94 Legacy - 2 batteries died out

[yngvai]

I have a 94 Legacy, 88k miles.

 

About a month or so ago the bettery died. Not completely, it gave me that click-click-click sound, but not enough to start the car. A jump was able to get it started. I took it to a place I trust, and had it replaced with an Interstate battery. About ten days later later the new battery died, too. When I took it back I asked if they had looked at the alternator. They told me they did, but they rechecked it, and said that it was just a defective battery. It's been another 11 days and I just went to start the car. Now the battery is completely dead. No click sound. Not even the dome light will go on.

 

I think the chances of two defective batteries is incredibly slim. The place took it to is a respectable place, so I don't think they're screwing with me when they say it isn't the alternator, but what else could it be?

 

Thanks.

[Jerry DeMoss]

Check your grounding wires.Possible bad ground.I know there are some other things possible I am not too familiar with Legacy's.

[yngvai]

Check your grounding wires.Possible bad ground.I know there are some other things possible I am not too familiar with Legacy's.

 

Thanks for the reply, Jerry. I will certainly check this out.

[Tiny Clark]

2 bad batteries, I kinda doubt it.

 

You could swap batteries with someone to see if your new one operates OK in their car.

 

You could also do this after you check the ground and you don't have a voltmeter:

 

Get the battery charged up, then start the car with the negative terminal nut loose. Turn on the headlights and turn the heater fan on high.

 

Remove the ground terminal and slowly move the throttle linkage thru it's range to around 3,500 rpm's. If it keeps running with no problem, the alternator should be OK. If not, it's bad. Turn it off, then replace the ground terminal.

 

You could also have something draining the battery, but if you run it everyday, then that shouldn't be a problem.

[Snowman]

If you don't have a voltmeter, this is a GREAT time to buy one, as it will make this process very easy, and probably save you time and money in the long run.

 

Check the voltage at the battery with the car running and all electrical loads on. It should be around 13.5-14.5 volts. My guess is that it's slightly lower, and the battery is not getting charged.

 

A no-charge condition can be caused by a faulty alternator or excessive resistance in the power or ground side. If your battery voltage while running is lower than 13.5 volts, check the voltage between the alternator case and the positive terminal on the alternator. If it is more than one or two tenths of a volt higher than the battery voltage, there is excessive resistance somewhere.

 

For example, a friend's 91 legacy was only getting 12.4 volts to the battery with the engine running and all loads on...turned out to be a bad wire between the alternator and the main fuse box.

 

If you have excessiver resistance, you can determine where it is by checking for voltage drop in the power side, and in the ground side. To check the power side, place on voltmeter lead on the positive terminal on the alternator, and one lead on the battery's positive terminal. If the reading is not very close to zero, there is excessive resistance and either the connections or the wires are faulty. To check the ground side, place one lead on the alternator case and one on the negative battery terminal, and if the voltage is not very close to zero, there is excessiver resistance in the ground side, caused by bad connections or faulty wires.

 

If you determine where the excessive resistance is, you can narrow it down to a specific wire or connection by continuing to measure voltage drop across individual components (such as placing one lead on the alternator case and one lead on the engine block.)

 

Hope this helps.

[yngvai]

Clark and Snowman, thank you also for your suggestions, and Clark, you were correct in that there was something draining the battery.

 

About 4-5 weeks ago, we had about 5 inches of snow. I opened my trunk to get out my shovel. When I went to close the trunk, it wouldn't stay closed. In the 11+ years I've owned the car, the trunk latch was always been a little touchy, and I sometimes have to slam it harder than I probably should in order to get it to stay shut. I knew that that's not how it's supposed to be, but I was getting by with it for a long time so I never thought anything more about it.

 

Anyway, when I when I went to close the trunk it wouldn't stay shut, like it has in the past. I gave it the usual extra oomph, but no go. Again, only harder. Nothing. One more time, even harder - and it stayed shut...mostly. It wasn't sealed shut the way it was supposed to be, the lid was still propped up about a quarter inch or so. But it stayed closed. (My guess, now, is that a piece of ice slid down and was preventing the lid from closing. I feel like an idiot because I always brush the snow off before I open the trunk, except for one time...this time.)

 

I didn't know I had bent the latch inside until a few days later went I went to open the trunk (I had put the shovel inside the car rather than in the trunk). I turned the key - and nothing happened. No resistance, no latch catching, no nuthin'. I got someone to turn the key while I crawled into the trunk through the backseat. It turns out my slamming bent part of the latch so that when the key turned the mechanism wasn't turning with it. (I'm sure I have the actual piece names incorrect).

 

Anyway, to make a long story short (too late) the lid wasn't staying closed all the way, and the trunk light was remaining on at all times. While this normally wouldn't be a big problem if I drove the car every day, I don't. I walk to work one day a week, I live within walking distance of many things, and there are also times where I'll go two days over a weekend without driving. So there's no constant regular charging to prevent a slow drain from affecting the battery.

 

So I just unplugged the line running into the trunk light. That should take care of the problem for now. I'll know in about 9-10 days if it worked, since that seems to be the timeframe that the last two batteries ran dry. Thing is, the first battery I had to replace when this all started was the original battery that came with the car when I bought it! Damn thing was fine for over a decade, 87k miles! Had the Subaru brand label on it and everything. My next step is to either try and bend the trunk latch piece back into place or replace the mechanism completely. At least there's no rain leaking into the trunk, I just felt around during the current rainstorm and it's cold in there, but dry.

 

So thanks again. This board is great. The last time I came here was on a vibration my car had, and the nails I put in to keep the heat shielding in place are still there, working beautifully.