Tmb9862 Posted June 25, 2011 Share Posted June 25, 2011 1996 Legacy Outback 2.2l, 5spd. I've had this happen twice before and both times the alternator was bad. No every time it rains even if I don't drive the car in the rain the brake and battery light turn on for the first minute or so. Their is no way anything is wet because the car wasn't driven in the rain. Now it just did it without it being wet out. I put my tester on there and with the light on I was getting 14.3 across the terminals and to ground. The three year old NAPA battery is about 12.5 with the car off. So the battery and alternator both seem to be good. The last two times it happened I was getting low voltage readings. Could it be anything else or is my alternator going bad again and somehow reading good? I guess this is what I get for buying an Autozone part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMattyD Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Yeah, the only time I have ever seen the brake and battery light come on, it has been the alternator. Maybe the belt is loose or there is an intermittent failure in the alternator. Anyway, I would look at getting a new one soon, just in case. I know I got a good deal on a rebuilt subaru one from on an online subaru dealer. I think it was 1stsubaruparts.com. But that was 3 yrs. ago. Matt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 did you test alternator volts at the output pin, or the battery terminal. Try testing the volts at the main fuse link. Perhaps the alternating is outputting, but has a bad connection to the rest of the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 If it's not a Subaru reman alternator - ditch it and get one from the dealer. They are only about $75 because your model year had a recall on them. I've seen countless examples of aftermarket (NAPA is especially bad from my expeience) alternators for Subaru's lasting only 6 months or a year before subsequent failure. The reman one from the dealer will be the last one you buy. GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kd7dej Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 I had the same problem. Got one from autozone and no problems since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmb9862 Posted June 26, 2011 Author Share Posted June 26, 2011 (edited) Thanks for the ideas. The one in my car is from Autozone and has been replaced under the lifetime warranty once already. The first one lasted about a year, this one is probably about six months old now. Normally I wouldn't have bought from them but it was Sunday and I couldn't wait for the part. I put the tester from the alternator to a ground and turned on everything again (lights, fogs, defroster, mirrors, seats, radio, ac, dome lights) and got 12.9v. If I increased the RPMS a bit it jumped to the high 13s to 14.1. I think that sounds pretty normal considering the load on it? Yesterday I noticed the light coming on if I hit the gas hard going up hill. The belt is pretty new (about six months) and seems to be tensioned right. I'm going to tighten it up a little and see if that helps. I'm thinking maybe a bearing or something in the alternator is starting to seize up causing the belt to slip. Or it just has some sort of intermittent charging problem. Hopefully just tightening up the belt helps. It sucks if it is the alternator again which it sounds like it is because Autozone won't warranty it unless it fails in their testing machine. I doubt it would fail in their machine as it is now. Maybe I just need to find a way to completely fry the alternator so I can get it warrantied. Edited June 26, 2011 by Tmb9862 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 Dash lights illuminating are almost always a result of rectifier failure inside the alt. That doesn't neccesarily mean the regulator is bad - though it sounds weak from your voltages. It should not dip much below 13.5 even at idle. Check for AC current off the back of the alt - that will defeat the diode protected christmas tree lights and cause them to come on. I think you have a bad rectifier and are getting some quantitiy of AC current superimposed on your charging current. It's worth the peice of mind to get the Subaru reman unit for $75. They will take the Autozone POS for a core GD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 As an added tip to what GD stated, you can check for AC voltage easier across the battery terminals rather than the back of the alternator. When testing, run the engine at around 2,000 RPM. If there is more than .1 volt of AC voltage measured there the alternator needs to be replaced. Another issue the alternator can have that will turn on the warning light but not create excessive AC voltage is a problem with the brushes inside it. Anytime the battery warning light is turning on it usually means the alternator has a problem. It is also important to make sure that the battery warning light is working when checking for a problem with the charging system when the ignition switch is turned to ON. Most charging systems use power provided by the warning light circuit to energize the exciter circuit and build up the field coils inside the alternator. The warning light is in series with the circuit so if it doesn't work for some reason current can't get to the exciter to start the action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted June 26, 2011 Share Posted June 26, 2011 It sucks if it is the alternator again which it sounds like it is because Autozone won't warranty it unless it fails in their testing machine. I doubt it would fail in their machine as it is now. Maybe I just need to find a way to completely fry the alternator so I can get it warrantied. I have had good luck with Autozone alternators. Seem to last a long time. There is no need to remove the alternator from your car to have it tested on the Autozone testing machine. Just drive your car to Autozone, a counter guy will come out to the parking lot, and test your charging system including alternator as it is running in your car. If it is bad, your lifetime guarantee will get you another rebuilt at no cost. It is helpful to take your receipt with you from purchase of last alternator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmb9862 Posted June 29, 2011 Author Share Posted June 29, 2011 Thanks for the help. I checked for AC current and don't have any. Then again the light hasn't come back on and I never did tighten the belt. If it comes back on again I'll try and check for AC current. If an alternator from the dealer really is only $75 I'll probably just pick one up. I paid probably twice that for the Auto Zone one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Thanks for the help.I checked for AC current and don't have any. Then again the light hasn't come back on and I never did tighten the belt. If it comes back on again I'll try and check for AC current. If an alternator from the dealer really is only $75 I'll probably just pick one up. I paid probably twice that for the Auto Zone one. Suggest calling the dealer first to see if you qualify for a $75 alternator. That deal may not be around any more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 (edited) That deal IS around still - as far as I know they are going to continue selling the reman alts at that price due to the recall.... anyone affected by the recall but outside their warranty period still gets the cheap price on the reman alts. I see them constantly. I just bought one about a month ago and my dealer says they still stock two of them at all times. It really is sad that uninformed consumers and shops do folks the diservice of installing aftermarket alts when these are so cheap and availible. The one I bought last month went into a neighbor's car who had a shop install a NAPA reman 6 months prior. She paid well over double for that one plus and an hour labor for installation. GD Edited June 29, 2011 by GeneralDisorder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tmb9862 Posted July 8, 2011 Author Share Posted July 8, 2011 Well I took it to Autozone and like I though as long as it's putting out more then 13v they won't warranty it. I got a used OEM one for twenty bucks, threw it in and no more light. The bills are piling up right now, once I have a little more cash I'll pick up a re manufactured one from the dealer. Thanks for all the help and advice. Now. How can I completely destroy the Auto Zone one so they make good on their warranty. It wouldn't hurt to have a spare sitting around even if it's an Auto Zone one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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