Electrical issues, any ideas?
 

Remember me???:D

1995 L AWD has been acting up lately and two nights ago and stranded my wife.

Issues
-Car will not come out of Park even with brake pedal depressed (popped cover and manually depressed switch to get it home)
-ABS light on (though no others, will check ABS ECU today)
-None of the heater/vent/defrost settings will turn on the blower fans in the car (not the radiator fans). Temperature control unit works normally, but blower will not start. Engine idle speed changes and second radiator fan does engage.
-Rear defroster does not work though dash button lights up
-Rear brake lights do not function (indicator lights work normally). Diagnoses in the FSM show that this is related to the stuck shifter lever.

I don't believe all items to be related (ABS most likely NOT part of issue) but all have shown themselves at the same time (yay me:( )

Steps taken thus far-
-Check all fuses related to fans/stop lights/rear defrost. All good.
-Alternator belt was loose-tightened and ran engine. No difference.
-R&R alternator with known ggod unit. No difference-except it is black powdercoated-ooohhh-aaahhh :p .

Next steps
-FSM shows that the stop light circuit is used to release to Park lock solenoid. I will replace the brake light switch. When brake pedal is depressed a solenoid clicks randomly, but this does not release transmission interlock.
-Get codes from ABS ECU
-Confirm battery is good (will replace with fully charged known good unit)
-Drive to shop for diagnoses/repair (with cahse car as no brake lights)
-Drive off cliff/burn to ground/turn in to flower pot in front yard-already have one of those :D

Any insight folks? Thanks for your help.

Todd

With the exception of the blower fan, all of those systems run through the three rear harness connectors that are found running under the door sill by the passengers feet. I was just rooting through them in my quest to lighten the racer. I have pin out diagrams for them in my locker.

Was the car sitting for an extended time?? Do you have mice??

Thanks for the response Dave but this is the low mileage though still regularly driven SVX.

It's been raining all day so not much happening on it now. Tomorrow I'll dig back in to it. Maybe some other sage advice from Beav, Harvey, Trevor, Tom (young or old), etc.

Todd

Todd,
I think the car just wants to leave home and live in Maryland (with it's SSR shoes on its feet;) :D ).
Did the car actually "die" (i.e. wouldn't start) or was it that it would start but not get out of "P"? Did you have a lot of rain before the problem(s) showed up?
-Bill (apparently part of the "etc." crowd....http://www.subaru-svx.net/photos/fil...Ride/39277.gif)

I vote battery.

I had a short that I eventually tracked down and fixed. But it had drained the battery one too many times. AutoZone said the battery was good but strange things were happening (the ABS light coming on being one of them). I decided to put in a new battery anyway and all is well now.

Good luck!

-Matt

i are you sure the brake switch is working? you might want to check it with a test light because both those issuses happening at once point to an inoprative switch

[ Maybe some other sage advice from Beav, Harvey, Trevor, Tom (young or old), etc.


Not much sage here. How about some oregano?

I think Doris' been sticking pins in that little stuffed SVX doll again.

The only thing I similarly experienced was an ABS light that came one cold night last March. I ignored it. Next morning I heard a rapid ticking from under the hood. The ABS relay was guilty, & it killed the battery. I banged the relay with some heavy metal. The noise stopped. I replaced the battery with Walmart's finest, & haven't had a problem since.

You problems may vary.

Ron. (I warned you about that lemon).:rolleyes:

Todd, sounds like your shift lock unit is shot... If you hear a solenoid click when you hit the brakes, that means at least part of the switch is working. I would suggest putting a new one in anyway just to see. Maybe it isn't working well enough. Check the codes for the ABS light, then get back to us on that. Good luck

Tom

Curly ones like this are impossible to fix from afar. The suggestions made so far are worthy of attention, but I would not go along with random replacement of this or that. Anything faulty can be proven so by testing.

It would appear that the problem is not intermittent, therefore logical tracing of the electrical circuits using a trouble light, should bring success. Not a high impedance volt meter, as has been pointed out several times by Beav and myself. The information provided, suggests that there is an understanding of the wiring diagram and component functions. Signal tracing should commence at the supply (fuse board) end of the circuits. It is easy to hurry through frustration. The testing must be logical to be conclusive.

