gbhrps

bratman2, Feels good when you do it yourself ... and it costs less than half what the garage would charge you, doesn't it!

LeroyMarx, John in KY is correct. Pop out the lenses to the map lights, undo the screws that are now visible, and the entire unit drops down to where you can disconnect the wiring harnesses for the switch and the sunroof computer. Then check the switch to see if it works with an continuity meter/light. Disconnect the harness from the sunroof computer to the motor and power the motor with 12 volts to see if the motor still works. Did you check for a sunroof fuse? Maybe the turkey shorted a wire to blow it, and its an easy fix. Providing the jerk didn't screw the wiring or connectors, you should find it to be simple to correct. Even if the switch is bad, you can clean it with an electrical contact cleaner spray sometimes. Dig into it, its not rocket science.

devtrv27, Go to Subaruparts.com and input the year, model and trim and follow the lists to the Body section, Outside mirrors. The issue is whether you have black covers, or painted, and whether you have built in turn signals or not. When you check the lists you'll see that each option has a different part number. Make sure you get the correct side, and be aware that any colours have to be painted, other than the black. Good news is that the parts are cheap, less than $6 each! Good Luck!

Zoltan, When you get around to replacing the burnt out bulbs, ..... change them all at the same time and keep the better ones (no black cast to them) for possible replacements if needed in the future. Many of the bulbs are all on the same circuit and when one burns out the voltage increases on the remaining ones shortening their lifespan. So when you replace just the burnt out ones, the remaining weak ones have agood chance of making you do the same job down the line.

Here's a link for the factory service manual and more for every Subie model and year (free for download). Unfortunately, the 2015-2017 years for the OutBack are in Russian. All others, as far as I've dug into them, are in English. Try the Russian version, and maybe the pictures and sequence of visuals and labellings will give you what you need to make whatever repair you're trying to make. http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Legacy%20Outback/

vsmith63, Obviously the switch has a direct short, is jammed/welded in the on position, or the wiring from the switch to the heater has a direct short to power. Should be an easy fix to diagnose where the issue is. Broken wires in the seat heater element are the most common issue with seat heaters, but in that case, they won't work at all, or only at a lower heat setting.

familyguy, Either the heater core is plugged or the blend door of the HVAC system is not opening fully or at all. It doesn't matter how hard/fast the fan blows, if the air doesn't go through the heater core to the vents you will get no heat. Gene

Cozcon, I've owned four OutBack Ltd's, a 97, an 02, an 07 and my present 2012. Only the 97 didn't have heated seats. The ones that did were more than adequate in the heating department, but it never came on gang busters like my 05 GMC Dually. Those heated seats will fry eggs by comparison, even at the lowest setting. The Subie heated seats take longer to come up to temperature, perhaps 4 minutes, and by my experience never get as hot as the GMC's.. The GMC's took all of 30 seconds to come to temperature. It may just take some getting used to on your behalf, or ... possibly they aren't working. Try another dealership and see what they say?

Gentlemen, A couple of very rainy days this week and I spied a rain trail going down the inside of the rear window of the tailgate. So I pulled the inside top moldings of the tailgate off to trace the water entry point and discover that the high mounted rear brake light assembly is missing a mounting nut at one end. Once I have it removed from the tailgate I discover that its gasket has deteriorated as well. So I cleaned off the old gasket material, replace it with automotive body dum dum/plumber's putty/ a bead of silicone and reinstall the brake light with another 8mm nut and problem solved. Should you find a similar problem yourself, be sure to use some form of sealant around the two threaded bolt assemblies that are molded into the brake light assembly before you mount it again.

