Alternator problems

[Hectus77]

Hi folks

 

On my 98 legacy, after i replaced timingbelt and such, i noticed the charging warning lamp was on in the car. I let the car run while filling coolant and it ended up draining the battery.

 

it delivers absolutely no charge to the battery. i used a multimeter and tested the connections from alternator to battery and those seems fine. I took the alternator apart, cleaned it, did the basic tests on the internals and again everything seems fine, but i had a hard time testing the voltage regulator and the diodebriges, so im not completely sure about those.

 

I noticed in the two connector socket, both wires has 12 volts when igniton is on, is this correct?

 

I also went thru the fuses i could find under the dash and in the engine bay, but i couldnt find anyone that was broke. Is there a fuse at all that has to do with charging?

 

I thought maybe i had forgotten to put back a ground cable or something after doing the timingbelt, but there isnt anything loose that i can see, however im still not sure about this.

 

The alternator is a mitshubishi make, and it has fairly low miles, around 70 000, however i have no clue how long these alternators lasts. I do find it strange that it worked before, but not after timingbelt replacement.

 

Is there any ground or power cables that u usually take off when u do the timingbelt and remove radiator and all that wich i might forgotten to put back on or tightened?

 

cuz of oil leaks from the camshaft seals i also washed the entire engine bay with pressure washer, so im also wondering if i somehow have managed to make something disconnect somewhere, but after checking i cant find anything obvious.

 

if i was 100% sure its the alternator i would just order a new one, but would suck to put that on and still no charge.

 

Any tips or suggestions is greatly appriciated, right now im stuck with a unusable car.

 

THanks in advance

[GeneralDisorder]

The alternator only requires 12v from the indicator lamp to flash the field - which it has. Sounds like it's dead. 

 

GD

[Hectus77]

Thanks for ur answer.

 

I been measuring some more today, still cant figure out whats wrong. If its the voltage regulator died, can it act like this then or volt it just give out too high voltage?

 

Since i cant figure out where the fault lies and wirering and everything seems fine, i guess its just to order a new one.

 

Are the mitsubishi alternators bad in general or is it just bad luck?

 

Is it any point in ordering one for a newer subaru, like 2000 and up, or just go with original replacement?

 

Thanks again

[Fairtax4me]

Order a reman from an online Subaru dealer. Last I checked they were around $80 plus a core charge. Much better quality and cheaper than a part store alternator.

[DaveT]

Regulators can fail in different ways. No output is one, stuck full on is another.

[Rooster2]

If you purchase a new, or rebuilt alternator, be aware that there are two manufacturers of alternators for Subaru. One is the Mitsu, which you have, the other is I think is manufactured by Denso. Both are good products. They visually look a little different, but are interchangeable. Either one will work.

[bork]

I tried to find a Subie dealer reman alt for 1999 impreza L and the cheapest I found is like $200.00. Cant believe they increased that much since this post less than a year ago.

The re-builder I use said the rectifiers are on back order, approx 10 days. I guess I'll go the junk yard route.

[idosubaru]

I tried to find a Subie dealer reman alt for 1999 impreza L and the cheapest I found is like $200.00. Cant believe they increased that much since this post less than a year ago

If you find good used prices, get 2 so you have a back up.

 

You’re asking about a different vehicle. 99 Impreza is Phase II and this thread is about Phase I engines.

 

The alrernators are physically externally the same and do bolt up but I’m not sure the electrical plug is the same. I don’t think they are.

 

If it is the same alternator then call another dealer.

 

If it’s not the same, you can look into trying to convert yours to accept a 1998 legacy alternator like mentioned in this post. It’ll bolt up to the engine, they’re identical in those terms. The only difference would be the wiring plug, just splice in a different pigtail and it would install and run if it’s compatible electrically.

[bork]

Thank you, good info.!

[Fairtax4me]

I tried to find a Subie dealer reman alt for 1999 impreza L and the cheapest I found is like $200.00. Cant believe they increased that much since this post less than a year ago.

The re-builder I use said the rectifiers are on back order, approx 10 days. I guess I'll go the junk yard route.

99 Impreza used a different alternator than the one referenced above. The price on your alternator has come down quite a bit, they used to be over $400 for a dealer reman.

[bork]

Thank you again.

 

Junk yard had a used one from a Forester & I had my alternator rebuilder guy test it.  Tested fine.