edrach

Let's differentiate joints: CVJ (outer joint), common failure symptom is clicking under full lock turns in one direction. DOJ (inner joint), common failure symptom is mild vibration up to severe vibration (feeling like the transmission will fall out of the car) while on positive throttle which goes away instantly as soon as you let off the gas. VC bind never shows up while travelling straight; thumps while turning in either direction. The sharper the turning the more severe the thumping.

Sorry I mis-read your post; I was thinking of the alternator +BAT terminal and not the starter.

Connie, my suspicion is that a pinched or reversed wire somewhere in the alternator circuit is causing an internal failure in each alternator you installed. I would more believe you have three faulty alternators than one bad motor. You've made some good measurements that point to the alternator circuit and disconnecting the white plug from the alternator appears to stop the drain on the battery. I think you're pretty close to solving this if you wish to continue.

Alternator is grounded correctly as soon as you bolt it to the engine. Besides a poor or open ground causes an open circuit and would not lead to draining the battery.

Sorry a short like that would blow a fuse or fusible link and that isn't what's happening.

Connie, more and more looking like the alternator. Have a good sleep and tomorrow we can continue with some logical troubleshooting. Please don't pull the engine and start over....un-necessary work and it won't get you any closer to a solution since we still haven't found the solution. Have faith, you (and we) will lick this thing.

I hate to say it but there are a ton of previous posts about the 390s.

Yea, you got them off that Brat at Lynnwood PAP. Only tires that can be used on them is the ones from Michelin. Your best bet is to leave the old tires on them and return them for a refund. I hope you still have your receipt and had them marked. One of Michelin's worst ideas. They wanted to tie up the market with their proprietary tire size so they persuaded Peugeot, Renault and even BMW to have tires "customized" for their respective suspensions. Pissed off a lot of new car buyers the first time it came to replacing the tires. Also too late to take the car back to the dealer and tell them where they can stuff their 390's. Sorry you got stuck with a set. Hopefully you can return them for a refund. (Keep the centre caps unless they charged you for those also; they'll fit on the 15" non-390 rims just fine).

Your car is a bit "young" for this, but problems with the inner (DOJ) joint can give you those exact symptoms when it's bad. Very unusual for only 12K on the car. But if you find the inner joint rubber boot torn, that would be a definite sign that the axle has gone bad.

John, I know where you're coming from. I have my source of new/rebuilt axles and I have to agree with GD on his advice. However, I've found that I would rather buy "selected" used axles at Pull a Part than new. But I'm willing to spend the time to install another one every four or five months. If you ignore the time lost, and are willing to deal with the unexpected failure, this is certainly the cheapest way. Best of luck with it; we're here to help when you looking for advice or info.

Canyon De Chelly (I checked on spelling and this is correct; pronounced Dee-Shay oddly enough). Headquarters and the motel I remembered is in Chinle at the mouth of the canyon. Road I was thinking about does not go north, but runs SE along the canyon and then goes up and over some hills on the way to Ft. Defiance and Window Rock. Only way into the canyon itself and explore some of the ruins is to hire an Indian guide and go in on horseback. I don't believe they allow motor vehicles there since it's considered hallowed ground. The other road is NE along the other side of the canyon and goes to Tsaile. I was fortunate enough to do service work at the Indian Health Service hospitals scattered around Arizona and New Mexico. Great opportunity to see lots of neat stuff along the way on someone else's nickel. Another really cool road is the one between Lukachukai and Red Rock on the way to Shiprock and Farmington, NM (just north of the Canyon De Chelly). You have to cross a stream leaving Lukachukai. When I was there it was only 6 inches of water deep and my FWD Chevy made it across easily. I went uphill and through a few muddy sections where I was lucky not to get stuck. Ultimately, the road climbed to over 8000 feet above sea level and then came to a cliff over-looking the desert. I could see the top of Shiprock (a very large rock rising 1800 feet out of the desert floor that looks like an oldtime sailing ship from the distance) from there. A one lane dirt road (without guard rails zig-zagging 7000 feet down a vertical cliff to the desert floor) where the road was smoothly paved all the way to Highway 666. If you plan on sight seeing this, ask for details from the locals since there's a real possibility that the road may no longer exist or is dangerously impassible. I was really lucky to get through this without getting stuck (or killed) along the way. Hertz never knew but I spent about $20 running it through the local car wash until I couldn't see any more mud. By the way, if you travel on Hwy 666 between Shiprock, NM and Gallup, NM watch out for drunk drivers even during the day. Gallup is the only place where liquor sales are allowed and it's not unusual to encounter a drunk heading home (north) from Gallup. It's not called the "highway of death" for nothing. Amazing how many memorial crosses are along a perfectly straight road.

