Subaru RX Turbo Charging Problem

[posc86]

The battery in my 86' subaru rx turbo just died as a result of some kind of charging problem. I thought it was the alternator so i went and had it tested, but they said it was good. The mechanic pointed out that this year of subaru has a voltage regulator outside of the alternator, and this might be the cause. Subaru RX turbos are a very difficult car to find info about, and nobody knows how to work on them..
I looked for a pretty long time with no luck, can anyone tell me where under the hood I can find the voltage regulator? or is there something else I should check in the charging system instead of taking it to a shop and getting ripped off?

[freakray]

Are you sure it's a charging problem and not just a bad battery?

[posc86]

yeah, i guess i forgot to mention i tried a new battery and i drove it for about two days not knowing that it wasn't getting charged, so the next time i tried to start it, it had no juice left...
I jump started it the other day and it ran like a champ, until i unplugged the jumper cables and it immediately died.

[Calebz]

Time to find a new mechanic. Or at least suggest that he purchase a factory service manual or two for subarus

By the time the EA82 bodystyle was released in 1985, all subarus in the US were using an internally regulated alternator/VR. You can stop searching for the VR.

I have seen a few soob alts that will bench test just fine, but still don't function properly.

One sure sign that the VR has died is, when the car is running, the voltmeter will show charging around 18 volts.. Its a very common problem on old soobs.

Also, make sure that all of your fusible links are intact. they are in a little black box attached to the coolant overflow tank.

Subaru alternators are fairly sensetive. A bad battery(shorted cell) can cause the alt to crap out, so when you put in a new battery you still have to deal with the bad alt.

I noticed you said you had the alt tested and it tested out fine.. was this done by the same mechanic that told you it was externally regulated?.. If so, I would get another opinion.. My money is on a bad alternator.. I have had a few late 80s soobs, and have had to replace the alt in all but one of them.


PS.. I just saw that you are located in Oregon.. Where in Oregon? I have some friends and acquaintances around Portland ( and even more in Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia) that are old subaru enthusiasts and I am sure that at least one of them would be happy to assist you with your RX as it is a favorite of the Subaru community