Electrical problems/question
 

Hello!
It's been a while since I've posted. (Too busy playing with my Porsche).....

Anyway, I have an electrical problem with the SVX: During Xmas break, the car was not driven, and the battery died. Once it was charged, some of the electrical items are not working, incluing:
-Fog lights
-Dash clock
-Interior illumination
-CD Player eject
Also: if I press some of the radio buttons, the dash lights will flicker or dim.

I've checked various fuses (the ones in the driver's footwell), but everything has come up clean. Also: this morning the car needed another charge: battery dead again.

Now, two years ago, we experienced the same problem with the car, and the deal stated that there was a short in the illuminated driver's mirror in the visor. (Due to the twisting/pinching that happens over time to the wire) All they did was snip the wires and seal them. I suspect this is may be occurring on the passenger side visor. If that is the case, any suggestions as to where I should cut this connection?

Your help is greatly appreciated: I don't wish to pay another $80.00 for a dealer to replace a fuse and snip two wires!
-Zoltan.

This may sound really strange, but try resetting the computer by taking the battery cables off and touching them together. You will see a tiny spark that is the capacitors in various components releasing their stored energy.

I had some strange flashing of dash lights and other electrical anomalies after a battery drain down and resetting the electrical system solved it.

Doug

Doug: thanks for the tip. My wife (primary driver of the SVX) was stuck today again, so I'm off to get a new battery, and hunt down the electrical short.

Anyone have an idea about the visor lights causing a short? Or: could it just be time for a new battery?

Thanks again.
-Z.

The "elbow" of the sun visor pops off (where the visor meets the bracket at the ceiling). That is usually where the wires break. Pop off the elbow and use a small bladed screwdriver to tug the wires out (you'll see them once the elbow cover is removed). Check for bare wires. If you don't see any, tug a little more and check further. If there's no visible sign of wear, yet, you're pretty sure that's still the problem, you can just snip the wires and cover them with a small piece of electrical tape until you decide to re-splice them.

Ok: it turns out that the Subaru dealer only cut the wires on the driver's side. So, I took care of the passenger's side wires. (thanks Aredubjay: it was straightforward!)

Got a new battery....

Replaced the Clock fuse (seems to be the weak link in the fuse box: probably on purpose)...

And viola: it almost all worked! Except for the fog lights.
So now, I noticed that the wire marked 1.5 Fusible Link (Grey) is broken, and barely connected. I removed it, and without it, the car won't work! I am hoping that if I replace this 'fusible link,' all will be better. OF course I can always just put the two ends together, but that can have disasterous effects: fuses are meant to be blown to save other sensitive components in the car.

Oh: and I couldn't program the dang FOB: is the beeping noise when I'm pressing the FOB button supposed to be "beep" or "beep-beep-beep-beep" (4 beeps real fast). I don't think it's supposed to be 4 beeps, which is what I'm experiencing. But I was able to get into program mode no problem.

So again, thanks for your help. Although it has been a little frustrating, I do enjoy troubleshooting, and much prefer electrical problems over engine and tranny issues. (BTW: I've got that 'tranny-starting-to-go-feelin' :eek: )

Will let you know if all this works....
-Z.

Z, the four beeps means that your security button is still OFF. Push it again so's it blinks and you'll be in security mode. Right now, you're just locking the doors -- no alarm. Once you've turned the security switch on, you'll heare one beep for "Armed" and two beeps for "disarmed."

When I lost my fusible link, it took them a week to get one in, so, in the meantime, I went to Autozone, got a fusible link from there and a couple of solderless spade plugs (the FL comes with stripped ends -- you have to add connectors). Attached the spades to then ends of the fusible link, plugged it in, in place of the original link, and all was well. Of course, I replaced it with OE as soon as I possibly could, even though it was working great. My "emergency" FL now sits in my console, just in case.

Whoo hoo! I got the fusible link from my local Subbie dealer, popped that puppy in, and all is well! The car starts, I was able to program the FOB, and I'm in business!

The fog lights are not working: I suspect the relay is fried: I'll get do that this afternoon.

Thanks all, for your help! Appreciate it.

Gotta love it when I can fix the problem myself instead of over-paying the dealer.

-Zoltan.