Ok, this past weekend I swapped a 97' 2.5 into my 97' L. So 2.2 out and 2.5 in. For some reason it is constantly blowing the fusible link. I have figured out through trial and error that it blows only when I plug the harness into the alternator. If I leave the alternator plug in disconnected it runs great and doesn't blow, as soon as it's Plugged in it pops. At first I figured the alternator was messed up, but I swapped it for another and it still does it. I also swapped out all the relays in the fuse box on another hint I got, but that had no affect either. Anyone have any ideas?
I assume you have a 97 outback EJ25D? How much of the 97 harness are you using? Still running the L main fuse block? A quick glance at alldata diagrams the only difference I can see would be at the cluster for the charge light.
I didn't change any wiring. It all plugs in just like the 2.2. There must be a broken spot in the wiring that is grounding out or something...
Well I still can't figure this out. I tried a third alternator, that had no affect so it's a wiring issue for sure. I played with the voltmeter, and with the alt unplugged, I'm getting the same volts on the battery as the alternator harness, so it's not giving the regulator the wring reading and causing it to over charge. When I plug in the alt, the fuse blows, but the alt says it's putting out 13.8-14.2 volts ( car runs after the link is blown for some reason?) The weird thing to me is that after the fuse blows, I'm still reading like 11.5v(or what ever the battery is at) on the fused side of the link....is that normal?
Alright max, I just studied the diagrams some more.... The fusible link is the connection between the alternator and the battery. None of the engine controls are effected by it. But some of the un-switched circuits are (radio, horn, locks, alarm, interior lights, as well as a bunch of the relays). Couple things....I was assuming that it only does this while the engine is running. Yes? If not, and it blows as soon as it's hooked up regardless of whether it's running or not, it could be a dead short to ground in the wire between the alt and the fuse box. When you say, "plug in" the alt, do you mean the 2-pin connector on the back? the wire on the stud? both? Also, does the charge light come on when you turn the key on? This wouldn't really explain the symptoms, since if the light or fuse were blown, it would just not charge....but it still might get us on the right track. I don't know if you've got some good diagrams, but here's the wiring section for the '97 Legacy: http://www.dunebuggyarchives.com/su...RAM SECTION/WIRING DIAGRAM/MSA5TCD97L3990.pdf The Fusible link is marked "FL 1.25B" on there. Something else you might try, to isolate the alternator from other circuits that use that link, is remove SBF-3 (It's one of those 45a fuses in the main box. diagram on page 1 of the above-linked section), and see if that changes your result at all. I suspect not, but I'm pretty baffled by this....so any result might be a help.
Short answers, I'll call ya later. Yes it only does it when it's running. I have been leaving the charge wire (stud) hooked up and it blows the fuse when I plug in the 2-pin connector on the back side. The charge light is not on, none of the warning lights/CEL are on.
Well, I don't know the science behind it, but I replaced the fusebox and the problem seems to be completely gone. This is the 2nd Subaru I've had to replace the fusebox in...which leads me to believe that I am cursed.
No, but when I popped the hood the fusebox was bone dry... It started/ ran fine, then when I put load on it to back up/turn around it shut down and the circuit breaker was stupid hot. Took the heavy chevy to work...
Start checking wires that are supposed to have voltage for grounding issues. Maybe pull all the fuses except those that are required for running and them put them back in until one blows the fusible link.
I've realized that the whole "only blows when it gets wet" thing is a blessing in disguise, so I need to spend some quality time with a spray bottle this weekend...