06SubLegTx, There are all kinds of YouTube videos for timing belt changes. Just be sure to watch one for your generation of subie. Either that or use the link below and download the free FSM (factory service manual) and check the procedure. Takes about 10 minutes to download, and then see the engine section. http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Legacy%20Outback/

MikeSu, From your description and the pictures, the fluid is not engine oil, nor washer fluid, but could it possibly be power steering fluid? Coolant is out because its not the proper colour, as is brake fluid, since any painted parts would have the paint wrinkling off. That leaves CVT fluid. CVT leaks are almost never heard of, as are CVT problems ... very rare. But eliminating the other fluid sources, you are left with the CVT. Some drive train leaks aren't worth fixing, as long as they are slow leaks, are on systems that are non critical, and they are easy to monitor. An engine oil leak that you top up with a cup of oil between oil changes, and can be checked with the dip stick falls into that category. But a CVT with a leak, that can only be checked from under the car with tools, is one that you can't ignore, as a total CVT replacement is in the $8 000 class or more. It will pay you to take this seriously, get another opinion from a second dealership, and then decide on a course of action. You are just over the drive train warranty of 60 000 miles, but a friendly but firm call to SOA may find a friendly ear and a full or partial fix "in good faith". This shouldn't have occurred, but a vehicle made up of 35 000 parts will occasionally have a bad one. My advice would be to get a second opinion, and if it is the CVT seal, see if you can get SOA to help you out as a goodwill gesture. Good Luck, and keep us posted.

landdolphe, Its been too many years since my 97 OBW LTD and then my 2002 OBW LTD to remember whether your generation OB had vacuum or motor operated HVAC flapper doors in the heater assembly. Regardless, the actuator (vacuum or electrically operated) is not functioning properly. It may be that the switch between the modes is bad, or that you have a vacuum leak (split hose, if so operated), or that the flapper door has hung up, stripped a gear, or the motor is bad. None of this is difficult to fix, but .. it is awkward to get at (lying upside down on the floor under the dash, after removing some of the center console trim to get at it if necessary) not fun to do, but it is a diyer fix if you have the tools, time, and expertise. A good independent mechanic should set it right in short order otherwise. Good Luck!

sirtokesalot, Issues with shaking while braking usually come down to warped rotors. Either the hub surface was not cleaned up of rust and the rotors aren't sitting squarely on the hub, the pads and rotors were not properly "bedded in" when installed and have glazed over in spots, the slide pins weren't freed up and lubricated during the install, or the calipers are partially seized in their bores. Or a combination of all of them. Less suspect, but possible is an ABS system triggering. Steering rack issues include hard, jerking steering, but nothing related to making the car shake when the brakes are used.

Buzclick, Sounds electrical, and if it were my car I'd first pull the instrument cluster (easy to do), disconnect the wiring harnesses to its back, and then reconnect them. If that didn't do the trick, I'd be tracking down the engine and body ground wires and ensure that they were properly grounded and not corroded or broken. If neither solves the issue, its a fix for the experts. Good Luck!

chuxter, To get at the fluid reservoir and the pump, may require pulling a front wheel and part of the inner fender liner, or even the front bumper cover. It depends on the pump location.

Rolo1793, Use GeneralDisorder's method, but if it doesn't work there is another option that works well. Use a 4 1/2 inch cutoff wheel on an angle grinder, then a 3 inch one in an air grinder, and finally a cutoff wheel in a Dremmel tool to cut a groove between two of the teeth of the sprocket. Cut down to, but not all the way to the crank shaft. Then put a large chisel into the groove you've cut, and a couple of whacks with a ball peen hammer will split the sprocket in two. I used this method on my 1990 300ZX when changing the timing belt and crank and cam seals, etc., years ago. It works like a charm. As I recall, a new sprocket was like $23 at the time for that car. Good Luck!

