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Subaru Crew - Modifications II

15051535556106

Comments

  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    Here are my tips from an earlier post:
    All the plastic dash pieces are snug fits. They really feel like they won't let go but they will. The arrows in figures #1 and #4 show where the prongs are that hold the pieces in place. Those are the points where you need to pull. Take it easy but apply constant pressure.

    For the gear shift cover you first you need to pop up the end closest to the hand brake and then pull back away from the dash as the top two prongs are tricky.

    Once you get the HVAC surround off you need to remove the small security box to the right of the HVAC/radio assembly. That's if you have the security upgrade. Now you can get at the 4 screws that hold the whole unit in place. After those screws are removed you can wiggle the complete assembly forward enough to reach behind and disconnect the antenna and harness. On my 00 the screws holding the Soob radio were really tight. Be careful not to strip them.

    Take your time
    Disconnect the battery
    Be careful not to bend the black HVAC cable
    Keep a towel handy to stick under the metal bracket when you pull the HVAC assembly forward

    Tools you will need:
    Long phillips screwdriver that is magnetized (don't want to drop any screws)
    Stubby phillips for the ashtray screws
    Butter knife or putty knife to help free the plastic trim.

    It's more fun than it sounds.

    bit
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Splicing should work. I've done that on my boats and some older cars. The only thing is that the person selling the unit will likely not be giving you the harness so the problem that arises is that you won't have anything to splice into.

    -mike
  • jimmyp1jimmyp1 Member Posts: 640
    actually splice from my old harness (running to the electrical system of my car) to the new WRX harness (on the back of the radio). I'm using the word harness too liberally.

    Jim
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The big problem is that the radio may or may not have a harness showing. the harness may be built into the car and just clip into the back of the radio. If that is the case, then there is nothing to splice into. I had this problem on a GM radio back 10 years ago. All it had was metal contacts where the harness plugged into.

    -mike
  • jimmyp1jimmyp1 Member Posts: 640
    Yep, forgot about that. I was envisioning a 1-2' length of wire and then a harness. That would be a lot tougher to figure out. I would need a diagram straight from Subaru, which is probably doable.

    Jim
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    ateixeira Jun 18, 2002 10:51am
    juice-
    from bit's install instruction the MY2000 are definitely different.

    -Dave
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Yeah, the cup holder is no longer there, for instance. Still, it should be useful.

    -juice
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    hypov "Subaru Legacy/Outback (Station Wagons Board)" Jun 15, 2002 4:47pm
    the message following mine is Doug chimming in to help out. :)

    -Dave
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Thanks, bud. I printed all the hints out and will read them carefully before starting.

    -juice
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    juice-

    I should be working on the OBS this Saturday to swap in the '98 OB unit. Hopefully, I'll have a camera then and hope it will be easier this time around and won't be any difference from the OB.

    In case I did not note before, the DIN socket on the WRX unit is on the left whereas the '98 OB unit is on the right. Meaning, the wires feeds from the right on the '98 OB and I had to detach a tie strap to free the wires to reach the socket on the left. Even that was barely enough. If the '02 Legacy feeds from the left, no worry.

    -Dave
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    OK, will keep that in mind. I have plenty of tie straps to re-fasten them if needed, 'cause you know an OCDer cannot tolerate a rattle.

    -juice
  • wmiller4wmiller4 Member Posts: 97
    There is a third screw holding the ashtray assembly in. It holds the front "motor" end of the assembly to the firewall. You should see it when you remove the ashtray. It is not illustrated on the instructions.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    So I need a pretty strong magnet on the end of that screw driver. How long does it have to be?

    -juice
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    juice-
    10" blade will do. That was the shortest of the long blade I could get at the hardware store.
    Don't really need a strong magnet at the end of the screwdriver, just stroke the screwdriver in the uni-direction with a magnet. That will be enough to magnetized it.

    -Dave
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Flat or phillips?

    I may need to buy one, I'm not sure any of mine can reach 10".

