Subaru - Legacy - Alternators :: 1998 Wagon Keeps Losing Power
Oct 4, 2011
I have a 98 Subaru Legacy wagon and have replaced alternator FIVE times in last 7 months or so -- originally my mechanic (who has been awesome & doing all the replacements for free) thought the parts were defective, but last one came from a different supplier and only a month or so after installing, my car just died at a light this morning. Battery not drained, and mechanic was able to start it after had it towed there. What can it be?
FYI, bought the car used two years ago, so don't know whole history, but was fine for first year or so. The first time I lost power, I think it really was the alternator (and snapped belt), so I don't know if something happened or something was not reconnected correctly. (First time it broke was on a Saturday and my regular mechanic was closed to went to someone not very good -- and if this is useful info beyond just complaining, when this guy put in the new alternator, he didn't connect it to the battery, so I stalled out within hours of the "repair.")
My mechanic is stumped and I am at a loss -- don't want to sink a bunch of money in if this is the beginning of the end of the car (mileage is just over 100k, though, so seems to young to die), but need a bit more reliability.
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I jumped in my car, started her up, and drove the 10 miles or so to meet up with her on the other side of town. And hour and a half later, I jumped back in my car and tried to turn her over....and nothing happened. I got the normal lights on the dash but no sounds at all - not even the usual "click".
I tried a couple more times before I went back inside and retrieved my brother-in-law, who is a retired truck mechanic, and asked him to take a look at it. He found nothing wrong and even he couldn't get it to start up.
I finally relented and called AAA to tow me to my fav mechanic. Before the dispatcher sent someone out, she offered to run through some troubleshooting stuff with me. She tells me, "Jump in, make sure the car is in park and your foot is on the brake, and give it one more try." And guess what? YES! THE CAR STARTED! It wasn't the normal start - it was silent for about three seconds before it finally roared to life - but at least it started.
So, I rush to my mechanic's place and ask them to give it a check over and make sure everything is okay. (I'm heading up to the high desert tomorrow and don't want to get stuck out there.) They came back a couple hours later saying everything looked fine - the battery, starter, and alternator were all fine. The advised me to keep an eye on it and come back when it "finally dies".
In the past year, I've replaced the fuel pump, battery, tie rods, and a boot. The alternator was replaced about 5 years ago and I've never had the starter worked on.
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Car started losing electrical power on the way home from work last week. Dim lights, blower stopped, wipers stop, almost stalled out when getting off the interstate. Barely made it home. 30 minutes later went out to troubleshoot and it started right up. Ran for about 2 minutes and stalled out from lack of electricity. Put voltmeter to alternator and it seemed to only be putting out 8.5v. Took to store to have tested. Replaced alternator and it didn't work. Reman alternator still seemed to only be putting out 8.5v or so.
Checked fuses and cleaned battery terminal and verified good block ground and good body ground. Still having problem. 1996 Taurus. What next? Battery is exactly 2 yrs old and was putting out 11.6 when the problem first started last week. Due to cold and this existing issue, battery is only at 6.5v right now. Can jump the car, but then after removing jumper cables car dies in 30 seconds. Should I have the battery tested? What else could/should I be looking at?
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problem is the my 1998 Legacy (142K) overheated this past weekend. It shut off and I had it towed to a "new" mechanic around the corner from my house. He diagnosed the problem as being a faulty thermostat. He replaced the thermostat and returned the vehicle to me. Two days later my wife was driving home and the car had a major overheating incident with resulting serious mechanical failure. I did a little research and within about five minutes found that this problem is quite common for this car and is more commonly related to a head gasket issue. My question is should this mechanic be held responsible in any way for the misdiagnosed problem? If so, what would be the best course of action? The car was otherwise running fine and in fact I recently had the transmission rebuilt.
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'98 Subaru Legacy L, Automatic Tran., 2.2 L, ~140,000 mi. (a youngster)
My issue is with intermittent/delayed starting. What happens is that when I turn the key, the starter solenoid will click once. Eventually after several tries of turning the switch, it starts, usually with some hesitance. When I try to start, I don't hear anything laboring like the starter Bendix grinding against the flywheel, just click and nothing. I did have the CEL come on once for like 40 minutes and then go out. Once started, however, the car tends to run well and once warm starting is still hesitant, but is quicker. Did conk out on me once at an intersection, was able to restart. Luckily I can walk to school, so I have been keeping it off the road.
As far as troubleshooting goes, the car has the same difficulty starting in neutral as well as park. Within the past year I have replaced the alternator (died), timing belt (routine maint.) as well as the battery (bad). I have also reseated all the ground wires and coated them with dielectric grease. A few months ago, I took the starter out and had it bench tested as good at a "popular auto parts store" in my region - it tested good (starter readily turned over and the Bendix deployed and retracted). Funny thing, when I pulled the starter and replaced it after being checked, the car started flawlessly for a month or so, so I chocked it up to a bad connection. Guess not.
