I'm out of town and the wife's OBW is acting up...help me troubleshoot

[Dickensheets]

97 OBW 130,000 miles no history of probs.

 

When she hits the brakes the car stumbles and all gages and dash lights flicker. I'm gonna have the neighbor pull the ABS fuse and test drive around the block.

 

Battery??

Alternator??

xxxxx??

 

Thanks, Ryan

[john in KY]

Just a wag but sure sounds like an alternator problem.

[Cougar]

Sounds like a bad connection in the main power buss area to the main panel under the hood. Try cleaning the battery posts also.

[Suzam]

If the battery is newer, I vote alternator.

 

If it's the original battery, replace that first.

[Durania]

Alternator

[nipper]

Altenator.

 

Never just go pulling fuses for tha sake of pulling fuses. Have your wife drive to an autparts store and let them check the charging system. Or if your neighbor can do it, have him check it out in the driveway.

 

 

nipper

[Durania]

Nipper is right.

 

Subaru alternators are easy to change and can be done with just a regular ratchet set. That many miles, it should be about time for it to go anyway.

[nipper]

PS do NOT get one from an autoparts store. Check the online OE suppliers first, They usually have them on sale, and even if they are a bit more money, its done once with the right part. Too many places think an imprezza and legacy alt is the same, and sell you the much more expensive imprezza alt, and it will never charge the car right.

 

 

been there done that.

 

nipper

[msmithmmx]

Altenator, Just changed mine with a pepboys a 120 bucks. Took me 1 hour.

[Cougar]

I agree with those that suggest the alternator as the problem but before you replace it I recommend you first verify it is the source of the trouble. There may be a loose wire to it or something simple like that. If you do replace the alternator it would also be wise to have the battery load tested to see what condition it is in. It may help save you further trouble later on down the road.

[_Aramchek_]

I had that happen to me whenever my battery terminals somehow worked themselves loose,could be something that simple really.

[four-fleet-feet]

Check the battery terminals first. Also check the ground - I had a truck which would intermittently go dead every time I braked. The ground was cracked inside the cable, and every time I came to a stop it came apart just enough to kill the motor/lights/radio. Then, of course, it was a crapshoot whether it would start again or not. Finally found the problem and fixed it for about $6. Problem with that? About $200 spent beforehand in unnecessary parts, labor, and one very scary tow call from a bar in the middle of nowhere (before cell phones). Another time I had a clamp break at the end of the positive cable. As it was cracking I had the same problem. So it's a good idea to check all your battery cables first. Then do a charge test.

 

Then test the alternator. If the alternator doesn't test out, use a real Subaru OE alternator only! Aftermarket ones seem to cause more problems than they're worth (or the supposed money they save off the OEM). Even if someone gives your wife a screaming deal on some other brand, tell her not to fall for it. If the car won't make it until you can get back, advise her to get to a dealer and pony up if need be - unless she can get one shipped at a fairer price to where she is and can find a reasonable mechanic to install it.

 

If they tell her the battery is fried (without doing a wire check or an alternator test), advise her not to get the new battery until the real problem is found or fixed (if it's the alternator). If you do the battery and THEN find out the alternator is bad, you can toast the new battery.

 

Unfortunately, I have found that some repair shops dealing with a woman on her own can be somewhat creepy - they'll figure she has the mind of a mushy tomato and try to get her to do things which are unnecessary. I'd tell her to call you and make a fuss if she even THINKS they're trying to mess with her wallet. It's sad but also funny how some shops can revise their words when they have to deal with a man who knows cars on the other end of a phone........

 

(it's even funnier when the woman knows cars and lets the dweebs in on that) I'll bet subiegal has some killer stories!

[Dickensheets]

Thanks boys all good replies. I'll be there monday afternoon and get to the bottom of this. The wife is carless for a few days but there is a mall within walking distance.

 

ryan

[mellow65]

Check the battery terminals first. Also check the ground -

 

+1 for terminals

[nipper]

+1 for terminals

well technically a + and a -

 

[mellow65]

well technically a + and a -

 

 

[aircraft engineer]

what's more interesting is that F-F-F's problem was with a SIDE TERMINAL system (the ones that "don't fail")

 

(Chev S-10)