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How to Install Steering Wheel Radio Controls


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I see the illumiation vs control on the wireing diagram..

 

Your write up plus the diagram really puts it into perspective.

 

My dealership SWORE that they can see no difference in the wiring harness between legacy mt vs at ... If this means from radio to srt4 or some other harness... that i do not know.

 

My parts should be in my possession shortly.. so I can trace those wires properly. I did find some resistence values for the shift controls, so i can test if I have the 'right' wire..

 

I would love it if when I pull everything out, if I see 2 (or 4) wires simply hanging there from the radio, and 2 wires connected off to the shifter area, as the wire diagram shows that the steering wheel shift controls also connect to that area..

 

I hope to have pics soon of a 5AT, but I hesitate to take anything apart until I have parts in hand, and I actually need to drive this car M-F ;)

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Don't tempt me. Others are much farther ahead and we might as well let them continue. Illumination is no big deal as you will quickly get used to what button does what.

 

I need to study the wiring diagrams more. It doesn't make any sense that each model (auto, manual, auto climate, etc) would have a different wiring harness in the steering column...too many variables when you build them. My problem is too many other things demanding my attention...happens as you get older.:icon_bigg

Tempt? No...

 

Get me the parts and I'll have this done in your car in close to an hour. I got the wire, I got the tools, and I have the practice.

 

Downright easy I tell ya!

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How were the pants afterwards? :icon_bigg

Just fine. When I blew my illumination fuse and wasn't sure if I shorted anything else ... THEN I was a little nervous for a bit. Got the fuse in an all was happy again.

 

If the monkey at Home Depot had given me the right gauge wire, wouldn't have ever been a problem!

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That is exactly what I wrote last night BUT in Trabbics notes;...In a MT and 4EAT, 2, 6, 7, 8, are not used there are no wires running off of B68. This step that trabbic wrote is not true for 06's, or at least mine anyway...I have an 06 4EAT and my car is wired at B68 for the shifter controls...The only pin in B68 on my car that is missing a wire is pin6.

 

You can buy a blank female pin connector, crimp a wire on it and snap it into slot #6 of B68 run that wire to the orange/white at the stereo, then splice the wire at pin #7 into the violet/white wire at the stereo, then just cut the shift wires and you have yourself stereo controls at the steering wheel...takes about 40 mins....

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You do have to buy the steering wheel of course for $300.00 bucks....which to me is the hardest part....but well worth it....I still can't beleive Subaru for not getting on board with this and making steering wheel audio controls standard equipment. GET OUTTA THE 80'S SOA
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That is exactly what I wrote last night BUT in Trabbics notes;...In a MT and 4EAT, 2, 6, 7, 8, are not used there are no wires running off of B68. This step that trabbic wrote is not true for 06's, or at least mine anyway...I have an 06 4EAT and my car is wired at B68 for the shifter controls...The only pin in B68 on my car that is missing a wire is pin6.

 

 

Interesting! Looks like all automatics use the same wiring harness. This is potential good news for those with 2.5i who want shifter controls...

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Yes I agree.....I beleive that is correct....2.5i autos can just plug a shifter control steering wheel in and thats it. From the schematic the wires just tap into the the consoul gear shifter anyway.

I found the Ilumination diagram (Illumi01) on ALLDATA today and that just jumps off the gear selector lights.

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The dealer i spoke to says this part just returns "Satillite controls" and no other info, and the 2 button shifter control is the picture shown. Bad info or generic picutre used ?

 

One interesting tidbit: For AT cars that remove the shift controls from the steering wheel... your car will throw a CEL. it will throw a code related to the transmision.

 

This sort of makes sense since according to the wiring diagram, the steering wheel controls are wired in series to the gear shifter.. allowing the shift up. down functionality. I was told to avoid doing this mod at all costs!

 

It seems to me that you simply need to just wire together the gear shift to the outgoing transmission wire, just like there was no control there in the first place, and that should solve the problem nicely.

 

The dealer I spoke too is not too mod friendly, so I won't get too much help on this from him...

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The dealer i spoke to says this part just returns "Satillite controls" and no other info, and the 2 button shifter control is the picture shown. Bad info or generic picutre used ?

