Warning lights?!?

Happy New Year everyone.

My '94 L with 96,500 recently gave me a new scare. While driving on the highway doing 60, nothing out of the ordinary, car was warmed up moving fine when all of a sudden my warning light for the battery, stop taillight came on and stayed on until I reached home. There was no change in the performance of the car or any of the other instruments. The only thing that I could see that was different was that I was low on gas, but the low gas indicator never came on.

Any thoughts or ideas? I'm very stumped by this.

Thanks for your help.

Mango

[Aredubjay]

Originally posted by mangodreams
Happy New Year everyone.

My '94 L with 96,500 recently gave me a new scare. While driving on the highway doing 60, nothing out of the ordinary, car was warmed up moving fine when all of a sudden my warning light for the battery, stop taillight came on and stayed on until I reached home. There was no change in the performance of the car or any of the other instruments. The only thing that I could see that was different was that I was low on gas, but the low gas indicator never came on.

Any thoughts or ideas? I'm very stumped by this.

Thanks for your help.

Mango

Mango,
Good to see you here. Inadvertent dash lights usually indicate an alternator going bad, but, the WHOLE bank usually comes on in that case. I'd go to my nearest Autozone, or similar and have them check the charging system, just as a "cover your butt" measure. They'll do it for free. If all checks out, then there is a short somewhere -- body ground, block ground. Perhaps a bad ground in the tail light. Could be a million things. Sorry I can't be more specific.

good call with the alternator.. similar thing happened in my RX.. lights came on with no gauge or performance fluctuations.. left me "suddenly stranded" in a parking lot. fortunately the subaru shop was open until 8pm that night (who DOES that?!) and happened to have the proper alternator on a shelf for like $80.. in and out like that. I'm sure it would've taken a week longer were it the SVX..

-adam

[mohrds]

When the warning lights start to flicker, you have probably 2-6 months left on your alternator, specifically on your stator winding.
Every SVX that I have seen with a bad alternator (three so far) that had blinky dash lights, ended up with a bad stator inside the alternator.

Any one wonder why they even put a charging idiot light in our cars? It obviously doesn't work. I have driven with dead alternators and it never bothers to come on...

Doug

Thanks everyone...any ideas how much an alternator would cost me?

Is it really time to say goodbye to my SVX? More and more nuisance issues have been popping up with my baby! Say it isn't so...

[Aredubjay]

Originally posted by mangodreams
Thanks everyone...any ideas how much an alternator would cost me?

Is it really time to say goodbye to my SVX? More and more nuisance issues have been popping up with my baby! Say it isn't so...

I would hate to have one of the first persons to help convince me to buy an SVX, become an ex-SVXer.

A reputable rewinding shop can probably re-build the alternator for around 30-50 bucks. A NEW alternator will run about 300 bucks from Subaruparts.com. http://www.subaruparts.com/diag/?mod...ategory=094-A2

[mohrds]

There is a place here that I get the alternators upgradede to 115 Amps and rebuilt for $150.00

Doug

[Aredubjay]

Originally posted by mohrds
There is a place here that I get the alternators upgradede to 115 Amps and rebuilt for $150.00

Doug

Sounds like a "squeal of a deal" to me. If I ever need the job done, I'll be calling you.