It is always difficult to make test connections at plug points and it is preferable that these are not detached, so as to show up possible a faulty contact. Sharpen the point of the test probe so that it will penetrate the insulation of wires, without causing affective damage, or better still use a thin sharp needle to make contact. Sticking pins at random, as suggested by my old mate is NOT a good fix.:eek:

Ron,

It would appear that you had a relay stuck closed. If a relay is called upon to pass excessive current, the contacts can become "welded" together. Your harsh treatment could have shaken them apart. A hammer in the hands of us old buggers with experience, can be a worthy tool. But heavy metal :confused: :p :D

P.S. ----- Ron, you ended on a sour note. I suggest a happy tune to go with a pending fix !!!!!!!

First things first
 

Thank you Bill (Mr. etc.) and Ron for your wit and wisdom:p :D

Bill you cannot have either the SSR's or my gold STI BBS with my autoX tires.


Productive (in terms of output) and not productive (in terms of results) day today.

Using proper scientific methods (one change at a time and evaluate response) I changed/tested the following:
-battery
-brake light switch
-shift lock unit
-shift lock solenoid

all to no avail.

Removed seat and checked ABS codes. System flashed 10 times indicating the problem may be:
-faulty valve relay
-faulty harness (including earth point)
-faulty hydraulic unit

Replaced both relays again to no avail. I've got another ABS hydraulic unit but am loathe to switch this unit due to the work involved with filling and bleeding system (maybe I can just plug it in to check electrical signals:confused: ). The harness note has me considering this as the culprit due to multiple electrical malfunctions noted in my first post. I'm checking the grounds next as I had a nasty looking one on another SVX (corroded and melted) though that car has no electrical issues.

Thankful I've got a parts car(s)/parts warehouse available for swapping components but getting frustrated. I do have a complete SVX wiring harness but hope it doesn't come to me ringing out wires or replacing the harness:eek:.

Any other suggestions? Thanks!

Todd

Slow down Todd. Frustration is your enemy. You know what you are about. Apply logic. Refer my previous post.

I do not wish you luck, as this will get you nowhere.

Heres to success, Trevor.:D

Recheck all the fuses under the hood...make sure you check those "block" fuses. I also had an issue with the ABS circuit (code 10) and I found one of those block fuses had a poor contact and started to melt. I fixed the connection and everything is happy again. :)

Todd,

Referring my previous posts and your suggestions mentioning earth points.

Take this into account when checking for operating voltage at any electrically driven component. Make the negative connection for your test light, at the component, not the chassis/frame whatever, so as to prove the component in fact has an earth connection.

Stay calm, Trevor *<)

Thank you Trevor and David
 

A fine dinner with a good Merlot has lightened my mood though I doubt elevated my trouble-shooting skills :D.

David- I did remove each of the larger fuses and checked them while removed from their respective sockets. No joy:(

Back to the task at hand. My father, a very handy and intelligent man, suggested a quick check for good grounds which I will apply shortly. Two electrical things I did not mention but which may lie at the root of the problem are electrical modifications performed by both the previous owner (aftermarket alarm system) and me (aftermarket seat heaters). My father again suggested a crude though quick and possibly efective check for loose connections by propping the brake pedal down and shaking the harness connecting the aftermarket alarm system to determine if a loose connection is at this system (crimped butt splices aplenty-Ron, remember this is a family site :p )

Back to it for me gents!

Todd

Trevor-Ron's comments are purely in jest and taken by me as such. He most graciously evaluated the car (along with his henchman and car spotter, John Hoffman-svxcess) and then chauffered me from the Baltimore airport to his home where he put me up for the night prior to the purchase of this car and 10 hour drive back to Michigan where I live. He is a dear friend and a wonderful, helpful person (OK, maybe too much Merlot coming out here;) :D )

[
Trevor-Ron's comments are purely in jest and taken by me as such. He most graciously evaluated the car (along with his henchman and car spotter, John Hoffman-svxcess) and then chauffered me from the Baltimore airport to his home where he put me up for the night prior to the purchase of this car and 10 hour drive back to Michigan where I live. He is a dear friend and a wonderful, helpful person (OK, maybe too much Merlot coming out here;) :D )[/QUOTE]


Box-o'-Merlot...ummmmm.:p

Say, speaking of John, Mr. SVXcess had a goofy electrical anomoly a while back. Seems the problem was solved by a diligent Suby technician who found a factory defect in the wiring harness out of sight beneath the fusebox. It was routed in such a way that it was pinched between the box & the metal under it. It gradually rubbed the insulation away creating chaos. Ring up John for a detailed explanation, or try to find his post buried in here somewhere.
Happy probing!

Ron.