Rolo1793, Try General Disorder's approach to pull the sprocket, but if that doesn't work, I have another fix. I've wrenched on cars for years, and when it came time for a new timing belt on my 1990 300ZX at year 19 and 56 000 kms, I took a lesson from several members of a forum that covered that car. I ordered a new crank sprocket from Nissan, and then simply cut the old sprocket off the crankshaft. I started with a 4 1/2 inch cut off wheel on an angle grinder and cut down and as close to the engine block as I could before its size made me stop (before cutting into the block). I then changed to a 3 inch cut off wheel on an air grinder until the same problem arose. Finally I used a cut off disc on a Dremel tool. I never cut through the entire sprocket between two teeth until I hit the crank shaft itself. Stop short of that. Then using a chisel in the cut groove, one or two whacks with a ball peen hammer split the sprocket in two and it fell from the crankshaft, with no damage to the crankshaft at all. It worked like a charm. Good Luck!

bullet126, I'm sure you could buy it as an accessory, and then pay to have it painted the colour of your car. Whether you can get the dealership to include all of that at purchase time .... you'll have to ask. This assumes that the trunk lids are the same for both models, and the spoiler can be easily attached.

chuxter, Chances are that the fluid lines from the washer pump, or the end nozzles are partially plugged with debris. Its also possible that the pump intake could be partially plugged. Of course, this assumes that the pump hasn't grown tired and needs replacing. To clear the lines/nozzles pull them from the pump exit tube and blow air through them, possibly even from the reverse end. You could use a fine wire to clean the nozzle openings. The pump motor fix will require some parts removal and dexterity. Good Luck!

06SubLegTx, Always state the year, model and mileage of the car with the problem. It helps narrow down where to start when considering a solution. As I found out just this week, the rear brake setup on OutBack's, that has been the same for 20 years, changed on the 2014 models. It stopped me in my tracks! The models are different, the years are different, and the mileage often gives us a clue as to what the problem is. That said .... I assume you have an 06 subie legacy .... ? With how many miles?

Subaru3, There's the link you requested. You'll have to put it into your web browser, as this site won't allow me to post the entire link.

SUBARU3, I spent a couple of nights this weekend looking at many YouTube video fixes for sunroof leaks, fixes, and brake rebuilds, and came across one showing the same thing you're complaining about. This was on a 06 outBack, but the same issue may apply to your car. The guy placed a running garden hose just above the windshield on the passenger side, and allowed a water spread of 18 inches wide to flood down the glass and on to the cowl. Water then dripped from the bottom of the heater fan housing. He popped out the plastic plugs of the cowl and discovered that Subaru had placed one of those cowl plugs right over the raised opening of the heater intake to the cabin filter and such. The water was leaking through the plug hole when the plug was installed and dripped right into the intake opening. His fix was to take a plastic bottle that juice came in (one that is longer and wider than the air intake opening, cut one side out of it, and placed it loosely over the air intake opening. When the cowl was again reattached with its plugs, it kept the bottle container in place, but still allowed air to be sucked in from around the bottle's sides and ends, and shunted the water over the top of the air intake to drain away as it should. His after video showed no more water leaking inside. His fix, still allowed the plugs to be pulled if further dismantling was required. Could your setup be the same?

dimka, Three usual issues causing overheating ... bad thermostat .... bad water pump ... head gaskets, but there could be others, cracked radiator tank, bad radiator cap, frozen radiator. Its hard to tell from long distance. If it overheats after 10 minutes of driving usually = thermostat. After ten minutes driving, from under car, green antifreeze dripping from water pump usually = water pump. Bubbling in the radiator or coolant tank usually = head gasket (also look for leaks around heads from underneath). Radiator cap needs to hold 16 lbs of pressure = hard to test without a cap tester. You need to get the car to someone who can properly diagnose what your cause is. You don't want to fix just one part, and then 50 miles down the road find out it was something else as well. Good Luck!

Spiney, I've done my own car repairs on my vehicles and friends and family for 50 years, and have cleaned up many calipers that were seized or sticking. The only time the piston needs replacing, is if its badly pitted on the surface that slides into the caliper past the piston/caliper seal. Bad pits on that surface will cause fluid leaks. Rust on the rest of the piston is a non issue, as long as the end of the piston that pushes on the brake pad is relatively clean and level. I have never had to replace a caliper on any car I've ever worked on. A piston or two, yes, but it is rare to see one bad enough to replace.

Spiney, Here are the videos: