DIY happiness: fixed my wife's Subaru

[California98Civic]

Yeah. To 2000mc, I didn't have much chance to underplay any role I had after she called me a little panicked about it. When I got rid of the warnings about 4 hours later, it was also hard to downplay her texted reaction on a subsequent errand: "You fixed my car!!"

She has so little faith. Now a little "humble brag" on this forum... just in fun and gratitude.

Part of the info I used, the best part, that helped separate "wheat from chaff" was this P0026 Subaru Intake Valve Control Solenoid Circuit Range/Performance Bank 1 OBDII Engine Light Trouble Code | Engine-Codes.com ...given what it said and how young the car still is, I figured it was sensible to try the simplest things first, since the oil was on the low line and the air filter was awfully dirty. Horray for not throwing parts at problems!

[Frank Lee]

Good job!

Just so happens I'm muddling through electrical issues too. Last time I put the flatbed behind the truck all the lights worked at the start but halfway through the job the right taillight went dark and there were no right blinkers on anything.

First place to look: bad bulb. So I get the assembly outta the grommet only to find it's a SEALED UNIT.



That's right- a 99 cent bulb blows and PETERSON MANUFACTURING in Misery- I mean, Missouri (Yes I'm calling you out PETERSON MFG) thinks I am going to hunt down a store that carries these and pay over $10 for it or order it online and sit around waiting for it to be shipped?!? I think not! Out came the hand saws and I lobotomized the dang thing from the back and replaced the bulb. Take THAT PM.

But wait! That wasn't the problem! That was the symptom of connection issues upstream, like a dead short. So the replacement bulb lets out all it's magic smoke and goes dark too. Hmmm. Unplugged the trailer harness, put bulb #3 in, and tried again with the pickup all alone. Blinkers on the truck! my suspicions centered around the stub harness from the socket connector to where it splices in with the truck harness. Examination showed several weak points- corroded wires and retention screws in the socket, corroded icky looking splices with wire nuts, and the like.

After a major manhunt to try to locate that can of Brasso I KNOW I have (but haven't found) I jumped online and jogged my memory (about the only jogging I do anymore) that vinegar and salt make a nice brass and copper corrosion cleaner. I went all OCD on that whole stub harness, scrubbing and soaking and trimming back wires until all looked shiny and new. This time all the wire tips are getting soldered and it's getting all gooped up with di-electric grease too. And I'm gonna tape everything shut against the elements. The lobotomized light has it's skull section Gorilla Taped back in.

Too late to lay out in the cold, dark, windy driveway tonight to see if it works... hopefully tomorrow.

[Grant-53]

The "plug and pay" lights have been around since the 1970's by all manufacturers. They were designed for trucking fleets. I have more experience with trailer harnesses than I ever wanted. A volt ohm meter is a very useful item in combination with a good manual. Corrosion, vibration, and excessive heat are the chief causes of failure in electrical systems. The "magic" of high mileage cars is preventive maintenance and being "smarter than the metal" by knowing the nature of materials.

[Frank Lee]

"A good manual" ha ha- I never got a manual. But I did poke around with a meter after the bulb incident and the readings lead me to where I'm at.

[Frank Lee]

All my stub harness work works; there is one task left (hopefully) to complete and that is de-corroding the trailer plug (female terminals). I put vinegar and salt into my soaking cup and set it up outside as removing that plug is impossible without cutting wires. It froze of course and the forecast is for it to stay below freezing so I'll apply heat to it tomorrow and see how that works out.

I'm doubly glad I didn't run out and buy a new sealed tail light unit because I would have smoked it right off.

[Frank Lee]

Yay! Above freezing for vinegar and salt in the sun so it thawed. Rinsed, dried, gooped up with di-electric grease. Routed the stub, hooked it all up. Works!

Now to figure out where the check valve ball for the tilt ram is hiding...

[The_Jed]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Yeah. To 2000mc, I didn't have much chance to underplay any role I had after she called me a little panicked about it. When I got rid of the warnings about 4 hours later, it was also hard to downplay her texted reaction on a subsequent errand: "You fixed my car!!"

She has so little faith. Now a little "humble brag" on this forum... just in fun and gratitude.

Part of the info I used, the best part, that helped separate "wheat from chaff" was this P0026 Subaru Intake Valve Control Solenoid Circuit Range/Performance Bank 1 OBDII Engine Light Trouble Code | Engine-Codes.com ...given what it said and how young the car still is, I figured it was sensible to try the simplest things first, since the oil was on the low line and the air filter was awfully dirty. Horray for not throwing parts at problems!

Thanks for the link! I've been dealing with a recalcitrant cel, flashing cruise light on my wife's Outback for a while.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by The_Jed

Thanks for the link! I've been dealing with a recalcitrant cel, flashing cruise light on my wife's Outback for a while.

Awesome, I'm glad my little story is of some use. It turned out stupidly simple on my wife's car. But on some forums guys talked about mechanics replacing expensive parts to "solve" it (and of course failing). So far, after a couple weeks, no return of the CEL or any other symptoms. Good luck!