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I bought a brand new 07 Legacy 2.5i sedan at the end of 2006. At 1500 miles the steering was problematic, took it in to the dealer, and by the time they were done, they replaced the entire power steering system. They said the problem was with the power steering rack, which they replaced. I asked if this new part was from the same supplier, so could also be defective, and apparently it is. I am rather alarmed, this is the 1st brand new car I have purchased in 20+ years.
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As I was driving home the other day, I noticed the steering wheel on my 99 Subaru Legacy (130,000+ miles) became considerably stiffer than ever before. I pulled into my driveway (where, incidentally, the wheel loosened up) and checked the power steering fluid. Unsurprisingly, it was low.
I haven't been on the road since, but I did turn the car around in the driveway. Aside from the wheel gently stuttering or pausing initially (it's done this when cold for a while now -- I always assumed it was a loose belt or something) the wheel seemed normal.
I made an appointment with a mechanic and described my symptoms. He said he'd have to take a look but suspected it was a bad power steering pump. Is this the only possibility? Could it be a bad belt or a leak somewhere in the system? If it is the pump, how much should I expect to pay to have it fixed?
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My AWD 1996 Subaru Legacy Station Wagon suddenly loses power while I'm driving......
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My Legacy sedan is not behaving well. On more than one occasion, when pressing on the accelerator, the rpms do not rise. I put it in park and try to press gas pedal, nothing. Turn the car off and let rest for a few minutes, then start it up again, and it's fine.....
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This evening I drove our Subaru Legacy Wagon (1999) about 3 miles or so to the gym. When I pulled into the lot, I noticed my radio (tuned to NPR, no less) had gone off. Curious! A few seconds later, dashboard lights come on (ABS, maybe others). After that, engine goes quiet, car is dead -- turning the key does nothing at all, and the car is completely without power. Only the dome light works, and barely. I get a jump, and eventually the car starts back up --- but it took a while, and several tries, before I could get the engine going.
On the way home, I kept a careful eye on the RPMs -- when I was close, I noticed the ABS light pop back on, and the RPM needle go down to zero. I tried my best to keep the RPMs up by staying in first, and managed to park. Of course, the car was unresponsive when I immediately tried to restart it. Some quick internet searches suggest alternator, bad connections to the battery, and some other ideas. We've never had this problem before. The twist is that we're literally on the brink of selling this car -- we've got one more than we need. Thus, we'd be pretty bummed if we had to put much, if any, cash into the car just so we can get rid of it days later.
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My old and often very reliable '93 Subaru's power steering died the other day. I was driving and my engine suddenly started making a deep ticking sound. I pulled over and with it running, popped the hood. The sound was coming from the front of the engine near the visible belts. I decided to keep driving. After about 10 miles that's when the power steering died. Then my battery light and break light came on (which in the past has usually indicated that something is up with the battery or something is drawing from the battery more than it should). THEN I began to smell burnt rubber.
What I want to know is this: my boyfriend says that it's probably the surpentine (sp?) belt or the pump thingy that runs the steering. First, I want to know if I can drive it to the shop or if that is a dangerous thing to do. The steering is really hard but I can still make it work. I'm a grad student and I don't have the money to get a tow, but will will find the money if I have to. Second, is my boyfriend right and will it cost a lot? Again, poor grad student.
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I had plugs and wires changed to try clear code. Car seemed to do some better but while trying to go up a steep hill car started stuttering and jerking. Power went out of car and check engine light started blinking fast.after let the car sit for bout 45mins car started running fine again and light stopped flashing but remained on. Code read cylinder2 misfire again.
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My car is a 1998 Honda Civic DX hatchback 5 speed manual. About 180,000+ miles. For a while now the car seems to have a problem with power under load. If I am on an incline the engine will start making a metallic gurgling noise as I push on the gas. It increases as I give it more gas, or the hill gets steeper; at which point the car usually begins to slow down depending on my speed. It is most noticeable when I shift into a higher gear and then my speed drops into the range where I could downshift. It also happens often however at 60 mph+. On inclines at that speed, the car will gradually lose speed down into the 50's if the hill is long enough/steep enough even with the gas pedal floored. I'll need to shift into fourth to keep at 50 mph until I'm over the hill.
I've been told by a few friends/mechanics that it may be the catalytic convertor. Hard to test it or just weld on a new one though since the cat is integrated into the manifold, etc. So I took it to a trusted mechanic who did a bunch of work. He said it was only firing on three cylinders instead of four due to carbon tracking, but wasn't concerned with the cat. He did a tune-up and replaced the distributor cap and rotor, spark plugs and wires, valve cover and gasket (leaking), air filter and fuel filter, and cleaned the throttle body. Also replaced both rear strut assemblies.
