im sure this has been covered many times so if there is a thread i'm not finding just point it out. electrical is my weakest point so really need help. my voltmeter died. where does it attach in the engine compartment? what color wire etc. only threads i could find deal with the cluster inside and before i pull all that apart (if i can figur that out) just wanna make sure something didn't come loose under the hood. thanks.

There's a wire that plugs into the back of the alternator. I would check that first.

it sure would be nice of you to tell us

what model you are driving

 

your alt probably died an untimely death

 

and what you are seeing is a dead battery

(or soon to be)

 

 

 

If you feel I'm being insolent, I'm sorry

a trite saying I made up

"info is the key that unlocks knowledge"

its an 86 GL 5spd front wheel drive wagon. seems to have no charging issues just dead gauge. i can live without it since i drive it very little at night and i have plenty of hills to park on to roll start it if i do develop charging problems but its comforting to have all those gauges to keep me informed. update: well voltmeter came back to life, so probably a wire loose or something, will clean and check all connections when the weather lets up. thanks

just for the sake of knowledge, I would take it to your local autoparts store - most of them will do a battery/alternator test for you with the stuff still in the car - no need to remove anything.

 

at least then you would have peace of mind knowing you dont have an alternator or battery on its way out...

 

ps: once your charging system dies completely you wont be able to "roll start" it - sorry - but it needs electricty to run.

as long as the alternator isn't totally fried or i get a jump to put a little juice in the battery it probably will get me home since it never goes more than a few miles. true it needs electricity to run but with no radio heater etc. on it dont take much juice to keep the motor running a few miles. ive always drove older cars and have been in that situation many times but yeah i do need to have it tested since i dont have a meter to test it myself.

Howdy Bill,

Sounds like this is not a big concern but

 

if the brushes in the alt are getting worn down

the alt output can come and go.

You may be seeing this or it may be a loose

connection.

 

A voltmeter is a cheap investment,

But I love reasons

to buy new tools.

;^)

 

Good luck, hope ya don't get stuck.

thanks, yeah walking/pushing sux. if you could see under my hood you'd be amazed it even runs. i dont know how many hands it went through before it got to me but there are mystery wires and hoses everywhere. i'm shadetree but its unreal. i respliced some of the wires under the hood today (careful to restart it after every change) and hopefully that will help. already checked around in case i need an alternator an looks like autozone has the best price at $65 and supposedly keep em in stock.think i'd have to reuse my pulley which probably sux to get off without bending it but maybe i wont have to. as usual thanks all for the feedback and advice . this place keeps a lot of people from going nuts.

Glad we help somewhat Bill.

 

Only folks like you, who want to help themselves

can be helped.

 

BTW a lot of talk on how bad the autozone rebuilt

alts are. This has been kicked around recently.

 

Daeron has a new one (with pulley) going cheap? in this ad

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=85127

 

Just a FYI, sounds like you are

doing a fine job tracking down the gremlins,

hope you don't need it.