I noticed the other day in my car that the light or (lights) is(are) out behing the climate controls in my '98 Legacy Outback. I looked in the manual to see if there was a fuse I could replace to fix the problem, but couldn't identify any single fuse that would be for that specific area. The indivicual lights on the buttons (defrost, vents, floor, & combinatiosn thereof) all seem to work fine... it's just the little pictures them selves, the blue to red temp selector bar, and the numbers around he fan speed selector that are no longer lit.
Anyone know if I can fix this w/o taking it to the Subaru dealer?
Also... I bought some LED lighted skull bolts to hold on my license plate, & it says it's an easy 12v installation... Anyoen know how to do that? The instructions w/ the bolts literally say "Connect red to postive, black to negative, or a ground source such as the frame."
I was just wondering where these magical wires would be? Ha ha ha...
This is a common problem with that generation of Legacy. The climate control consists of two lighting systems, there is the actual lighting itself and the LED status indicators. Since the status indicators are still lit, I doubt fuses would be the solution, so it would appear that the bulbs are burnt out.
When my bulbs burnt out, I used the instructions found at "Russ's Little Subie Page" on
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However, I just went there and itappears that that page isn't working anymore, although the site itself seemsto be working fine.
Changing the bulbs wasn't easy... but it wasn't hard either. You have to remove the climate control box of course, which I think involves disassembling the center console. You *can* get the radio and climate control bezels off without removing the center console, but it can be tricky. Anyway, these are the steps I remember taking.
Remove both screws from underneath center console storage bin lid, near latch.
Pull up on parking brake, put fingers through parking brake opening, and gently pull upwards. The panel should come off easily.
Remove shifter panel, there are no screws but you may need to move the shift knob around to get it off.
Remove ashtray by pulling out. There are two screws in the metal ashtray bracket. Use a short screwdriver to remove them.
Pull out cup holder. There are also two screws holding this in place. You might be able to see some smaller ones as well, just go for the big ones.
By now you should be able to remove the radio bezel, it might even be falling off by itself. Set aside.
As I recall, the climate control bezel is pressure fitted like the console pieces. Give it a gentle tug and it should come off.
You should be able to see the box itself. I can't remember if there were
2 or 4 screws holding it to the dash, but removing these is best with a magnetic screwdriver. If they fall, they may end up behind the dash, where you'll never see them again. :)
Now comes the part I barely remember. I did this myself 4 years ago, and although I remember steps 1-6 very well (having done them to install two car stereos and clean up coffee spills) this was only done once. There are one or two wire harnesses that go to the climate control box. Remove these, and then look under the dash on the passenger side. You should be able to see a cable down there, I believe it is a loop sitting on a metal post. This is what controls the hot/cold air mix, and you'll need to remove it to take the box out of the dash so you can work on it. BE CAREFUL, as I KNOW there was a sharp metal clip holding the cable in place that caused me to spill about a pint of blood on the carpet. After bandaging myself up, I tied some string to that loop so that I would be able to fish the cable back through the dash the right way when I put everything back together.
I seem to remember reading that there was a cover on the back of the box that had to be removed, but on mine there was no such cover. Once I had it out, I remember seeing the circuit board and there were three round plastic things with a "+" shape on them. These are actually the bulbs, and are removed by turning them, counterclockwise I believe. I forgot to mention that the bulbs are available from your Subaru dealer, I remember them being kind of expensive for me but my Subie dealer is kind of cheesy and upscale, selling Audi and Porsche alongside the mighty Soobs. Others have posted about adaping a much cheaper radio shack bulb, but I used the actual parts.
Once all is well, reassemble. I draped my sweatshirt over the box once I installed the bulbs, and turned my lights on to make sure that they were installed correctly, so you might want to do something like that before it gets dark. :)
lol... don't forget the skull shift knob.
I'd use the tail light wires. It's considered "easy" because they are rigfht there. You may have to drill holes in the metal though, I've never looked back there to see if there is an easy way in. Once you're behind the sheetmetal though, you can just tap into the tail light wires. Make sure you're not connecting to the brake or back up lights, and be very careful around the brake lights anyway since your safety is at stake. For something like this, you could probably get away with using one of those plastic wire taps available at auto parts stores.
Your friend's Outback has had burned out lights since the day he got it.
:)
Seriously though, this is a common problem with Subarus, so common in fact that a common misconception is that the climate control box has no lights or has only one light. I've seen everyone from car dealers to mechanics make this statement, in fact it makes me wonder just HOW many Subaru owners are out on the road with no climate control lights.
Anyway, my car has an engine that has traveled over 165,000 miles with only an oil leak and a new alternator to list under "problems had". Given that fact, I don't mind weak climate control light bulbs.
I had a 1990 jeep cherokee do the exact same thing to me. Then one time the little lights came on and off and I happened to be looking in that direction..
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