EVOthis Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 hey guys, I have a 96' legacy 2.2 with a 5 spd... I did some driving around today and eventually i came up on some traffic everything was fine for about 10 minutes just crawling along than both my battery light and my brake light came on at the exact same time. please if anyone can help or has a similar problem it would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 I suspect your alternator has gone bad. Suggest getting your charging system checked out at Auto Zone, or Advance Auto parts, or other parts store for free. If alternator is found to be bad, it is very easy to install a new one yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 usually alternator but could be related to battery, cables or connections. autozone or advanced auto parts have battery and alternator testing equipment. there's an off change the belt could be loose, but you would probably hear that as well. and the rarer alternative is that the crank pulley is separating. also - check out the search function or the "similar threads" listed below. look down to the bottom right of this page, there are threads listed with your exact same issues. some quick searches often solves easy or common issues like this one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted December 14, 2007 Author Share Posted December 14, 2007 thats the thing...i just replaced the alternator with a new one and the battery is new also and connections are tight......i just thought it was weird that both the BRAKE and BATTERY lights would come on at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAWalker Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 On those cars, when the alternator is not charging, having both the battery and brake lights come on is normal. Were did you get the alternator from before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted December 14, 2007 Author Share Posted December 14, 2007 i got it a NAPA about 4 months ago Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 Get an altenator form one of the online dealers, not from anyone else. I went through two altenators in one year, because they kept using an imprezza altenator for a legacy. Also when I bought the alt from the online dealer it was 3 times cheaper then the one they had put into the car. This is a common "error" that autopart stores do. I dont know if it is a catalog error, or someone trying to sell the more expensive alt, that looks exactly like the cheaper one. Sooby dealers will tell you this is not an uncommon "error" nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAWalker Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 Interesting. I always use NAPA alternators, due the the low failure rate as compaired to other aftermarket units that I have tried. If all your battery cables and conections are clean and tight, (includeing the ground conection at the engine and behind the LH head light) the battery tests good, and your alternator belt is properly tensioned................get the alternator tested. Did you get the Lifetime alternator, PN 13-9100? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted December 14, 2007 Author Share Posted December 14, 2007 No I dont think i did get the lifetime alternator....i just cant believe that it would take like less than 4 months to toast an alternator......thanks for the insight guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 The warning lights are in the field circuit of the alternator. This allows the lights to be tested when the ignition is turned on and is also why some come on when there is trouble with the alternator. I too would suspect the replacement alternator is bad but if you can, have the place you purchased it from check it out before you replace it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted December 14, 2007 Author Share Posted December 14, 2007 assumingly enough the battery light doesnt come on if the battery is bad does it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAWalker Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 No. Just a little side note...........Those lights don't always come on when the alternator is bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOthis Posted December 14, 2007 Author Share Posted December 14, 2007 Well you were right on this one.......i put a system in my car....so the guy said that is what fried it...i have like a 1800 watt kenwood amp goin to a rockford P3.....nonetheless thank you very much..(oh and i got the new one for FREE!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 i just cant believe that it would take like less than 4 months to toast an alternatorMany parts store rebuilt units just get the faulty component(s) replaced and resold. That leaves a lot of other components that have lots of age and miles on them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 [...]i have like a 1800 watt kenwood amp goin to a rockford P3[...]I assume that you aren't hitting peak power all the time . Nevertheless, if your subwoofer and the rest of the audio system are "only" averaging 1/4 of that ( ), they'll require around 40 amps of current. Lighting and other accessories also can consume 10's of amps. If you're really pushing the system, the alternator and battery should be very heavy duty types, or the problem may be a recurring one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted December 15, 2007 Share Posted December 15, 2007 With the mobile sound systems available today I have to wonder how many watts does it really take to listen to some good quaility audio while going down the road. Somehow the answer, 1800 doesn't ring up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forester2002s Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 1,800 Watts? What did you say? I can't hear you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted December 16, 2007 Share Posted December 16, 2007 1,800 Watts?What did you say? I can't hear you. Can you hear me now nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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