Until now there had been NO check engine light signaling a problem. I got the car back and it felt good at first, but still seemed to make the noise albeit quieter. The power was better, but only for maybe a couple days. The engine again started making the noise more often and losing power in the same ways. Also, the check engine light came on a few days later. Blinking the first time, then it would come on for a couple of days, then off for a couple, etc. Now it has come on and stayed on constantly for a couple of weeks. I had the engine codes read and got three codes:
P1456- the usual emission control system leak... fuel cap possibility, etc. I'm guessing it isn't this for the most part...
P0141- "secondary HO2s12 (Heated oxygen sensor- bank 1, sensor 2) circuit heater malfunction.
and the strangest of all since I'd expect it to be fixed...
P0301- "cylinder number 1 misfire detected" ...
So it could be something else with the cylinders going on, O2 sensor having to do with cat. stuff, etc.? I also will be due for a timing belt change soon I believe, but that would not be causing any of this I don't think. I'll be bringing it back to the mechanic to have a look again, but haven't had the time yet.
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Ok I've got this 98 Ranger with the 2.5L and the 4r44e automatic. The engine is used and has about 100,000 miles now and is it a good state of tune - so I think. The transmission was a remanufactured I bought a few years ago that was built with the shift improver kit, Kevlar bands, extra planetaries, 4wd pan, and external cooler. It's now got 92,000 miles on it and it's been serviced every 30,000 with a fresh 4wd filter and Mercon V fluid. It's outlasted the last 3 transmission I've had in my Ranger. I've got 315,000 miles on the body. For awhile it was randomly losing power while driving like it wouldn't shift, almost like it dropped a couple cylinders, then as you kept your foot on the gas it would recover and rev up and shift.
Then sometimes randomly at stoplights it would shake at a stop and have no power at take off until it hits 30-40 mph. Sounds like a converter, is what I thought. But now it's doing it more often but not the shaking at stoplights as much as randomly losing power while driving normal speeds. Last night I drove it about 50 miles after doing a fresh filter and fluid change and this time it did it so much it threw a code up P1131. Even though that's a O2 sensor code, could it be hidden by a transmission valve body problem? One transmission shop said it could be a valve hanging up just by me describing it to him. Could this be ignition or fuel related or is it all tied in with the transmission problem, if it is even a transmission problem?
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Bought a used '96 Subaru Outback Wagon w/ 175k miles a few months ago and I'm having trouble. The car always starts when it's cold. However, sometimes when it's hot, it won't start. Then wait 10 minutes or so and it starts right up.
I'll make a short stop somewhere (like to pick up milk) and when I get back to the car everything seems to work fine: fuel pump, radio, AC, lights, instrument cluster, etc all turn on. Then, when I turn the ignition switch to start, I hear the click behind the dash (starter relay?) and the solenoid clicks but the starter does not turn on at all. Then I wait a little while and it will (almost always) start with no problem. This happens ~25% of the time when the car is hot.
I replaced the starter with a new one (not rebuilt) but that doesn't fix the problem. I tried hitting the new starter with a mallet but no luck. Battery, alternator and starter checked out OK at the Autozone. Haven't been to the mechanic because that would probably end up costing more than the car is worth.
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One of my headlights has stopped working on my 1999 Subaru. Do I need to replace the entire headlight assembly or is it just a bulb? Approximately how much should it cost to fix? 1999 Subaru Legacy sedan
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I drive a 2000 Subaru Legacy and the radiator fan does not always come on. This sometimes makes the car run hot but has not (yet) put it into the "danger zone" overheating. It seems to happen if the car is in stop and go traffic and it's hot outside. If I'm driving down the highway or the weather is cool it doesn't happen.
I checked the fuses (yes, even the ones under the hood) and they are all fine. I am just curious if there is a sensor that could be the problem or if it is more likely the thermostat. It didn't quite fit the descriptions I found for thermostat but I'm a broke college student trying to keep an old car on the road, not a Subaru mechanic
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I need to lube the speedo cable on my Suburu legacy 1993 does the cable come out from the speedometer end.?Also what the best lube to use for the cable,also any pitfalls to avoid.
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My Subaru was violently shuddering. I think the cold weather has made it worse. It seems to just be when I accelerate. I'm not sure if it's the CV joints or the rack and pinion.
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The timing belts keep slipping on my car. I replaced the belts but it keeps happening. I went to readjust the belts today and noticed the pulley looks off. I know it needs to be replaced but given that it's the bott one under the radiator hose I'm not sure if it's one that I can easily do myself or if it would be better to have a mechanic do it.
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I own a 1996 Subaru Legacy (2.2L), and when I was almost home, my car died. I was going about 30 mph, and without any warning, I lost power to my headlights, my gauges, my power steering - everything. I lost all power to my car. When trying to start it again, nothing happens when I turn the key - no lights, no fuel pump...nothing. It has to be something electrical (obviously), but I would like to know what it is before I send it off to the mechanic.
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