hadvw Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 Has anyone attempted to do this mod in a 5EAT yet? I am still a little on the fence until I hear a success story with an Auto. I know I am going to Eff it up somehow. And I consider myself pretty handy. For me, the question is: what to do about the shifting buttons.. I really don't want to live without 'em (I use them everyday!) HV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trabbic Posted February 17, 2006 Author Share Posted February 17, 2006 Great write-up Trabbic! Wondering if the seek controls on the Spec B / Bean wheel seek all stations or just presets? I recently drove a Tribeca (ugh!) and that wheel only searched thru all stations. Would like to do this mod if presets are the ones searched. If thats not the case, is it possible to change or reset which stations are searched? Thanks! Thanks, Sorry the controls only control the seek of stations, not presets. They also switch tracks when in CD mode. My vB Garage How to Install Steering Wheel Radio Controls Cubby Gauge Mounting Solutions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc51373 Posted February 17, 2006 Share Posted February 17, 2006 5EAT anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MangoGT Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 5EAT....someone? Please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc51373 Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 5EAT....someone? Please? Yeah I am with you...Anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trabbic Posted March 1, 2006 Author Share Posted March 1, 2006 5EAT....someone? Please? Come on you guys, you can do this!! It's not that hard, I will even work with you to determine what wires to cut. In fact that is the only difference, you have to cut two wires instead of jamming them into the plug. I have confidence in you, even though you drive an automatic ... My vB Garage How to Install Steering Wheel Radio Controls Cubby Gauge Mounting Solutions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MangoGT Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 I have confidence in you, even though you drive an automatic ... Ouch...haha...that was rough. I have a note from Subaru of America excusing me from such activities. Actually, I don't want to modify anything until Subaru figures out why my fuel mileage is so terrible. (Other than cold weather--because we know that's so bad for the turbo. I need to get an interheater) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc51373 Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 I think I am going to do it...I will be the test subject for the 5EAT. I am in the midst of putting together my new home video system, so that has me distracted. But once I am done with it I will move on to this. Most likely when the weather turns warmer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trabbic Posted March 1, 2006 Author Share Posted March 1, 2006 jc51373, good for you , let me know if you want help over the phone and I will PM you it. Also before you do it let me know, and I will look up the exact wires to cut and let you know before you get into it. PS, what kind of equipment are you going with for your home theatre? I am a big fan of Paradigm speakers, myself... My vB Garage How to Install Steering Wheel Radio Controls Cubby Gauge Mounting Solutions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jc51373 Posted March 1, 2006 Share Posted March 1, 2006 Ok, good idea on the wires, because quite honestly that was the big question mark for me. What wires and how/where to connect them. I am not worried out anything else really besides that and what to do with the shifter wires once I unplug or cut. For the home theater I just built I went with all Pioneer Elite components, including the Plasma TV. The speakers I bought are called Monitor Audio?? Hadn't really heard of them before a couple of weeks ago, but they came in a nice little setup that looked great with the TV. This is my second system, my upstaris system is where my good speakers are, B&W Nautilus 804s on a Krell AMP. But I like Paradigm too, if you pair them with the right amp they can kick some a**. When I get ready on this I will let you know. I gotta get it done, I can't stand the thought that this is possible and I haven't done it yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 I had my first weird issue with the controls tonight. I picked up the car from the dealer after it sitting there for a week while they fixed the radiator fan issue. Jumped in and turned up the volume with the controls. About 5 miles later down the road, volume wouldn't go up, and mute didn't work, but every other button did. So it wasn't a loose wire issue. Turned the radio off and back on, and the volume up started working, but not the mute button. Turned the car off and back on, no change. Finally, honking the horn made everything work again. No further issues since. A little strange. BTW ... I still absolutely LOVE my steering wheel controls! Took me about a week to get used to them, but now I can't imagine NOT having them. Thanks to Trabbic for figuring this one out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MangoGT Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 I'm almost slightly kind of maybe thinking about attempting this with my 5EAT. What would be the initial cost and how much damage could I potentially do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 If you snip the right wires, very little damage to be done. I really don't see the possibility of retaining both shifting and volume buttons though as some people have considered. Not without some additional fancy circuitry at least. If you use the shifter buttons much though, I don't think this is likely to work well. As for cost, I think retail on the button pods is like $80-90 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix96 Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 I'm almost slightly kind of maybe thinking about attempting this with my 5EAT. What would be the initial cost and how much damage could I potentially do? The part (just the controls themselves) costs $82.26 from SubaruGenuineParts. I've got an extra set with some slight scuffing on one side that I'll probably be trying to sell sometime soon. phoenix96 2006 Legacy GT Ltd · 2011 Outback 3.6R Ltd · 1992 SVX 2006 Outback 3.0R VDC · 2009 Forester 2.5X 2002 Outback VDC · 1996 Outback 2.5L · 1986 GL-10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trabbic Posted March 29, 2006 Author Share Posted March 29, 2006 I had my first weird issue with the controls tonight. I picked up the car from the dealer after it sitting there for a week while they fixed the radiator fan issue. Jumped in