2001 Legacy won't charge and speedo won't work

[tomchildress621]

I have a 2001 Subaru Legacy L wagon which won’t charge its battery and whose entire instrument cluster (IC) doesn’t work.  The troubles with both battery and cluster started last fall after a truck sideswiped the front left corner of  the car.  The collision dented the front left fender (right behind the headlight) and broke the left headlight. Immediately after the accident, I kept driving the car and I’m almost certain that the IC was still working when I drove away from the accident.  

   While driving around town the next day, I noticed that all of the IC guages had stopped working. I don't know exactly when they stopped working; I might have driven awhile before I noticed.  After driving around some more, my battery started going dead.

 

    The next day I took the car to a generic auto mechanic (not a dealership or Subaru specialist) to be repaired.  The mechanic determined that my alternator was okay.  (I forgot to tell him that the instrument cluster (IC) had stopped working, so at first he focused only on the charging problem.  He put in TWO new alternators and neither of them solved the charging problem.)  After I told him that the IC didn’t work, he did some research and concluded that a non-working IC could cause the charging problem, so he recommended replacing the IC.

 

So I bought a used instrument cluster on eBay and installed it in the car.  This did not solve the problem, so I bought and installed another used IC, but it didn’t work either.  I think the mechanic checked all the fuses.  Regardless, I have checked all of the fuses myself, both the ones in the cabin and those under the hood.  They all look fine to me.   

 

What should I do next?

Edited May 5, 2016 by tomchildress621

[Cougar]

The alternator has an exciter inside it and the exciter field needs power provided to it in order for it to get the field windings charged up. The battery warning light in the dash is in series with the ignition switch power and the connection to the exciter via the blk/wht wire on the alternator. If the warning light burns out or power gets cut off somehow to the exciter then the alternator can't function. You need to see why power isn't getting to your cluster. I think there are least two sources of power too it. I don't have access to my service data right now but I will in about a week from now if you need to know more info on the power connection. Fuse 13 in the dash panel may be the fuse in question so make sure power is getting to that fuse and others using a test light and the slits on top of the fuses to make the checks on each side of the fuses.  

[tomchildress621]

Cougar, 

Thank you for your reply above.  If you access to your service data now, could you post more info on the power connection?

A friend who is an electrical expert is coming over tomorrow to help me track down the problem.

Tom

[Cougar]

My data shows that there are 3 connectors going to the cluster. If I am looking at things correctly the connector called 'C' should be on the right side of the cluster if the connectors are on top of the cluster. There are two rows of pins and one row has three pins on each side of the key notch of the connector. That is the row we are looking for. Pin C3 provides power to the cluster and it is the pin closest of the three pins to the middle of the plug and the three pins that are nearing the middle of the console.

 

Before you tear into the dash you need to make sure other areas are getting power from the same source of power. Fuse 5 in the panel under the hood provides power to the cluster via the ignition switch, ignition relay, and the dash fuse panel. If the turn signals don't work then make sure fuse 5 is good under the hood. Also check for power with the ignition ON at the dash fuse panel. Look for a 12 pin connector tied to the panel with two rows of wires. Pin 11 should be a grn/wht wire that goes to the cluster pin C3 and should have power on it. If there is no power on that wire then the ignition relay needs to be checked. It is the first relay located in the relay block. Your trouble could be between the ignition switch and the fuse panel 

[tomchildress621]

Cougar,

Thank you for the info in your last post.  We followed your advice and have some new questions, below.

 

Turns out that the turn signals are not working. Fuse 5 under the hood
is a 30 amp fuse labeled "SBF No 5". It tests good and with that fuse
removed, 12 volt power is present on one of the terminals in the fuse
box. From fuse 5, does power go next to the ignition switch or to the
ignition relay? What else is on this circuit? Is there a wiring diagram
available anywhere on-line?

There are several relays in the same box as the fuses under the hood
near the battery, labeled "Main fan", "A/C", "Sub fan" and "F-Fog".
Where is the ignition relay located?

 

Thank you for all your help.

Tom

[Cougar]

Standby, I'll check it out.

 

Okay, we have some confusion here I think. The fuse 5 (15A) I was referring to is not the same as fuse SBF-5, which is a larger fuse. Fuse 5 is the smaller ATM type fuse and is next to the horn relay at the top of a column of 3 fuses.

 

I assume you aren't having engine problems. If you did then fuse SBF-5 would be of concern as it supplies power to a lot of engine related circuits.

 

Power to the turn signals passes through the hazard switch in the OFF position. Try cycling the hazard switch several times to see if that changes the turn signal issue. Do the hazard lights work?

[Fairtax4me]

How extensive is the damage to the fender?

The wiring harness from the underhood fuse box runs behind the fender on that side and can be damaged in an accident.

IIRC you can get to the wiring by removing the inner splash sheild from the wheel well.