I have a 1996 (or 1995.5 depending on how you look at it) Subaru Legacy L FWD sedan with a (I believe) 1.8L H4. I replaced the battery about 3 months ago and have started noticing little problems ever since untill it just died. The small problems include:
-The needles on the Speedo and Tach would either drop to zero or remain motionless under acceleration when the head lights were on.
-Fuse for the cig lighter/power mirrors kep blowing
-Car was difficult to start.
Last month while driving all the lighting (dash, headlights, etc.) began to dim out until the car died just like the alternator was going out. After the car died I was able to restart it and make it home without a problem. When I got home I popped the hood and noticed the neg wire to the battery was loose, I attempted to tighten it down but it was as tight as it could go and was still loose. Attempted to start the next day but had no power what-so-ever. Charged the battery and car fired right up but then died again about 20 minutes later in the driveway. My question is does this sound like a problem with the battery (neg wire does not fit post), a problem with the alternator, or both (ie. the bad battery wore out the alternator. Any help would be greatly apreciated.