and turned up the volume with the controls. About 5 miles later down the road, volume wouldn't go up, and mute didn't work, but every other button did. So it wasn't a loose wire issue. Turned the radio off and back on, and the volume up started working, but not the mute button. Turned the car off and back on, no change. Finally, honking the horn made everything work again. No further issues since. A little strange. BTW ... I still absolutely LOVE my steering wheel controls! Took me about a week to get used to them, but now I can't imagine NOT having them. Thanks to Trabbic for figuring this one out. Actually this is caused by a loose connection, actually wires just BARELY touching. The resistance is higher at the mute, then volume, so if you have a loose connection (but still touching) what will happen is you will lose mute, then volume, then seek, and last mode, as the connection loosens. This happened to me, and caused me to change the directions to make the connection more secure on the radio side. you may never have trouble again, and I wouldn't worry about it if it works fine for several days in a row. I know what you mean, about not having them, I still don't know why they don't offer this as an option... My vB Garage How to Install Steering Wheel Radio Controls Cubby Gauge Mounting Solutions Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadvw Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 If you snip the right wires, very little damage to be done. I really don't see the possibility of retaining both shifting and volume buttons though as some people have considered. Not without some additional fancy circuitry at least. If you use the shifter buttons much though, I don't think this is likely to work well. As for cost, I think retail on the button pods is like $80-90 Yeah, I'm 5EAT, and shift a LOT (helps for traffic to be in a given gear!). But, my shifting is about 98% right button. I could lose the left button, and hook that one up to the stereo.. I think if I got just the "mode" button installed on the left-side, that would already be pretty good.. (or are they uni-sided?) Which is the "left-side" button? HV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted March 29, 2006 Share Posted March 29, 2006 Actually this is caused by a loose connection, actually wires just BARELY touching. The resistance is higher at the mute, then volume, so if you have a loose connection (but still touching) what will happen is you will lose mute, then volume, then seek, and last mode, as the connection loosens. This happened to me, and caused me to change the directions to make the connection more secure on the radio side. you may never have trouble again, and I wouldn't worry about it if it works fine for several days in a row. I know what you mean, about not having them, I still don't know why they don't offer this as an option... How do you explain honking the horn and then having everything work. It was literally immediately after honking the horn that it began working. I think I tapped the airbag cover shortly before they stopped working. If it happens again, I might be more likely to pull the airbag first and check for loose connections on the wheel itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hadvw Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 How do you explain honking the horn and then having everything work. It was literally immediately after honking the horn that it began working. I think I tapped the airbag cover shortly before they stopped working. If it happens again, I might be more likely to pull the airbag first and check for loose connections on the wheel itself. Maybe honking the horn caused the wires to shift a little? HV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted March 30, 2006 Share Posted March 30, 2006 If it was a wire in the wheel that might be loose, the horn might have done it. If it's a wire between the radio and the harness, the horn should have no effect since the horn and the controls both run through roll connectors. I think it might have been a wire in the wheel itself. Which is odd, but who knows. I've disassembled the car enough to know what I have to do if it ever happens again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dv8ingvector Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 Don’t know how I missed this one nice work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 I had the volume up and mute buttons go out again today. Horn fixed it again. I'm somewhat hoping it's a wire in the wheel, because it would be preferable to tearing the car apart again. Any further thoughts on the matter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix96 Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Maybe the black wire connecting to the horn is coming loose, and pressing the horn in moves it enough to reestablish contact? If so it should be an easy fix. I haven't had similar issues with mine, but then I haven't put many miles on it. phoenix96 2006 Legacy GT Ltd · 2011 Outback 3.6R Ltd · 1992 SVX 2006 Outback 3.0R VDC · 2009 Forester 2.5X 2002 Outback VDC · 1996 Outback 2.5L · 1986 GL-10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted April 6, 2006 Share Posted April 6, 2006 Black wire on the horn? I guess I'll have to check it out. I can't quite figure out why the horn would be affecting it, but it leads me to believe (I hope) that whatever it is that's loose is in the wheel. I'm hoping that I just need to remove the airbag again and check connections. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brady Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 Well, I finally got around to checking this out tonight. I have no idea if I fixed anything, but we'll see over the next couple days. It was getting pretty bad, happening frequently, but oddly, the horn trick NEVER failed. Pulled the airbag cover off again today and the wire bundle for the controls was sharply bent and pressing against the back of the airbags. Possibly a kink in the wiring was causing it. I re-set the wires so they wouldn't be pinched and had a better arc and tested everything. Seemed to be working fine so far, so I'll keep driving and hope that it took care of the problem. If the problem persists, I'll check the wiring more carefully where it was pinched. I didn't want to pull any of the sheathing yet though. I'll try to remember to update. Brady Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PGT Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 I installed the wheel, but didn't fool with the wiring. My wire was color-coded differently, so I didn't feel like trying to make it work by matching up different colors that wouldn't correspond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now