    -juice
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    All the screws that I've encountered were phillips. If you have a 8" blade phillip head screwdriver should be good. a 6" couldn't reach with me.

    -Dave
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    OK, I'll measure before I start and get too far without the proper tools.

    -juice
  • jimmyp1jimmyp1 Member Posts: 640
    does that CD of yours have a wiring diagram of what each wire is going into/coming out of the WRX's 6 disc in-dash head unit is for? I'd wax your car the next time I'm in the NW, if it did. :)

    Jim
  • mike25rsmike25rs Member Posts: 6
    Jimmyp1, I work in the car stereo business and I can tell you that if it isn't a direct plug in and you don't have the original harness (the one from the rex) it won't work. Now you may be able to ask the person who you got it from if when he put his new radio in (I'm guessing he did) did he use a wiring harness, just t-taps, or did he cut the whole thing and use butt connectors? Now you have to remember that if he cut the wires to use butt's them he just voided that whole part of his warrenty!(the electrical system, i.e. ecu warrenty possibly) My guess is he didn't do it that way. and I'm not 100% sure but I don't think they make a harness for that car yet so he probably t-tapped it to keep the warrenty (that's how I did it on my '02 RS) so if it does not dirrectly plug in to your car and you dont have the original harness that has been cut out of his car your outta luck. The only other thing I could suggest is the dealer, "might" have it but that could get pricey. Good luck!

    Mike
  • mike25rsmike25rs Member Posts: 6
    anyone know how to turbo the 2002 2.5RS. I looked on i-club, rallispec, MRT, and a couple others (can't remember which) and I can't find anything promising. Any tips? comments, suggestions. Thanks,

    Mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The same procedure for turboing an 00->01 2.5RS.

    It's been done at least 50-100x

    -mike
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    http://i-club.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=50


    There is a WHOLE forum on the I-club for Aftermarket Forced Induction. :)


    -mike

  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,889
    Ok, first off, mike25rs, saying that "it won't work" is WAY different than "you can do it but void the warranty." It WILL work if you figure out which wire does what. And I don't see how swapping a stereo will void your warranty at all. It in no way could affect anything else in the car even if you did something absurd while installing it. That's why fuses exist. A dealer has to PROVE that your mod directly caused the malfunction. And since a new stereo CAN'T cause these problems, then they won't be able to prove this. And, regardless, even if, in the future, you went to bring it in for warranty work, I seriously doubt anyone is going to go through the trouble of pulling your stereo to find out just how you chose to connect it.

    As far as doing it, I've performed this procedure on many cars. Personally, I would not cut out the original harness. Never know when you want to swap back or swap to something else which will utilize that harness. You can, instead of cutting the wires, use Squeeze Connectors (a.k.a. "Scotch Connectors"). If you are unfamiliar with these, they have 2 inputs on them. the whole connector opens like a book and you close it down on the wires. There is a metal piece inside this book which makes contact with the two wires without cutting them but merely piercing the insulation. They work great and make a perfect connection when installed correctly.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Don't they have adapters that pulg directly into the factory harnesses these days? I thought the days of splicing wires were a thing of the past? I haven't worked on car stereos in about 10 years so who knows.

    As for warranty work, if you cut that harness and have electrical problems down the road, you can bet they'll be denying your warranty claim.

    As for wiring up, does the stoc stereos have wires coming out the back? or just a place to plugin the stock harness? I see that as the biggest problem to trying to hookup a stereo that wasn't meant for your application, if there are no wires to splice on the radio side, then it's gonna be hard to split in your harness to it.

    -mike
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    "As for wiring up, does the stoc stereos have wires coming out the back? or just a place to plugin the stock harness? I see that as the biggest problem to trying to hookup a stereo that wasn't meant for your application, if there are no wires to splice on the radio side, then it's gonna be hard to split in your harness to it.'

    Mike-
    there aren't any wires sticking out of the unit. Just sockets to plug and play.

    -Dave
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,889
    Not having wires coming out of the head unit is definitely another problem.

