KDW Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 I have a 95 Legacy that will not hold a charge. The car died while I was driving it about a year ago and I replaced the alternator and battery. Everything was going fine until this weekend when it happened again. I jumped the car and got it to advance auto so they could test it. The guy said the alternator was fine and the battery was fine but it looks like there could be a short or a blown fuse. I looked at all the fuses and the alternator connections and everything looks fine. Has anyone had this happen to them and if so how can I fix it. Thanks in advance! -Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jah77clash Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 make sure the battery cables aren't getting loose on the terminals. as well as corrosion on the terminals. i know it sounds obvious , but mine have come loose 3 times in the last 6 months. im glad it was what it was. also i don't know if subarus have them , but could it be a bad voltage regulator? good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondas123 Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 +1 on corrosion on terminals. - The Mortgage Man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillboy Posted July 16, 2006 Share Posted July 16, 2006 Make sure the battery drain plug is tight. It is still ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDW Posted July 16, 2006 Author Share Posted July 16, 2006 I will try and clean up ther terminals tomorrow after work. I'll let you guys know if that corrects the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLegacy99 Posted July 17, 2006 Share Posted July 17, 2006 Somtimes its the cables themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dplacen Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Is it an aftermarket alternator or a factory one? I've had problems at work with aftermarket alternators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KDW Posted July 18, 2006 Author Share Posted July 18, 2006 It is an alternator that was put on by a shop about a year ago. I took the alternator off last night and had it bench tested and it looks ok. I also changed out the positive battery cable. I then drove the car around the neighborhood and once again voltage wouldn't hold. I am going to do the negative cable tonight and see if that will help. -Kevin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pillboy Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Somtimes its the cables themselves. I have had one break inside the insulation. Clean and tighten is the first thing to do. AND check the electrolyte level in the battery. Most batteries will lose water to evaporation in hot weather and will require adding distilled water to bring it up to the proper level. It is still ugly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dplacen Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 You should check the voltage on the alternator with it on the car while its runing. You have to put a loud so put on the ac, radio, interior light and head lights. Then rev the car up about 3,000-4,000 rpm. the voltage should go above 12v if not your the alternator is not good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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