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Power Door Lock/Window Failure


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I have a 96 Legacy and the power windows/locks quit working. I checked the fuse and that was not blown. Is there another circuit for the windows. My book says nothing about a fuse/relay etc for the power windows. I have read that newer subarus have another fuse located under the hood with the relays and other fuses that control the windows and also controls the circuit/fuse box for the power locks. Any ideas/help. Thanks
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No, nothing works at any door. I was able to get a look at a wiring diagram but I think it is in correct. I will have to look at my car more closely. The diagram shows a power lock delay timer. I am not aware of this. I have to see if I can find it. I checked the fuse and there is no power where the fuse goes. So, I know the problem is before the fuse panel. I will need to trace the wiring and see where it comes from. The diagram also says there is a fuse for the power windows. I can't find that either. It says it is under the hood in the fuse/breaker box but the spot doesn't exist. This is from Mitchell and I find it odd that the diagram would be incorrect. The one thing that does come to mind is a mid year change. I will be looking at the 95 model year diagram and see if it different. Now remember, with the 96 model, the door locks operate with the lever next to the door handle. There is not a power door lock switch like in the 97 and later years. Let me know if you have any ideas, anyone. I will keep this posted as I check it out. Maybe it will help others.
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I think you missed my problem. Read my reply. I see where what happened to you could be a problem, but that isn't what I am looking for. Don't take it personally, I am not ripping on you or anything like that. Thanks anyway. :) By the way, nice car!
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Just one thing to check first - I did take a look at the schematics and what I thought it looked like was that every button in the door goes to ground, so if there is no ground for some reason everything fails.

 

So that's probably the first thing to check - do I have ground.

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I don't think the ground is the reason. If that is possibly the case, then why don't the power locks work either. Both of these went at the same time. If I remember correctly, the grounds are in different locations for the window and locks so they are separate. After spending some time looking a the wiring diagram, there is a 30 amp fuse located in the power distribution box under the hood next to the washer tank. It is fuse SPF 1. I will check it today. The owners manual says nothing about these even though they are there. I guess Subaru wants the customer to take it in and not have us mess with those fuses. The SPF 1 fuse controls the circuit for the power windows and it controls the circuit for the power locks. That leads directly to the fuse panel underneath the dash for the power locks. That would very likely be the reason why they both quit working. I believe the problem lies within that circuit, whether it be a bad contact, broken wire or corrosion. I will have to start with the SPF 1 fuse and trace from there. I will keep you posted from that.
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SPF 1 Fuse is blown. I will replace it and post the results. It could always be something more involved with the wiring or a 1 time deal and it tripped. Will post the results later. It surprises me that no one on this forum pointed towards that direction. Maybe this will help others and give them a starting point. All the responses were appreciated. Thanks.
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To QUOTE the 2nd response:the windows and locks failing at the same time is a bit odd , sure sounds like a fuse or a loose electrical connection at the drivers door switch, do the windows work from the individual door switches ?

Read my reply after this response.

 

The quote was "kind of " leading in the right direction but not specific. From what I read on the forums, SPF Fuse #1 isn't mentioned or suggested.

 

The fuse in the fuse panel under the driver side dash was fine. If you read, the responses keep pointing to a grounding problem. But no one says anything about the main fuse in the power distribution box under the hood. --SPF 1 Fuse. There was 0 voltage at fuse #11- Power Door Lock Circuit. That is what lead me to believe the problem was before the fuse box, not a grounding issue. After spending an 1/2 hour looking at different wiring diagrams, I was able to find the circuit and follow it backwards. It lead to the main box under the hood and to SPF Fuse #1.

Today, I removed SPF #1 Fuse and it was blown. Now I need to replace it and see what happens. If it blows again, then I need to trace wiring for a short. Grounding issues will not cause the #11 Fuse in the fuse panel to show 0 voltage. My 2nd post states that says that there was 0 voltage at the fuse panel #11. From some of the forums I looked at, I can see that switches and grounding issues do arise and cause problems. I will be picking up a new fuse tomorrow and will post the results.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

I was/am currently having this same problem. I shuffled around the relays like three card monty style and the locks started working. The windows I fixed by patching a wire in to the master switch and it powers all the others. Then I couldnt start the car for some reason. Im still working on the starting but the windows and locks work now. In trying to fix the no start I undid all the first work and have determined through days of testing and reading that what I did there has nothing to do with the ECU problem... :)

Mine is a 94 legacy wagon though with the 2.2. so SPF isnt in control of the windows and I never had a blown fuse. heh heh

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  • 1 year later...
I have a 96 legacy and tonight i pushed the power window button down and it kept going down so i pushed it again and now the windows and locks are shot ,no power to either , i checked all the fuses in fuse box and under the hood in the main box except the black relay things but nothing was blown, i am stuck with window down in mid-winter with kids to drive to school , please help.
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In the main distribution box under the hood(left side by washer bottle) there is a GREEN fuse. This doesn't look like you typical ordinary fuse. It is about 1/2 square and 1 inch long. I think it was labled SBF#1. Look on the underside of the power distribution box lid and it should have a label to tell you what each is. Look for the SBF#1 id. I was not able to locate a replacement online and had to order from dealer ($6/each) I think there were a few of these fuses(different colors) in that box for different circuits. Look in your owners manual to see which one it is. It is kind of hard to tell if they are blown sometimes. I had to really look at mine and I verified it with a DVOM.
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possibility

 

For some reason my fuse box is the reverse of std diagrams.

fuses 1-7 are actually fuses 15-21 and no they are not upside down, for the sequence is correct.

ie my #3 for radio is actually controlled by #17!

therefore try the opposite bank. Who knows?

 

O.

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Thanks for the reply's. I checked the green fuses and they are both good. I also checked for voltage coming into the fuses and that was also good, i took a battery and used wires to manually control motor to get my window up. I plan to take to dealership, for anyone else that may have this problem, there is also a power window circuit breaker under the steering wheel behind the panel. If there are other fuses,circuit breakers and or relays for the powerwindow/doorlock system please post. they seem to tie in together somewhere, because they both went out same time.
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  • 3 years later...
Have a similar issue! 92 A/T subaru legacy here. All at once, the power windows, door locks, rpm guage, moon roof, seat belt motors, and vent controls went out. Fuse spot number 15 under the dash keeps blowing upon startup. Could this be a bad ecu? So many things at once...
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