    Adapters do exist, but (obviously) not for every application. It would definitely pay to look around because:

    something else I have done in the past is to swap wires within a harness. Most harnesses are constructed so that (with a very thin, long, and stiff piece of metal and ALOT of patience) you can compress the clips which hold the wires in the harness. Then you just reinsert them in the correct location of the harness (of course, the harness needs to be the correct size for the new head unit). This is a HUGE pain in the a**. But, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

    The last choice is to buy loose plug on connectors from Radio Shack which will snug onto each pin on the head unit. And, of course, you need to attach a bit of wire to each plug. Then connect those wires to the harness. At that point, you might as well also buy the plug connectors which will go into the harness itself and attach those to the other ends of the wires you made.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • jimmyp1jimmyp1 Member Posts: 640
    adding some wire from the end of my harness to the back of the radio, hence my question about what prong does what on the back of the radio. And, as far as warranty goes for me, I'm so far out of warranty you wouldn't believe it. 1994 Turbo Legacy w/ 87k miles, baby. Still pulls HARD!

    Jim
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    :)

    -mike
  • qbrozenqbrozen Member Posts: 32,889
    ok. Sorry. got caught up in the whole discussion and lost site of the original poster (you). :)
    guess that happens way too often.

    You have the new radio? If you do, I guess they didn't put a chart on the unit, huh? Its so nice when manufacturers do that and its so rare that they actually do.

    '11 GMC Sierra 1500; '08 Charger R/T Daytona; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '08 Maser QP; '11 Mini Cooper S

  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    If there's a chart, it would like be on the inner side of the unit cover. If there's ever one.

    -Dave
  • 8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    Sport Compact Car's Project Impreza 2.5RS
  • mrk610mrk610 Member Posts: 378
    Just got mine from Liberty Subaru here in NJ and will be putting them in at work today. I'll let you know how it sounds .

    mike k
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    juice-
    I'd mentioned an 8" long blade will do, which it will, but it just occur to me (doink) that luckily 10" blade was the shortest long blade I could find. I think the 10" blade (when magnetized) will come better handy if and when you need to fish for dropped screw(s).

    -Dave
  • mrk610mrk610 Member Posts: 378
    Got them in today and I must say what a difference . Didn't think there would be that much but I was wrong . You can really hear the highs in the music . Got them from Liberty Subaru in NJ for 75.00 bucks including shipping . I think I just may have to get the leather shift knob next .

    mike k
  • gened1gened1 Member Posts: 256
    MRK610,
    I have a 02 Forester L and have been considering adding tweeters. My dealer wants$110.
    I was wondering how did you install them. Do they come with a plug at the end of a lead or did you have to splice them in. Also do they just mount in the grill ?
    Any info would be appreciated.
    Gene
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I may get those tweeters too, 'cause now I have a working 6CD changer in the Legacy!

    Special thanks to Bit, Dave, and Doug, for the tips. Took 3 hours, though I had to run for a stubby phillips screw driver.

    I did have a drill bit phillips head, and managed to hold it with a pliers, but didn't have room to work it out. So I bit the bullet and bought a set of screw drivers.

    I had an 8" long phillips and that was actually enough for me. But I needed a short one anyway, so I just bought a whole set to be on the safe side.

    Lost one bolt - DOH! But then found an exact match in my spare parts jar.

    It wasn't that hard, it just took patience to figure out the angles to apply pressure.

    Got two battle scars, one on a knuckle and one on my wrist, and a blood stain on the seat, which I managed to clean. Whew.

    Without the cup holder on the dash, it seemed easier. I actually left the HVAC stuff untouched, and worked from the bottom up, taking out that storage box below the stereo. And hey, everything still works and nothing buzzes.

    But the results are fantastic, for $150 it's unbeatable. 6 CDs and a tape, and it even leaves the tape inside while playing the radio or CDs.

