Thank you so much for posting this! I had like 7 broken. I was wondering why my rear wiper wasn't going home automatically. The ground was one of the ones broken. you are the MAN!
Thank you!! After a full day working on the tailgate lock this video showed exactly where the problem was, five broken wires in the top right hand corner of the hinge. I cut off the concertina rubber boot, put heat shrink over each broken wire, soldered the wires together, slid down the heat shrink and heated it. The boot went back and insulation tape held the cut closed. Works fantastic. If it goes wrong again I will have to do what the video shows and replace all the wires.
I did not replace any wires, simply soldered the two ends together. Later I found the left hand side was giving problems, my radio had not been working for years and I was able to fix it. All working still. However these wires are not at all flexible and it is a very bad design, they should have over 100 very fine strands. If I get more problems I shall get some silicon rubber multi-strand wire and replace a few problem wires. @@jayescreations489
No. I put heat shrink over the break and soldered the two ends together before putting the heatshrink over the joint and heating it. If it goes wrong again I will cut out a short section of wire and solder in a new piece of extra flexible silicon insulated wire about two inches long. This wire will have over 100 very tiny fine strands and should last a long time. This replacement will all be just one colour, you can easily trace the colour over the short repair. @@jayescreations489
@@sooori89 Hi, you do not waste much wire at all. You only need about 5mm of overlap to join the broken lead together. Alternatively you could use a couple of inches of silicon coated ultra flexible wire that has very fine conductors, ie. about 100+. Use this to add a little length.
Great video! Sped the process up considerably on my 2008 XT with only 46k miles. At the moment, only one wire (blue with a white stripe) was broken all the way through - the wiper rest control. Many others are damaged/ cracked through. I soldered in an extension wire and wrapped the harness with electrical tape for now. When I have more time, I will replace all of the wires with silicone coated wire with additional length (should be more resistant to constant bending), and then wrap the bundle with whatever does not degrade quickly - sometimes electrical tape also gets brittle. I don't believe I will need the coding with the original harness as I can reference the ends. One wire source - Daburn: "Daflex ultra flexible high strand 200°C silicone rubber wire series uses a high strand count of fine silver plated copper for increased conductor flexibility. It is insulated with flexible extruded silicone rubber. It is designed for high temperature applications and also retains its flexibility at low temperatures. It is also designed for continuous flexing applications. Suitable for military and commercial applications where flexibility and long service life are important. Silicone rubber offers superior electrical properties under severe service and environmental conditions. "
Very helpful video! I first learned of my 2008 Outback's issues when the rear hatch lock stopped working. When I opened up the passenger side grommet I discovered 6 broken wires so I decided to splice new segments for all 14 wires. I didn't bother with solder, but relied on butt connectors and heatshrink. It took me about 2 hours.
Great video, well explained and professionally done, no long boring footage, but complete from start to finish! (BTW - what is the switch on the fuse cover for??)
Is the receiver for the key fob in the rear of the car as well? Our radio stations have diminished greatly and the 3 remotes we have won't work either for unlocking/locking of any door (and yes... I checked the remote batteries😉). Our daily-used remote was working intermittently, and then just stopped working all together. And our 2 spares won't work either... even though they were working perfectly before storing them in a drawer. It's very strange.🙄
Thank you so much for this vid! Very much appreciated. My 09 Outback license plate light wiring went bad so i still be doing exactly what you showed. Do you know what wire size the 09 Outback uses in these two harnesses ?
Watched your great video on subaru tailgate wiring harness. We took a tailgate from 99 Legacy Outback to replace one from 98 Legacy Brighton and connected all the wires...had two extras from the Outback that didn't appear in the Brighton, and left those isolated and stray. None of the lights on the tail gate worked after we got the new tailgate installed (we used the wiring harness that was already inside the new tailgate). Any thoughts? Thanks!Dave in Boise IDaho
Thank You, Driver's Side rear wire harness not one wire but two wires broken .... spliced in 2 wires and applied heat shrink! It seems to be coming in better reception! Now, I need to drive the car and check for other stations!
Great video, man. How many total wires are there on the passenger side? I plan on basically making a patch harness like this but with a multi-pin connector on both sides.
Why did this not happen on my 1986, 1991 and 1992 Subaru wagons?!? How do you suddenly mess this up after making cars for 60 years, I've fixed and replaced them on my '08 several times, ugh.
Wow! Exactly what I need to learn cause I am running into the same problem; the shop was going the charge a bundle and replace the LED brake light (which is still working fine) on the hatch. Thanks very much! Thumbs up all the way!
