86 Subaru Battery and Alternator Questions

[I)arkZrobe]

Heres What I got 1986 Subaru GL 1.8L Fuel Injected 4-Gear Automatic Transmission 2 Wheel Drive Electrical Draw. AC, I have a CD Player System 200 watt nothing fancy, Powered Windows, Power Steering, Power Locks (Who ever ordered this suby got the works, and yet didnt get 4 wheel drive, go figure... And some of the "Blue" headlights" (I believe they are the same as the stock but coated differently) So the alternator has been replaced with a rebuilt. And I have a die hard silver (2 year and cant find the crank amp for the life of me...) Here is the problem Turn on the AC or just the fan on high (AC is worse) there is a noticeable difference in the voltmeter (Under 12) and sometimes the car will die from lack of power if I have a lot of stop and go driving (Low RPMs does it). Turn Lights also cause the voltmeter to jump with the lights. Second Problem. If my battery is at 85 percent power then sometimes my car will just click and not start. So any ideas? Also I am looking into buying a new battery, how are the Optma Batteries? and would they be worth it for my setup? I have read through the threads for putting in a more powerful alternator, might do that.

[Bucky92]

AC draw from an EA82 is normal...and even more noticeable with the AT .. before going with the new battery there are some things to check....terminals...I mean take them off and clean and coat them ...make sure ALL connections are tight and free from corrosion...the white plug on your alt has a habit of deteriorating...replacement is easy..

 

Sounds just like you have a bad connection somewhere so I would start there....keep it simple before spending money you dont have too.

 

You have the general GL package BTW....my Loyale has all the same options but its a 5 spd ( you may want to look into a 5 speed swap..those AT trannies are dogs) and I have a 300watt system....still running the stock alt without any problems...run yours to an Advance Auto or Auto Zone and have them run a test on your alt..its free and will tell you if its charging right

[GeneralDisorder]

You may have a problem with the switch that tells the ECU to increase the idle speed with the AC on. There's a pin on the ECU that should be grounded by the AC system. Your issue with the fan is probably related as the system is designed to run the AC intemittantly with the controls in the defrost and possibly other positions as well - such that it's hard for the uninitiated to know exactly when the fan is on by itself vs. the fan AND the AC being on.

 

Voltmeter dropping is simply a function of the idle being too low. The rectifier/regulator cannot maintain 12v if the alt isn't spinning at least 700 RPM or better (which translates to about 500 RPM at the crank pulley because of the pulley reduction).

 

The clicking and not starting issue is common - it's the actual ignition switch itself. You can install a relay run by the ignition switch to transfer full battery power to the starter solenoid. That will solve the starting problem and is the prefered method as it allows the ignition switch to be operated normally.

 

You may also want to clean all the wireing harness ground connections.

 

GD

[I)arkZrobe]

Thanks All

My Connections Are Clean, I will look into that white plug thing.

"The clicking and not starting issue is common - it's the actual ignition switch itself. You can install a relay run by the ignition switch to transfer full battery power to the starter solenoid. That will solve the starting problem and is the prefered method as it allows the ignition switch to be operated normally."

 

I think that is out of my cabilities however I might mention it to my mechanic if it becomes worse.

 

And last the 5 speed transmision sounds like a great idea, how hard is it to change that out? If my transmision goes out I will plan on putting a 5 speed in but for now I think My 4 speed is fine. It gets to 90 without any real problems and thats about all I need right now.

[daeron]

Relaying the circuit is EASY. All it takes is putting a relay with four plugs under the hood. Those lugs:

One goes to a ground

One goes to fused 12V+ with a decent sized wire

One gets the wire that now plugs into your starter solenoid plugged into it (signal wire, from the key to activate the relay

 

and one gets a wire that goes down to your starter solenoid terminal, replacing the old keyswitch wire.

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=71590&highlight=Click%2C+no+start

 

Go to that thread for plenty of detailed info on how to get the realys, and wire them up. Its a half-hour fix, that is re engineering the car superior to the way it came from the factory.

[I)arkZrobe]

White Plug on the alternator I couldnt find, however I did check all the plugs on it and they look fine.

 

Alternator runs fine I believe, funny story about Advance Auto Zone... I went there to check my alternator a while back and they did... They said it was bad. So I bought a new one there (Rebuilt) and installed it, checked it again at the Auto Zone... Bad... Had the guy check the alternator on his car... Bad... So I think my original alternator was fine, o well. The new alternator is shiny... Moral of the story. Get another opinion lol.