    Review of the music played:

    Best of Elmo: painful
    Scooby Doo Theme: loved it
    Barney: bring me a barf bag
    Arthur: Ziggy Marley? I can deal.
    Wiggles: aye carumba!
    Stanley: Baja Men? Who let the dogs out?

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    PS I am now actively shopping for another 6CD, this is pretty sweet!
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    Juice-
    Guess when you hear a rattle up front you know what it is ;-)
    Glad to hear you got through the swap.
    The Forester should be easier. Just the trim and the shifter & handbrake panels to deal with nothing else. The 2 tabs at the top horizontal section of the trim are a little pesky to remove. Need to unlatch the metal clips attached to the tabs. Smooth sailing after that. Oh, same set of wires plus one more for ground. That is attached to the mounting bracket.
    Swapped the '98 OB unit to the OBS. Yes, the unit does make a difference. The cheap speakers actually sounded quite good.

    Note: the speakers needs alot of juice to drive. First time I've ever crank any car stereo to 22. Same loudness when it was still in my OB, 12.

    -Dave
  • jfljfl Member Posts: 1,396
    Gene,
    I have a Legacy. The tweeters replaced the triangular plastic pieces at the front of the door.

    Both the door and the tweeters are pre-wired. Just plug the wires together and pop the tweeter in place. The instructions were very clear.

    I'd guess that the Forester is similar, perhaps someone can confirm it. I think it's a big improvement.

    Jim
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    Did the swap Saturday, and I think the 215/60/16 barely cleared the struts in the rear. I'm weary that the clearance won't be there under heavy load. Well, will find out when I pick up my parents and aunt at the airport.
    Visually, the sidewall didn't looked any leaner. Bumps were a tat more thumpy - no filling removal jarrings. Road noise - no better than the Energy MXV4 205/70/15. Handling; still too early to tell. Oh, I went with the tires I know - Michelin Energy MXV4+

    -Dave
  • lakepoplakepop Member Posts: 221
    Jim....I agree that putting the tweeters in a Forester is a very easy mod. Unfortunately I did not get any dramatic results. Upgraded the front speakers to some Sony Xplods at the same time so maybe they conflict.
    I must also confess that too many years in aircraft have also diminished my high freq hearing which is probably the real reason I do not get much from the tweets.
    Its an age thing .........:) ;)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    LOL7

    If I hear a rattle I will crank up the new 6CD changer!

    -juice

    PS I'm shopping for #2 for Sandy, if you see one, I'd prefer local (DC, MD, VA)
  • lilbluewgn02lilbluewgn02 Member Posts: 1,089
    I'll keep my eyes open...just ate a Lacta Sonho de Valsa ! Man, those are deadly...
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Yum, the pink metallic wrapper? Scrumptious!

    -juice
  • eps105eps105 Member Posts: 216
    Hello,

    In my '99 Forester L, I had enabled a nifty hidden feature in the keyless entry module that I would like to replicate on my new 2003 Forester XS.

    I don't remember the details, or even where I got the information, but by changing a few DIP switches, I enabled a feature that locks your doors when you turn the car on and unlocks them when you turn it off.

    I believe the OEM keyless entry for Subaru is still Code-Alarm/Chapman, but the system has likely changed since '99 and I don't want to tinker around with it unless I actually get some documentation.

    Anyone have any ideas if this can be done? (I believe this is the same system is the 2001 and newer Foresters.)

    Thanks,
    Elliot
  • lilbluewgn02lilbluewgn02 Member Posts: 1,089
    all that work to listen to ELMO! Bwaaahaaahaaah!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Sorry, no idea whatsoever. I'm not even sure I understand what the remote keyless has to do with the ignition going on and off.

    -juice
  • lilbluewgn02lilbluewgn02 Member Posts: 1,089
    image
  • cb54321cb54321 Member Posts: 1
    Just wanted some suggestions on where to start.... Want to make my 2002 WRX even faster.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    1) Tires
    2) Sway bars
    3) Springs
    4) DRIVING SCHOOL!

    -mike
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