Awesome, Glad we could help. Like I said it's a common problem. Why would they replace the third brake light if its still working.. makes no sense. Either way at least you know when the problem is and can point them in the right direction or fix it yourself. Don't forget to give the video a thumbs up/ like if you haven't already. Makes it easier for other people to find it. Thanks
Thank you for making this video! I just purchased a brand new harness and going to swap it out with the old one. Also going to save the old harness as a donor in case of future problems. Will update when fixed. Edit: I fixed it and I hate wiring work lol. At least I have a donor for the future now and splicing is so much faster.
Hi there is a square rubber piece attached to the bottom of the grommet which holds it relatively tightly to the body, did you you cut that part out? Great well made video!!!
Do you start by disconnecting the battery, prior to handling the wiring?Well made, straightforward video with clean audio and great pictures. Very helpful thanks!
I didn't but it wouldn't hurt too. I don't think there is a full time power circuit going back there but I could be wrong. As you have to turn on/ engage the brake lights, tail lights, reverse lights, rear wiper, defroster ect. Good question. Thanks for watching and taking the time to ask and you're welcome. Don't forget to give the video a thumbs up/ like if you haven't already. Thanks
If I were to guess I would say there 14g for that one and the others were 16g. They do sell a replacement harness. amzn.to/4gKsR6T It's kinda pricey and more work to replace as you need to remove more panels off the inside
I spliced the hatch wires on the driver side of my ‘05 Outback. Passenger side looks good. However, the back up” fuse in the engine compartment blows when inserting. My radio, clock, and map light are out. Any ideas?
my wiper and defrost stopped working first. then my lock quit working. thanks for information. I haven't checked wires yet. I have all the tools but have little experience in butt connections. Im sure I have the crimper somewhere.
Awesome, Glad you found our video and it was helpful. Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave us a comment. Don't forget to give the video a thumbs up/ like if you haven't already. Thanks
@@TheDIYGuyDOTnet in repairing these wires, I am unsure which color wire controls what in this harness? Would it be possible to have this explained? Ive looked elsewhere at diagrams but not much luck for someone who doesn't know much about the wiring in cars. I am learning as I go along. I now know the purple wire controls the plate lights, but what do the rest control on the passenger side? Please, Knowing this would be excellent! Thank you. Planning to fix it using your suggestions and recommendations.
Fantastic job on this video! Clear and well explained! Rear windshield wiper stops half way went it is turned off. And now back up lights are not working. I am certain this will be the remedy for it. BTW, what is that HARNESS you referred to in the video? 2005 OB 3.0 Thx
What an amazing video I have two Subarus and I have spent many hours trying to fix these problems now I can do it permanently thanks to you thank you so much👍🇬🇧
Hey I just did this on my 2008 outback 2.5i limited and there was two sizes of wires on the passenger side (I only replaced that side of wires) they were 16 gauge and 18 gauge wires
on the driver's side defogger, I broke the tab off (trying to remove the wire from the harness). anyone tried to fix the defogger tab here? looks a bit different than most cars because of this coil around it. that coil looks to be an RF choke, but I am unsure.
If anyone's still wondering about gauge, I just did this on my Impreza hatchback and replaced 14, 16, and 18 gauge wire in the right lift gate harness.
@@berrypi8865 just to clarify, are you saying that there were three different gauge wires within that one harness? How important is it to match gauge exactly? If I'm only splicing in small pieces (3-5") replacing all (10-12?) sections of wire, would it be OK to use the largest gauge (14) for all the wires to get adequate current through all of the wires?
@@Jeffstorm78 Hey, yeah there were three different gauges in the rear passenger-side harness. It's not essential to match gauges exactly - I did because I was curious - it involved measuring diameter of each copper strand with callipers to find x-sectional area, conversions, etc. (if you're interested: powerwerx.com/help/wire-gauge-awg-reference-table ). Because higher gauge means thinner wire - which increases resistance - you never want to go up a gauge (thinner), so 14 should work fine. I only repaired approx. half of the wires, but based on what I could see 14 AWG was the thickest.
I have a 2005 Subaru Legacy Outback. I have lost the radio, clock, interior lights, key fob. I have fixed the wires in the back hatch, I have checked all the fuses and I am at a loss as to where to look now. Would appreciate any help
If you really want this repair to last "forever", silicone sleeved tinsel wire* (pretty heavy stuff for the larger gauge replacements) works well. However, this will not fit in the existing "grommet". OTOH, if you don't care about looking "factory" and a "Borg-like" appearance works for you, split-loom tubing drooping slightly into the cargo area will work fine. It usually comes in rolls of at least 10 ft.: If it ever cracks, replacing it is easy. *As used in high power subwoofers, esp. car audio subwoofers. If you play your sub hard at 40 Hz for just an hour, that's 144,000 "flexings" right there. Notably, I had several broken wires on the passenger side and none on the driver side - the greater "play" on the driver side seems to distribute the flexing better in the OEM setup.
