Why are my gauges inaccurate?
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2020 11:50 pm
Hey everyone, I have a 1993 Subaru Legacy L wagon (5 speed manual, AWD, naturally aspirated, completely stock). It’s got a few electrical gremlins that I’ve decided to try and nail down while I’m waiting to get the catalytic converters replaced.
So main question, why are my gauges inaccurate? The speedometer consistently shows 5mph above my actual speed (checked with a radar), and my fuel shows 1/2 when it’s actually 3/4 full, shows 1/4 when it’s actually half. The tachometer and temperature seem to work fine, but I don’t really have a way of testing either one right now to confirm that.
I don’t think these issues are related but they are also electrical so I’m going to just list them all:
Cigarette lighter provides power to charge my phone but doesn’t seem to actually heat the cigarette lighter.
Power mirrors work very rarely, and usually only in one direction at a time.
Half the speakers do not work, and they’ve all died/come back at random points. It’s fun to be driving around and hit a bump that makes a third speaker work, only to have it die again when I open a window.
The air controls USUALLY work but they’ve gotten stuck on me a couple of times.
The rear defroster isn’t connected on one side, appears to have melted the plastic casing around the soldered piece. I pulled the fuse for it just to be safe.
What’re your thoughts? I’m very much not an electrician but I want to learn how to fix this stuff, and I already have a bunch of electrical repair tools. Hopefully there’s some common spots to check for shorts or something. Thanks
So main question, why are my gauges inaccurate? The speedometer consistently shows 5mph above my actual speed (checked with a radar), and my fuel shows 1/2 when it’s actually 3/4 full, shows 1/4 when it’s actually half. The tachometer and temperature seem to work fine, but I don’t really have a way of testing either one right now to confirm that.
I don’t think these issues are related but they are also electrical so I’m going to just list them all:
Cigarette lighter provides power to charge my phone but doesn’t seem to actually heat the cigarette lighter.
Power mirrors work very rarely, and usually only in one direction at a time.
Half the speakers do not work, and they’ve all died/come back at random points. It’s fun to be driving around and hit a bump that makes a third speaker work, only to have it die again when I open a window.
The air controls USUALLY work but they’ve gotten stuck on me a couple of times.
The rear defroster isn’t connected on one side, appears to have melted the plastic casing around the soldered piece. I pulled the fuse for it just to be safe.
What’re your thoughts? I’m very much not an electrician but I want to learn how to fix this stuff, and I already have a bunch of electrical repair tools. Hopefully there’s some common spots to check for shorts or something. Thanks