Puddle light Part Number?

[Peaty]

The passenger side puddle lights stopped working on my 2010 Legacy 3.6R. I have the updated (post recall) harness. I installed the OEM kit myself. I traced it back to the non replaceable fuse that's in line on the power wire. I can put an in line fuse myself of the same amps ( 250mA BTW) but now I need to get one of the two light assembly's. I know there is a part number for replacement lamps (not the whole kit) for the Tribeca (PN H471SXA0110) but I can't seem to find one for the Legacy. Has anyone had luck with this? I've installed them on a Tribeca too and they are not the same and aren't interchangeable.

 

TIA

[DugsSin]

This is all I could find too. http://subaruonlineparts.com/subaru-legacy-puddle-lights-p-1850.html

[Peaty]

Actually that has the part number of just the bulb assembly in the install instructions. Thanks that helps a lot

[theGeneral]

I found the whole kit on Amazon.

[Peaty]

I don't need the whole kit, I only need one light assembly. It only cost 13 bucks.

 

The odd thing is the kid and just the light assembly seem to have the same part number other than the price it's hard to say which is which when ordering. I ordered on line and this is the info I was e-mailed:

Part Number H471SAJ010 Part Name Led Lamp Ay Price $11.90

 

 

[Peaty]

Just to follow up, here are a few pics of the replacement lights. They include the gasket and the light assembly. There is only one per box. I got two, I have the side by side so you can see the top and bottom. unlike the Tribeca lights that attach with screws from the bottom. These attach from the top making it necessary to remove the side skirt.

[D.Doza]

My passenger side puddle lights don't turn on as well on my 2011 3.6r, do i just need to buy new bulbs or how do you fix the problem ?

[coco26]

Have you had the recall done? If you don't know you can check with your vin here:

 

http://www.subaru.com/vehicle-recalls.html

 

If it was done and they don't work, there are two possible causes:

1. The inline fuse on the new harness is blown

2. The fixtures are broken

 

To check, you can apply 12v after the fuse (either directly at the housings, or cut the harness somewhere). If they light, then its the fuse, which isn't replaceable. You'll either have to get a new harness or wire in a separate fuse around the original one. If they don't turn on, then its likely the lights themselves.

 

The connector (and fuse, a few inches later) for the recall harness lays between the passenger side wheel well and the air filter box.

 

In my case, one of the housings broke and caused the fuse to blow...

[Peaty]

My passenger side puddle lights don't turn on as well on my 2011 3.6r, do i just need to buy new bulbs or how do you fix the problem ?

 

Odds are one or both of the light assemblies are bad on that side. You can't just replace a bulb you need to replace a light assembly which has a few LED's in it. (see my pics above) . If it's just one side then you most likely also have had the in line, non replaceable fuse blow. This is what happened to me. Unless you want to replace the whole harness which is not cheap, you have to purchase the kit which includes both sides. This is what I did instead.

 

I figured out that the inline fuse was a 250 MA type. It's exactly the same as this one here:

 

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/non-resettable-wire-ended-fuses/5413243/

 

and it lives inside a rubber housing that is marked "What is this" in the attached pic. You can find the housing very close to the where the harness plug plugs into in the motor compartment.. Very near the wheel well, you can get to it under the hood. On the passenger side it's much easier to find if you remove the airbox, it's under that area. I cut open the black rubber bit and replaced the fuse (little green thing that looks like a grain of rice) with a replaceable in line fuse and holder. I got this here:

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01I2MNSPQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

It's more than I needed but when you look how much it is for a pack of a few fuses and a holder, this is not much more.

 

So after replacing the fuse I took off the side skirt and replaced the offending light assembly. Removing the side skirt isn't difficult, there are a number of push pins on the underside you need to remove then it will pop off. Put down some towels on the ground so you don't scratch your skirt. If you are going through the trouble might as well replace both. You will need a very small allen wrench for the screws that hold the light in. Put some dielectric grease in the harness plug for good measure. Mine is working find now.

 

Just a heads up, if you do a bonehead maneuver like I did and bypass the fuse, just to figure out if one of the light sets were good or not, chances are you will blow a fuse which controls the Dome lights, Keyless, audio, HVAC lights oh and puddle lights. Note, it's in the underhood fuse block, behind the battery marked "Backup" red 10A Which is not as easy to discover as you would think...

 

PS I've attached a PDF of the puddle light install directions for reference

H471SAJ100.pdf

[foxrider28]

The part with -what is this, is a fuseable link. It's simply a glass fuse inside the plastic. If it can be opened you can check visually and replace the fuse if necessary, otherwise pull the harness and test it if no connection then the fuse is bad and all you need is a new harness or you can buy a fusable link cut the harness and put the new one in. Just be sure to use weatherproof crimps.

[Peaty]

The part with -what is this, is a fuseable link. It's simply a glass fuse inside the plastic. If it can be opened you can check visually and replace the fuse if necessary, otherwise pull the harness and test it if no connection then the fuse is bad and all you need is a new harness or you can buy a fusable link cut the harness and put the new one in. Just be sure to use weatherproof crimps.