Yes, eventually I would image it will happen again but the car is 13 years old and has 245,xxx so it took that long for the OEM wires to get that fatigued and break. So with replacing them all hopefully it will last that long again or close to it. Its kinda of a design flaw on how close the wires are and how they get folded over when its closed. They changed the design on the 2010 and up. I'm not sure a sleeve would make a difference as it not rubbing on anything its more that there folded over in the same spot pretty far time and time again. Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave us a comment. If you enjoyed watching the video or it was helpful don't forget to give the video a thumbs up/ like if you haven't already. Thanks
@@TheDIYGuyDOTnet oh wow it took that long to fatigue. Makes sense then, and yeah a sleeve seems like it won't help. Thanks for answering my question and making the video 👌🏻
@@Noclpro28 Ya on this outback anyway some in the 140-150K range but I guess it really depends how often the hatch/ tail gate is opened and closed. No problem.
I just got done with this fix, good news and bad news, the good news is I fixed the problem that I was trying to fix which was the back gate not locking. The bad news is I created two more problems somehow, my rear windshield wiper and my reverse lights no longer work. So weird I checked all of the connections and all are matched up correctly. Anyone know why this is?
I’m kinda in the same boat. I fixed some wires to get my reverse lights to work. When I hooked everything back up the dash light shows that the rear door is open but it’s not. It won’t lock now too. So frustrating
Btw... That air freshener hanging in the back emits poisonous fumes. Fragrances contain all kinds of unhealthy chemicals... including cancerous ones. It's not worth the risk just for the car to smell "nice".🙁
Thank you so much for posting this! I had like 7 broken. I was wondering why my rear wiper wasn't going home automatically. The ground was one of the ones broken. you are the MAN!
Mikem75...which wire is the ground wire? Remember the color? How did you figure out it was the ground?
Thank you!! After a full day working on the tailgate lock this video showed exactly where the problem was, five broken wires in the top right hand corner of the hinge. I cut off the concertina rubber boot, put heat shrink over each broken wire, soldered the wires together, slid down the heat shrink and heated it. The boot went back and insulation tape held the cut closed. Works fantastic. If it goes wrong again I will have to do what the video shows and replace all the wires.
were you able to find the correct colors for replacement?
I did not replace any wires, simply soldered the two ends together. Later I found the left hand side was giving problems, my radio had not been working for years and I was able to fix it. All working still. However these wires are not at all flexible and it is a very bad design, they should have over 100 very fine strands. If I get more problems I shall get some silicon rubber multi-strand wire and replace a few problem wires. @@jayescreations489
No. I put heat shrink over the break and soldered the two ends together before putting the heatshrink over the joint and heating it. If it goes wrong again I will cut out a short section of wire and solder in a new piece of extra flexible silicon insulated wire about two inches long. This wire will have over 100 very tiny fine strands and should last a long time. This replacement will all be just one colour, you can easily trace the colour over the short repair. @@jayescreations489
How did you have enough length of wore to resolder them together?
@@sooori89 Hi, you do not waste much wire at all. You only need about 5mm of overlap to join the broken lead together. Alternatively you could use a couple of inches of silicon coated ultra flexible wire that has very fine conductors, ie. about 100+. Use this to add a little length.
Great video! Sped the process up considerably on my 2008 XT with only 46k miles. At the moment, only one wire (blue with a white stripe) was broken all the way through - the wiper rest control. Many others are damaged/ cracked through. I soldered in an extension wire and wrapped the harness with electrical tape for now. When I have more time, I will replace all of the wires with silicone coated wire with additional length (should be more resistant to constant bending), and then wrap the bundle with whatever does not degrade quickly - sometimes electrical tape also gets brittle. I don't believe I will need the coding with the original harness as I can reference the ends. One wire source - Daburn: "Daflex ultra flexible high strand 200°C silicone rubber wire series uses a high strand count of fine silver plated copper for increased conductor flexibility. It is insulated with flexible extruded silicone rubber. It is designed for high temperature applications and also retains its flexibility at low temperatures. It is also designed for continuous flexing applications. Suitable for military and commercial applications where flexibility and long service life are important. Silicone rubber offers superior electrical properties under severe service and environmental conditions. "
Very good. No BS, straight to the point, great shots of the issue and repair. Getting the job done right. Thank you!
