Rockwvu Posted December 22, 2018 Share Posted December 22, 2018 Hello all, I wanted to post about a problem that left my wife stranded in the Walmart parking lot. I will post the abridged problem and solution then go into details. Car wouldn’t start, jump starting did nothing. Battery replacement did not help. The main fuse in the under hood fuse box was blown. Replaced fuse car works normally now. The details to those that are interested, I didn’t find anything on the forum web or YouTube that helped me diagnose. Wife parked at Walmart to pick up groceries. Sat there listening to radio waiting for them to bring order out. Popped trunk, put down windo to sign. Went to restart and nothing. Also radio hvac locks and windows didn’t work. First inclination was bad battery since I didn’t know what all wasn’t working. She tried a battery booster that didn’t work. Neither did jumping the car from a running vehicle. Since I was at Walmart I replaced the battery since this one was 4 years old and figured it was worth a shot. Got the vehicle towed home. I had to find out how to get the car in neutral to be towed. It is a detent in front of shifter under mat that you use a screwdriver to push straight down similar to picking a lock on a bedroom door. Once at home I tried my other key fob, and looked for any obvious electrical woes. Got the multimeter out and I find the main fuse blown. It is a specialty fuse that you cannot find anywhere locally and I called 5 Subaru dealers none of which had Instock. It is a bolt on fuse similar to a mega fuse you may be familiar with. It is a MIDI 125 amp stud mount or bolt on type. I ordered from dealer $10 each. I also found on amazon for $8 for two. Slightly different but I think will work. If you search amazon for MIDI 125 amp fuse and Subaru part number 82211AL120 I had two days of downtime waiting on this simple part. For $10 you all may want to order one and keep a 8mm open wrench and 10mm wrench in glove box with a spare fuse to save yourself the grief, tow job, and trouble shooting. I will try to add a picture of fuse. Since my car is out of warranty I feared a trip to dealer was in my future. I was thankful I was able to determine problem and fix so cheaply and easily after getting the part. I wonder if the dealer would have “found” an more expensive problem other than a $10 fuse. Maybe a computer?https://parts.gillmansubarunorth.com/p/Subaru__Impreza/FUSE-MAIN-L1-TYPE-125A/65484303/82211AL12A.html My last comment is I wonder what caused the fuse to blow. It wasn’t overloaded on accessories. My guess is just random part failure. I guess time will tell. Hopefully this will help someone as I didn’t come up with anything when I searched my problem. I keep 3 spares and the two cheap wrenches tapped together in glove box. It’s a 10 min job if that. I’d say if your car won’t start and you have good battery and notice the navigation radio hvac and locks don’t work this could be your problem. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwvu Posted December 22, 2018 Author Share Posted December 22, 2018 https://parts.gillmansubarunorth.com/p/Subaru__Impreza/FUSE-MAIN-L1-TYPE-125A/65484303/82211AL12A.html https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Systems-MIDI-Fuses/dp/B01LBJN64U There’s your source for replacement fuses. $10 is worth peace of mind to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waldguy Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 Illustration for putting vehicle in neutral is on pg 7-28 (2015 manual). Glad you got it fixed. As you say, hopefully it was a glitch with the fuse, and not a recurring electrical problem. And welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capttris Posted December 23, 2018 Share Posted December 23, 2018 Where exactly is that fuse located? I think you did a good job, and honestly, what you described for troubleshooting is exactly what I would have done! I wonder if my 2013 Legacy has the same fuse... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwvu Posted December 23, 2018 Author Share Posted December 23, 2018 Fuse is located in under hood fuse box. About a foot a way from the battery. From my research it is 2015+ Subaru’s. Well at least legacy outback. But probably all models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 There were main fuses in Subies as far back as '82, so most of them will have one in one design or another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwvu Posted December 24, 2018 Author Share Posted December 24, 2018 Most vehicles have a main or mega fuse at some location or another. What makes this one different is it wasn’t available anywhere locally. Parts stores done carry and Subaru dealers around me (5 of them near Pittsburgh and Morgantown wv) didn’t have them in stock. That’s most of the reason why I posted this info. I recommend ordering one for a spare. It may save you from being stranded. I suppose I could have rigged something up with a circuit breaker temporarily. But to me it wasn’t worth risking frying something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted December 24, 2018 Share Posted December 24, 2018 I have seen the same fuse model on Volvo trucks, so it's not that unusual. Also check with NAPA and Autozone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwvu Posted December 24, 2018 Author Share Posted December 24, 2018 I stated that I could not find locally anywhere. Specifically oreilleys advance autozone NAPA Ford Toyota Honda and Hyundai dealers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 Also check heavy truck dealers like Kenworth, Volvo etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jdog81 Posted December 25, 2018 Share Posted December 25, 2018 Sounds like a attempted jump start backwards to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwvu Posted December 26, 2018 Author Share Posted December 26, 2018 Definitely not. Problem persisted before jump start attempted. I believe it was random part failure Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painless Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 I did some poking around, grabbed a few pics, and put it into a pdf for easy sharing. Thanks for the good info Rockwvu. Can you confirm that I'm referencing the correct fuse you are speaking of?Main Fuse.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PATS4LIFE Posted December 29, 2018 Share Posted December 29, 2018 I did some poking around, grabbed a few pics, and put it into a pdf for easy sharing. Thanks for the good info Rockwvu. Can you confirm that I'm referencing the correct fuse you are speaking of? That’s exactly the fuse that OP is talking about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockwvu Posted December 30, 2018 Author Share Posted December 30, 2018 That’s it. Excellent job with the .pdf. So far it’s been about a week or so and no problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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