Hi,
I've been experiencing odd electrical symptoms with my '96 Outback. Occasionally, I'd lock the car with the keyless remote and notice that the parking lights or taillights would illuminate and stay on. Unlocking and relocking the car several times usually made the lights go off.
These symptoms got worse and much more frequent. Once I came back to the car and the battery was pretty much dead. When I turned the key to start the car, all the dashboard and panel lights began flashing weakly and slowly, on for a second and off for a second. The car wouldn't start, but the flashing stopped after turning the key a few times, and I was able to start it with jumper cables.
A few months ago, I found the battery dead again, and when I tried to turn the key the driver's door lock went crazy, clicking rapidly as though it was trying to lock and unlock quickly. The only way I could get this to stop was pulling the fuse for the door locks.
I posted a message to this board at that point, and the advice was to leave the fuse pulled and see if the problems went away. I've left the fuse disconnected for a few months, and I've seen no electrical problems at all. The fuse controls the electric door locks and probably also the keyless entry system.
My question now is, what next? Is there any more troubleshooting I can do before I take this into a repair shop? I don't want to pay for someone to try to locate the source of trouble if I can do it myself. Thanks in advance!
-Peter