"Scimitar7" (Scimitar7)
11/13/2016 at 13:06 • Filed to: None
1
9|
"Scimitar7" (Scimitar7)
11/13/2016 at 13:06 • Filed to: None | 1
| 9 |
Rant incoming, here is some background: Three of the four cars my wife and I own stay at our apartment. The fourth (the Nova) stays at my grandparent’s place, which is close to an hour away.
Anyway, the Forester started making a horrendous noise that sounded like a pulley bearing yesterday, so I parked it with the intent to check out the issue later. This morning, my wife and I go to leave with the Legacy; I roll the window down to wipe off the mirror, and surprise! the window won’t go back up. I JUST replaced the master switch two months ago. Grrrrr... okay, it’s a bit chilly, but it’s not THAT cold, I’ll survive. I back out of the parking spot and hear an odd clicking in the steering wheel, followed by the airbag light coming on. Fraaaaaack! Okay, that sucks, but it won’t be an issue unless we get into a wreck - press on, right? Noooope! We get about a block away and the check engine light comes on along with a drop in power. Seriously? Why does this car hate me today? Okay, we’ll make a u-turn and hop in the truck; we’ll only be about 20 minutes late thanks to having to defrost & warm up three cars instead of one. Man, this is not my day today!
I am so naive for thinking this is where it ends... I park the Legacy and go to get the truck running. Key in ignition, turn, aaaaaand nothing. Da fuq?? This happened about a week ago, and the problem went away after wiggling the battery cables that weren’t even loose. I figured it was corrosion, so I pulled the cables to find no corrosion whatsoever. Oooookay...? Well, wiggling the cables worked last time, so maybe it’ll work when I put it back together (yes, I know it’s wishful thinking). Surprise, surprise; no dice.
So, do I pull the battery and limp one of the other two cars to one of the local parts stores to test it? That’ll take awhile, since nobody opens until 10. So we ended up cancelling our plans and I decided to diagnose the Forester’s noise issue. As it turns out, the A/C compressor clutch is shot. Fortunately the compressor is driven by a separate belt than all the other accessories, so the car is drivable again, but now I’m looking at a new compressor clutch (if not a new compressor), possibly a battery for the truck, and whatever the hell is wrong with the Legacy. What did I do to deserve this?
TL;DR version: all three cars at my place had issues this morning when my wife and I were trying to get somewhere, and none of them are going to be cheap fixes.
rockingthe2
> Scimitar7
11/13/2016 at 13:21 |
|
This will be my life in like 2 months.
atfsgeoff
> Scimitar7
11/13/2016 at 13:36 |
|
It always seems that everything has to break at the same time.
When the a/c compressor on my Zephyr took a dump and caused massive smoke & screeching noises, my backup vehicle (‘97 F-250HD) decided that day was also the day it would grenade its front right wheel bearings. So I was up till midnight taking the rotor/bearing assembly off the spindle, and then up at 6:30AM to get to the parts store for new rotor/bearings to slap it all back together by 9 so I could get to work in the BACKUP vehicle.
Ugh.
deekster_caddy
> Scimitar7
11/13/2016 at 14:11 |
|
Don’t have the battery tested when it’s low or dead. They will always tell you it’s bad. A battery needs to be fully charged before testing.
TheTurbochargedSquirrel
> Scimitar7
11/13/2016 at 14:41 |
|
Sounds like the legacy has developed an electrical issue somewhere.
|
Scimitar7
> deekster_caddy
11/13/2016 at 19:14 |
|
Correct. I strongly doubt the battery is low or dead, as I just drove it yesterday. Either way, almost everywhere that tests batteries can charge them too.
|
Scimitar7
> atfsgeoff
11/13/2016 at 19:16 |
|
Now THAT sucks. I guess I can/should feel better about the fact that this happened in the morning, and that I could bandaid one car in about 20 minutes.
|
Scimitar7
> TheTurbochargedSquirrel
11/13/2016 at 19:22 |
|
Considering that I whacked the damn thing about 20 times with a ball peen hammer, then wrapped it completely with duct tape, and it STILL wouldn’t work right; I’d say you’re right about it being an electrical problem!
Kaputnik
> Scimitar7
11/13/2016 at 19:23 |
|
Sounds like a bad clock spring in The legacy. if the contact is bad there’s a chance that airbag could go off at any time... careful out there buddy
|
Scimitar7
> Kaputnik
11/14/2016 at 09:23 |
|
That exact thought crossed my mind when I had the door panel apart yesterday. I pulled the fuse as a precaution, but I think the SRS has a backup power supply. Either way, the car is grounded until I figure out the CEL/loss of power issue.