Very helpful video! I first learned of my 2008 Outback's issues when the rear hatch lock stopped working. When I opened up the passenger side grommet I discovered 6 broken wires so I decided to splice new segments for all 14 wires. I didn't bother with solder, but relied on butt connectors and heatshrink. It took me about 2 hours.
Thank you, I have been searching for the source of my problems and this is the video that fixed it all
Great video, well explained and professionally done, no long boring footage, but complete from start to finish! (BTW - what is the switch on the fuse cover for??)
Great thanks, my tailgate garnish was cracked and used your video to see how to remove it and put the replacement one on. Cheers
Is the receiver for the key fob in the rear of the car as well?
Our radio stations have diminished greatly and the 3 remotes we have won't work either for unlocking/locking of any door (and yes... I checked the remote batteries😉).
Our daily-used remote was working intermittently, and then just stopped working all together. And our 2 spares won't work either... even though they were working perfectly before storing them in a drawer.
It's very strange.🙄
Thank you so much for this vid! Very much appreciated. My 09 Outback license plate light wiring went bad so i still be doing exactly what you showed.
Do you know what wire size the 09 Outback uses in these two harnesses ?
Watched your great video on subaru tailgate wiring harness. We took a tailgate from 99 Legacy Outback to replace one from 98 Legacy Brighton and connected all the wires...had two extras from the Outback that didn't appear in the Brighton, and left those isolated and stray. None of the lights on the tail gate worked after we got the new tailgate installed (we used the wiring harness that was already inside the new tailgate). Any thoughts? Thanks!Dave in Boise IDaho
Thank You, Driver's Side rear wire harness not one wire but two wires broken .... spliced in 2 wires and applied heat shrink! It seems to be coming in better reception! Now, I need to drive the car and check for other stations!
Great video, man. How many total wires are there on the passenger side? I plan on basically making a patch harness like this but with a multi-pin connector on both sides.
Thanks for the video DIY Guy! Repaired my 2006 Outback XT. Everything is working again!!!
Where did you find those colored wire extensions ? Thank you!
Why did this not happen on my 1986, 1991 and 1992 Subaru wagons?!? How do you suddenly mess this up after making cars for 60 years, I've fixed and replaced them on my '08 several times, ugh.
Man! That is extremely helpful! I have the reverse light out and this will be a breeze now! Thank you!
You're welcome, Glad we could help. Good luck with the repair. Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave us a comment.
Wow! Exactly what I need to learn cause I am running into the same problem; the shop was going the charge a bundle and replace the LED brake light (which is still working fine) on the hatch. Thanks very much! Thumbs up all the way!
Awesome, Glad we could help. Like I said it's a common problem. Why would they replace the third brake light if its still working.. makes no sense. Either way at least you know when the problem is and can point them in the right direction or fix it yourself. Don't forget to give the video a thumbs up/ like if you haven't already. Makes it easier for other people to find it. Thanks
Thank you for making this video! I just purchased a brand new harness and going to swap it out with the old one. Also going to save the old harness as a donor in case of future problems. Will update when fixed.
Edit: I fixed it and I hate wiring work lol. At least I have a donor for the future now and splicing is so much faster.
source of new harness plz?
Hi there is a square rubber piece attached to the bottom of the grommet which holds it relatively tightly to the body, did you you cut that part out? Great well made video!!!
Do you start by disconnecting the battery, prior to handling the wiring?Well made, straightforward video with clean audio and great pictures. Very helpful thanks!
I didn't but it wouldn't hurt too. I don't think there is a full time power circuit going back there but I could be wrong. As you have to turn on/ engage the brake lights, tail lights, reverse lights, rear wiper, defroster ect. Good question. Thanks for watching and taking the time to ask and you're welcome. Don't forget to give the video a thumbs up/ like if you haven't already. Thanks
I JUST got this issue - any idea what gages of wire are used in the right side? The black looks pretty thick.
If I were to guess I would say there 14g for that one and the others were 16g. They do sell a replacement harness. amzn.to/4gKsR6T It's kinda pricey and more work to replace as you need to remove more panels off the inside
I spliced the hatch wires on the driver side of my ‘05 Outback. Passenger side looks good. However, the back up” fuse in the engine compartment blows when inserting. My radio, clock, and map light are out. Any ideas?
my wiper and defrost stopped working first. then my lock quit working. thanks for information. I haven't checked wires yet. I have all the tools but have little experience in butt connections. Im sure I have the crimper somewhere.