 

That's what I did, but that can't be opened. It's a solid rubber mass that encases the fuse. I cut it open to figure out what the rating is and then replaced the link with a glass busse type fuse and holder. Sounds simple but figuring out what the rating was a little tricky. It's not a glass fuse but a small one with very small writing, about the size of a grain of rice. It puzzled me at first, it looked more like a capacitor or resistor to me except for the markings but it's a 1/4 Amp fuse or 250 mA.

 

This is the upgraded harness after the recall. I installed the kit myself and was sent the updated one with the fuse.

[juiceweazel]

I recently noticed my passenger side puddle lights went out but my driver side is still OK. Using this thread, I followed the wiring easily & found this rubber fuse case. It looks pretty un-factory like for being an optional dealer installed accessory. So this is not something covered under a factory recall? I checked my VIN & it only shows the wiper motor recall needs to be performed. It's a 2013 3.6R with 37,000 miles. Guess it's time to cut out the old fuse & install a new one?

[Peaty]

It's a 2013 3.6R with 37,000 miles. Guess it's time to cut out the old fuse & install a new one?

 

The recall for the puddle lights was to install a fuse, so you have the upgraded harness since it's already there. I think the way it went was is that the early harnesses did not have the fuse. The recall involved unplugging the harness and installing a small jumper that had a fuse.

 

I'm not sure you are covered or not under a warranty. My guess is not but it may be worth a call to ask. It's kind of crazy they installed a non-replaceable fuse, fusible link or whatever you want to call it. Since my puddle lights were not dealer installed, I got them later and installed them myself. I just cut the fuse and replaced the lamp. The only recour$e the dealer ha$ is to replace the whole harne$$ and offending LED a$$embly.

RCDNN-12V602-9293 (1).pdf

[juiceweazel]

Thanks for the attachment. I'm guessing they installed a non-replaceable fuse for 1 of 2 reasons. 1 it was cheaper or 2 they didn't want people to keep replacing fuses for fear of it starting a fire. Was the problem is the moisture getting into the lamp assembly or the connections? Funny the engineers were trying to bandaid the problem for awhile by using grease tinning the leads on the connections.

I could install a new fuse but the problem will just happen again correct? So is the real fix find a way to make the lamp assembly and/or connectors completely waterproof?

[Peaty]

Having worked in R&D for big companies for the better part of 3 decades, I can tell you it's mostly likely reason 1

 

In my case it seems water infiltrated the LED assembly itself. How it got in there I'm not exactly sure. When I replaced it I did make sure to put some dielectric grease on the connections.

 

You are correct, installing a fuse will not fix the issue but that will also be necessary. First you will need to replace the lamp assembly then the fuse. Looking at my assembly you could not tell which one was bad. Well not until I bypassed the fuse to attempt to see if it was one or both assemblies out. All that accomplished was a black mark in the bad assembly and a fuse blown under the hood that took me a very long time to find with a ton swearing.

 

Honestly, your best bet is to just replace both LED assemblies, use dielectric grease on the harness connections and install a replaceable fuse.

[GTEASER]

I would be extremely careful with anything related to this puddle light harness. A few years ago a member here, around the time when Subaru was issuing the recall for the puddle lights, was trying to fix his puddle lights by replacing fuses and he ended up frying the BIU. If Subaru hadn't stepped up, apparently because they were aware of the fault issue, it would have cost him somewhere in the realm of $4000 to get it replaced.

[Peaty]

I would be extremely careful with anything related to this puddle light harness. A few years ago a member here, around the time when Subaru was issuing the recall for the puddle lights, was trying to fix his puddle lights by replacing fuses and he ended up frying the BIU. If Subaru hadn't stepped up, apparently because they were aware of the fault issue, it would have cost him somewhere in the realm of $4000 to get it replaced.

 

I can see that happening if you replace a lower rated fuse with something way higher. When I jumped out the fuse I blew a 10A fuse in the block under the hood. I looked at the wiring diagrams and it looked like it should have been one under the dash. After searching the forums I saw that the one marked "Backup" under the hood fuse block was the one to replace. When that fuse goes, it takes out the dash, HVAC and entertainment system oh and the puddle lights. If you put a larger fuse in there like a 30A I can see it frying a ton of stuff.

 

I think if you are smart and replace the LED lights and the fusible link with a 250mA fuse you should be fine. YMMV and disconnect the battery first to be safe

[Bloobaru]

Thanks Peaty-

Your entire thread has saved a few grey hairs for me. I had all of the exact same symptoms you and a few others described:

The passenger side puddles going out due to excessive moisture, and yes the recall had been done but they don't address the problem of moisture affecting the lamps, so three years later the lights went out again.

Using your pictures I was able to locate the fuse, pop the side skirt, order the correct lamp for less than $20 and get it all fixed in a day. As a preventative measure, I did my best to seal every opening in the side skirt to keep as much water out as possible (covering every hole with electrical tape.. probably temporary at best). Once again, much thanks!

Bloobaru

[Peaty]

Glad it helped someone. So far mine is holding up well.

[foxrider28]

I'm waiting on a warm day to do mine. I'm not sure my lamp is the problem because I don't think the PO ever had the recall done. I will see once I get in there, but either way I'm adding the inline fuse you spec'd out so if the fuse blows again it can be replaced without any wiring work so I've considered just soldering in the thing vs adding terminals.