Canyon Deschelly (spelling?) is a great place. Not as spectacular as the Grand Canyon, but not the tourist mecca of the Grand Canyon either. There is an Indian-run motel there which is a great place to stay if you have the bucks. If you feel adventurous, take the road north along the east side of the canyon. It gets pretty primitive but I managed to get a Hertz rent-a-buggy through there on my way to somewhere (I didn't want to take the long way around). This was 10 years ago, so I can't vouch for the road now.

The car or the charger?

The VC definitely has a heat component to it when it starts to fail. I found mine showed no symptoms for the first 5 minutes of driving (after sitting overnight) and and then slowly started to bind. After a 2nd 5 minutes binding on all turns in either direction was quite evident. As to a CV axle failure: unless two axles fail at the same time and in the same manner, an axle failure produces symptoms generally when turning in one direction (a loud clicking under full lock for an outer joint (CVJ) failure) or a significant thumping or vibration IN A STRAIGHT LINE during acceleration which goes away instantly when you let off on the gas indicates an inner joint (DOJ) failure.

Screwdrivers (and a set of large washers make it easier) work just fine. Only takes a little longer in doing the axle replacement (maybe 5 minutes longer). But if you're doing more than one axle a month, this tool is worth the money.

And worth every penny if you're going to have EA81 and EA82 cars around. I wonder if it would work for the EJ axle (probably not since the axle nuts are different threads:rolleyes:); besides you don't need it for the new gen cars.

I've found that a decent battery charger is invaluble. My favorite was bought from Harbor Freight for around $70. http://www.battery-rechargeable-charger.com/vector-VEC1097A-car-battery-charger.html

Just to make sure, the ONLY time you should be pounding on the axle is to get the old one out. Installing the new one, pull it through gently. There's too much chance of damaging the new axle if you try to pound it in to get it through the bearings. I never needed a 2nd person to swap an axle.

That's why I no longer use my screwdriver and washer trick. I forgot what I paid for mine; got it off ebay a few years ago.

That's about right for the first time. Took me 4-1/2 hours for my first one. My best time has been 1/2 hour; I was in a hurry and got a car where the bearings were slightly bigger than usual. Glad to see you got it done. The next one will be easier.

Bacaruda's approach is what I used when I first started doing axles. I even bought about 8 very large washers that I added as spacers under the axle nut to pull the axle through. After that prying with the two screw drivers against the nut got the axle through the rest of the way.

I second what nipper said. Have it checked out by a dealer and/or independent Subaru shop. No point in spending money for parts that aren't needed. My own VC failure was pretty obvious. Anything sharper than a 45 degree turn (in either direction) and the thump, thump, thump was there. Even worse backing out of a parking space. My car had 125K on it when the failure started; we bought it at 112K. No telling what the previous history/use had been. I also had the car checked by a Subaru mechanic with more than 25 years of Subaru work at a dealership. Something that hasn't been mentioned yet, if you're not the original owner. Is there any chance that the car was towed on a hook rather than a flat bed? I'm not sure if this is as serious with a 5MT as it is with an automatic, but it might be the cause of your premature VC failure.

I've had great response from Jason also. The website sucks, but Jason is great to deal with over the 'phone.

Not to rain on your parade, but having just gone through a VC failure in our '99 Forester, I would opt for a new unit (expensive but probably the best alternative). I had three used trannies to select a VC from and all three had a bad VC! I went with a new one from the dealer and had it professionally installed. If you do it yourself make sure you have a hydraulic press. Good luck. By the way, just as a price comparison, I recently picked up a used 5MT for our Forester (from a '99 with a reported 50K miles on it for $550). Too late to install in our Forester, but I'll have a used transmission that I can have checked out and have available if needed.

There's a seal in the transmission where the speedo cable is attached which prevents oil/grease from travelling up the speedo cable. If the grease gets into the speedometer, it causes the speed reading to read high (in your case really, really high). Only fix is to replace the cable and speedometer since you'll never get the grease out of the speedo. Also you need to replace the seal or the problem will occur again.