the voltage is between 8-10 with no accessories on. Can I remove the alternator to get it tested or does it have to be attached to the car? 8-10V idling no accessories on is an alternator or wiring issue. You can remove the alternator to get it tested; the parts stores normally have this motor/pulley thing to drive the alt off the vehicle to test it. If/when you install a new alternator, you should FIRST recharge your battery with a battery charger before starting so as to not put excessive load on the new (hopefully OEM ream) alt with a dead battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TurboPropAirman Posted October 2, 2007 Author Share Posted October 2, 2007 I will try to get it tested, thank you. I hope this solves the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 Oh when you recharge your battery with a charger, you should SLOW charge it, like 2 amps or less rate; it may take a day or two to recharge it. Fast charging on a dead starter battery is not good for it and it may not even recover. You would find that alternator as an OEM reman (or possibly even new but you're talking $$$$$ then) from any Subaru dealer. Subaru dealers who sell parts online are generally a lot less price than the walk-in price at a local dealer. Some examples include http://www.subarupartsforyou.com and http://www.subarugenuineparts.com and there are dozens of others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted October 2, 2007 Share Posted October 2, 2007 And ... while you're mucking about under there, locate, remove and clean all the contact surfaces on all your ground straps - both ends. Can't hurt, could help, it's been almost a decade now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 I suspect the battery has a shorted cell. With a shorted cell the voltage of the battery drops by about 2 volts. If the cell is shorted do not let the alternator keep trying to charge the battery. The alternator will get damaged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 I have a hunch that your battery has gone bad with a bad cell. I had a VW that did what you described. The car would still start, but guages gave out wierd readings, and the engine started running badly. It was all because of low voltage, like 10 Volts. Once I replaced the battery, everything was fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted October 3, 2007 Share Posted October 3, 2007 Yes, I have an Optima with a bad cell, and it reads ~10+ volts, starts the vehicle OK, but obviously it ain't right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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