 

I will clean the terminals again and look through my wiring. I might try that relay thing, But I am not sure if I understand what I need to work on that well.

 

To throw another tidbit in. When I had my starter replaced my ECS light started to come on when driving. My mechanic said (And I will go look it up later) that the reason it was coming on was there was a error with the starter system however seeing as my car was starting it wasnt a problem and to ignore the light.

[I)arkZrobe]

Is the relay you are talking the box above the battery that contains 4 wires and on the lid of the box it has Black, Green, Red, Green Printed on the top?

 

Also I found the white plug (I think) it was covered black... It feels kinda of loose but looks alright.

[daeron]

Is the relay you are talking the box above the battery that contains 4 wires and on the lid of the box it has Black, Green, Red, Green Printed on the top?

 

Also I found the white plug (I think) it was covered black... It feels kinda of loose but looks alright.

 

No, that is the fusible link block. The cover opens easily (look on the back side of it, facing the driver) and those are four high-current fuses directly controlling all the current in your cars electrical system except for the starter motor. They are wires, that melt through at a certain current rating like a fuse. Higher amperage than ATO style fuses, though.

 

The relay I speak of, you either purchase in a kit at a parts store (15-25 bucks) or go to a junkyard and snag out of a european car (my choice is a bosch relay, and thats the one I know how to set up. ANY erlay would work, a spare subaru just as well.. but I preferred the bosch.)

 

I got the plug out of a late 80s BMW 3 series, it slid right off and I was easily able to mount it under the hood of the soob.

 

You know how you can sometimes "jump" start a starter by leaving the ley "on," and using a screwdriver to short out the solenoid terminal and the positive battery cable terminal on the starter? Basically, the relay does that job for you. you use the old solenoid wire (plugged into your starter now, the skinny detachable one) to activate the relay, and the relay switches power from your custom installed wire with an inline fuse, into the wire that you then plug onto the starter solenoid in place of the original wire. its easy as pie.

[I)arkZrobe]

Actually I dont know how to start a car that way. Do you have pictures by chance? Im sort of a noob at stuff like this.

[mikeshoup]

Find the solenoid wire on the starter. The starter will have a large cable coming from the battery. Ignore that. There will be a smaller wire connected to a spade terminal. That's the solenoid wire.

 

If you use a bosch style relay, here's a diagram for you:

 

FYI, your car has a 3spd auto, not a 4spd. The only FWD 4spd autos in 80s Subarus were on the XT6

[daeron]

try the link that I sent you to, its got a great diagram, and I believe links to other threads. I will try to take a pic of the relay plugs tonight, but my camera kinda sucks close up. there are also four prong relays, that dont have the one in the middle like the picture mikeshoup showed. as for "starting a car that way" its just like I described.. you take a screwdriver and touch it to the starter end of the positive battery cable, and then at the same time touch the screwdriver to the solenoid terminal (the other terminal on the starter, with a relatively skinny wire and a feale spade connector on it)

[I)arkZrobe]

Thanks for your time.

[newsoobdude]

how are the Optma Batteries? and would they be worth it

DON"T WASTE YOUR $$$. Otima's have gone to SH** in the last five, six years. BIg ol POS's. Go with a Napa dry cell (same style as OLD GOOD Optima's). I killed an Optima Red Top in the LESS than 2 years in my old 04 Frontier (granted had KILLER 1300w stereo in it ), but none the less EVERYONE I've spoken to about replacing the Optima Yellow Top (that's dying after LESS THAN 2 YEARS) in my 98 LOB (with FACTORY no-frills stereo) that used to be in my Fronty, says the same thing "DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY. THEY CHANGED THERE DESIGN AND ARE SH** NOW. GO WITH NAPA) Even the independent shops say the same thing. I wish I knew the web address but google should tell you and just check the ratings of the dry cell batteries. Same thing. Wish I kneew that before I wasted the $$$, but atleast this time I kept the reciept for the battery.

Dry cells are GREAT batteries and I WILL be getting a NAPA shortly, and a refund from Optima for their POS battery.

Sorry for the foul language but after forking $300 in 2 years for batteries I aint no happy camper and want to warn EVERYONE.

[I)arkZrobe]

Ive actually considered going with Intersate. They seem to have a good following and are in my price range. However I will look into the NAPA stuff.