How do I diagnose for a faulty relay?

nizz

Nizz, when a relay is "activated" there should be a distinctive "clicking". I believe if the relay is faulty there will not be a clicking noise when the relay is activated....


If all else fails, just buy a new one, they are relatively cheap!!!


Hope this helps, if not....send a PM to mulder, he is the electrical god!!!


:)

Alright, enough of that :D
What relay is it and why do you think it is bad? Relay failures in newer cars are not that common so it's probably something else. If you want to check it, most of the relays in the car are interchangeable so you can just swap it with another one in the relay/fuse box and see what happens. Just compare it with the other relays first to be sure they match, they should have the same part #s on them and the same terminal layout.

mulder,

I sent you an email. Let me know if you haven't received it.

nizz

It's hard to be sure a relay is good. There are times when you can tell it's obviously bad (if it doesn't click, if the switch terminals don't switch right, etc) but age, too much current, or a defect in manufacturing can cause the contacts internally to become pitted, which can result in intermittently resistive connections and stuff.

Like mulder said, switching the relay for another one is probably the best way to see if the relay is faulty. Some Subaru relays are kind of expensive, for no good reason, so you may want to be sure you need one before you buy a new one.

Didn't get that email yet-