Heated seats fix?

[riflegunbuilder]

Just bought a 04 Outback, my first Subaru. Heated seats switch doesn't come on. I checked the fuse behind change tray. What's the next step? any ideas? What's my next step?

 

 Also, I read the sticky about lubing sticky tailgate handles. Mine still doesn't spring back. What's next? Replace handle?

[Bushwick]

Do the heated seats actually work at all (passenger and/or driver's side)? Takes 2-5 minutes to heat up WITH you sitting on them.

 

First thing to check is if the previous owner disconnected the plugs under the seat if they aren't heating (it'll be obvious as a blue, 2 wire plug will be hanging. Often the element shorts in the heated pad. I've seen several salvage yard seats with disconnected plugs. Next up is to see if the switches are getting power. With a voltmeter (or even a 12v test light probe works fine), lift the armrest and unbolt the 2 screws. Lift the panel UP. See if the switches are still attached. Look for a lighter blue wire daisy-chained between the switches. It should have 12v+ with car running. If the 12v is there, turn a switch "on" (forward should be "high" heat) then probe each wire at the crimp. One should be 12v. Switch to "low" heat and check the other wires, the other should be 12v now. There's like 4 wires feeding the switches. 2 are for the seat heater's high/low function, light blue is 12v+ with engine running, the 4th wire is the accessory light illumination (can test it with headlights on/off). Use this link for a quick wire summary at the switch: http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/f77/heated-seat-wires-need-help-identifying-370569/

 

If power is entering/exiting the switches, disconnect the 2 wire plug feeding the actual pads under the seat I told you check previously. You need to probe the wiring coming up from the carpet, NOT the plug attached to the seat! With a voltmeter or test light, turn the switch to "high on", then probe the connector. One of the 2 wires SHOULD be getting 12v+. Select the "low" setting and probe the second wire, it too should now have 12v+. If it doesn't, you'll have to inspect the wiring between the switches and seat (PITFA as they are all taped together and you'll need to pull the seats and fish out some wiring from under the carpet.

 

If everything checks out, the bulbs might be bad. I retrofitted a switch cluster from a 99' and during testing, the amber "on" light burnt out in the driver switch after selecting "on" several times. BOTH switches had bad accessory light bulbs (the illumination bulbs that light the switches at night with headlights on). So 3 out of 4 bulbs were bad. They are NOT easy to replace the actual bulb as they have really long lead wires that feed through some weird rubber stand-off isolator, making the accessory lights difficult to replace with aftermarket. The amber switch on bulbs can however be replaced with RadioShack specialty bulbs that are physically identical in size and orientation, but you'll need to carefully bend the leads to work and might need to solder the connection.

 

If everything still checks out, suspect the heater elements shorted. It's an easy fix if so. Need a soldering iron, some heat-shrink sleeving, a small wire section, and basic hand tools. Could also be a bad connection at the internal thermostats which are sandwiched at the back of the seat bottoms in the actual heating pad fabric. Confirm everything else FIRST.

 

It's entirely possible the bulbs are out AND the heating pad is short. If the switches are getting 12v, the plugs under the seats are getting 12v.

 

 

 

 

Your handle should have a return spring. Is it still there?

Edited November 17, 2014 by Bushwick

[riflegunbuilder]

Thanks. On the tailgate I can see a return spring. After oiling, the handle still seems as stiff. I can push handle back and forth but it won't retun on its own. Is there a way to oil the cable going to the latch?

[Bushwick]

I don't think there's a cable. Should be a small rod that connects the handle to the lock mechanism. I'd try oiling the point where the handle attaches to the bracket. On either end of handle should be a rivet-like bolt holding it in place. Try oiling there. It might be rusty. Is the return spring rusted? It might just be weak. If the handle was rarely used, it might need a lot of movement to be looser.

[grimaceNMike]

My 93 had this issue with the rear hatch handle too. I sprayed silicon lubricant in it and it didn't help much.. a few weeks later My car was stolen, and they needed to pop the trunk to get the sound system out. I guess they know Subaru's pretty well cause they fixed it somehow! All my stuff was stolen, but my rear hatch handle works well now

Edited November 17, 2014 by grimaceNMike

[heartless]

For the hatch handle - use a good penetrating oil and work the handle back and forth repeatedly, re-spray with penetrating oil as needed - it may take some time to free it up, but it should eventually do so. My 95's hatch handle was getting so stiff it took a fair amount of effort to get it back to the closed position.

 

Dont know if anyone else here has tried this product made by "Strong Arm" : http://www.buystrongarm.com/StrongArm-Fluid-Pints_p_8.html but it does work pretty well. it is thicker than standard penetrating oil, not really sure what is in the stuff, but it does work. We were having some problems with the tailgate latch on our pickup - used the Strongarm stuff on it, got it loosened up and havent had a problem with it since - more than 2 years later.

Used it on my 95s hatch handle and it has been working very smoothly since - only been about a month now, but it has also gotten very cold recently - latch is still working very nicely.

[JasonInMontana]

Just bought a 04 Outback, my first Subaru. Heated seats switch doesn't come on. I checked the fuse behind change tray. What's the next step? any ideas? What's my next step?

I had issues with my '98s heated seats initially. Pulled the seats out, pulled the covers off, the element was burned in two in the forward center part of the seat. Tried soldering a bridge wire across it, did not hold up for long. Ultimate solution was to use a crimp-style connector on each end of the wire to bridge the gap. No problems since then.