 

One interesting tidbit: For AT cars that remove the shift controls from the steering wheel... your car will throw a CEL. it will throw a code related to the transmision.

 

This sort of makes sense since according to the wiring diagram, the steering wheel controls are wired in series to the gear shifter.. allowing the shift up. down functionality. I was told to avoid doing this mod at all costs!

 

It seems to me that you simply need to just wire together the gear shift to the outgoing transmission wire, just like there was no control there in the first place, and that should solve the problem nicely.

 

The dealer I spoke too is not too mod friendly, so I won't get too much help on this from him...

 

Interesting...

 

Keep us informed on what you find.

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I bought part # 83153AG000 from subarugenuineparts.com a while back and I did receive the radio controls.

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

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:lol:

 

I see the challenges surrounding the 5EAT cars grows ...

 

Mark ... Seriously ... This project went from 1 hour to maybe 90 minutes or 2 hours. Mark, get the buttons!

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Jeez Brady...I still have a warranty and am waiting for the stuttering, the HVAC and radio gremlins, and all the other stuff that is supposed to happen, and you want me to f*** with this glitchy electrical system? Just what I need, a perpetual glowing CEL. Sorry, but I am waiting for the final chapter of this story. I have had to reach to the dash to adjust the volume for the past 33 years...I think I can last a few more months.
It is still ugly.
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Jeez Brady...I still have a warranty and am waiting for the stuttering, the HVAC and radio gremlins, and all the other stuff that is supposed to happen, and you want me to f*** with this glitchy electrical system? Just what I need, a perpetual glowing CEL. Sorry, but I am waiting for the final chapter of this story. I have had to reach to the dash to adjust the volume for the past 33 years...I think I can last a few more months.

Quit being a pansy about it! :p

 

Actually, I see a very simple solution to this.

 

You have to cut and splice wires anyway, so the easy solution is to simply splice the control pod back into the wiring and mount the pods behind the dash where they would technically still be functional, but you just won't be able to get at them.

 

Piece of cake. :cool:

 

You know you want to. (Ok, so you know that *I* want to...)

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:munch:

It's nice to see than my friends aren't the only ones like this :D

I know I will be ordering them and installing them. Hopefully I will get to it between trips for work. BTW, since I just bought my LGT, what stuff is supposed to happen to my car?

________

Uggs

Edited by mcsquish
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Ha! Just installed the Spec B wheel tonight. Wasn't hard but bit more tedious than expected. Used the solid core wire as per instructions. The only weak part of the install is "shoving" the wires into the plug on the steering column. These would not stay put! What I did I disconneted the plug, put the wires thru the holes, bent them, so they stay in place to form missing "female" connectors in the plug. After several attempts seems to work, although I am afraid vibratoins or potholes may disconnect them. I saw Pep Boys has variety of connectors, it's possible something would fit inside the plug. That would make the install "perfect".

 

On the stereo side everything is secure - I used tap-in wire connectors from Radio Shack.

 

Well, BIG THANKS for the walk-thru. Fantastic contribution!

 

:woowoo:

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The only weak part of the install is "shoving" the wires into the plug on the steering column. These would not stay put! What I did I disconneted the plug, put the wires thru the holes, bent them, so they stay in place to form missing "female" connectors in the plug. After several attempts seems to work, although I am afraid vibratoins or potholes may disconnect them.

I had the same problem at first and pretty much solved the problem the same way. It's been solid ever since. I actually had a loose connection on the back of the stereo. I've just secured everything with electrical tape and that has solved all issues. As Leo said, hot glue would work too. I'd use either one and I think you'll be fine.

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Well, I just found out that my new controls are backordered. Now I'm kind of glad I'm in Chicago. This way I'm not at home and waiting to install them.

 

Let me know if you need help, after all we are neighbors! If you wanted to come over and do the install here, we could probably knock it out in about 1/2 hour.

 

-Chris

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The buttons showed up today and they are the correct ones. Now all I have to do is find time to install them. I'm planning to take photos and notes for thoes with AT's. I'll post when I get them installed. Boy I would hate to get "sick" this week, 'cough' 'cough' :icon_bigg

________

The Vapor Genie Vaporizer

Edited by mcsquish
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