Any idea which wire is for the hatch lock? I repaired wires but my hatch still won’t lock or unlock
Great video. Straight to the point. Enabled me to sort my back hatch actuator. Cheers
Yes! This is exactly what I needed for my 08 outback!! Thank you!!
Awesome, Glad you found our video and it was helpful. Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave us a comment. Don't forget to give the video a thumbs up/ like if you haven't already. Thanks
@@TheDIYGuyDOTnet in repairing these wires, I am unsure which color wire controls what in this harness? Would it be possible to have this explained? Ive looked elsewhere at diagrams but not much luck for someone who doesn't know much about the wiring in cars. I am learning as I go along. I now know the purple wire controls the plate lights, but what do the rest control on the passenger side? Please, Knowing this would be excellent! Thank you. Planning to fix it using your suggestions and recommendations.
Fantastic job on this video! Clear and well explained! Rear windshield wiper stops half way went it is turned off. And now back up lights are not working. I am certain this will be the remedy for it. BTW, what is that HARNESS you referred to in the video? 2005 OB 3.0 Thx
What an amazing video I have two Subarus and I have spent many hours trying to fix these problems now I can do it permanently thanks to you thank you so much👍🇬🇧
This is amazing. Great FV! Hey do you have another set of those wires that I could buy from you? thanks
hey what gauge is the wire for the rear hatch? thanks
Hey I just did this on my 2008 outback 2.5i limited and there was two sizes of wires on the passenger side (I only replaced that side of wires) they were 16 gauge and 18 gauge wires
thanks for your reply on gauge of wire. @@slough234
i had to wire my rear cams through the right hatch grommet and now it leaks. what could i use to seal it but not permanent?
on the driver's side defogger, I broke the tab off (trying to remove the wire from the harness). anyone tried to fix the defogger tab here? looks a bit different than most cars because of this coil around it. that coil looks to be an RF choke, but I am unsure.
Was für ein Kabelsalat, ich würde das niemals schaffen,
Dankeschön für das klasse Video
Thank you very much for posting this video. It was exactly my problem and the broken wire was exactly where you said it would be thank. you so much
Thank you very much! I just bought an Outback and haves the same problem. Amazing video and very knowledgeable 🙏💪🏽
Can you tell me what gauge wire this is? thanks
Did you ever figure out the wire gauge? I'm currently trying to replace mine but have seen many different number stated
@@tomwalker5514 On the Subaru forum some one posted 14/ 16 gauge wire
If anyone's still wondering about gauge, I just did this on my Impreza hatchback and replaced 14, 16, and 18 gauge wire in the right lift gate harness.
@@berrypi8865 just to clarify, are you saying that there were three different gauge wires within that one harness? How important is it to match gauge exactly? If I'm only splicing in small pieces (3-5") replacing all (10-12?) sections of wire, would it be OK to use the largest gauge (14) for all the wires to get adequate current through all of the wires?
@@Jeffstorm78 Hey, yeah there were three different gauges in the rear passenger-side harness. It's not essential to match gauges exactly - I did because I was curious - it involved measuring diameter of each copper strand with callipers to find x-sectional area, conversions, etc. (if you're interested: powerwerx.com/help/wire-gauge-awg-reference-table ).
Because higher gauge means thinner wire - which increases resistance - you never want to go up a gauge (thinner), so 14 should work fine. I only repaired approx. half of the wires, but based on what I could see 14 AWG was the thickest.
I have a 2005 Subaru Legacy Outback. I have lost the radio, clock, interior lights, key fob. I have fixed the wires in the back hatch, I have checked all the fuses and I am at a loss as to where to look now. Would appreciate any help
Under the hood, it’s the backup light fuse. Should be #8. 20amp
The radio antenna cable is shielded, did you just twist them both together 😳
Thank you!!
I just checked. The same issue! Even my Bubaru is the same color 😂
I am so grateful for this video thanks a lot 🙏
If you really want this repair to last "forever", silicone sleeved tinsel wire* (pretty heavy stuff for the larger gauge replacements) works well. However, this will not fit in the existing "grommet". OTOH, if you don't care about looking "factory" and a "Borg-like" appearance works for you, split-loom tubing drooping slightly into the cargo area will work fine. It usually comes in rolls of at least 10 ft.: If it ever cracks, replacing it is easy.
*As used in high power subwoofers, esp. car audio subwoofers. If you play your sub hard at 40 Hz for just an hour, that's 144,000 "flexings" right there.
Notably, I had several broken wires on the passenger side and none on the driver side - the greater "play" on the driver side seems to distribute the flexing better in the OEM setup.
what gauge are the wires?
Thanks for the great video. Totally convinced that this will solve my problem.
I like this video, it shows exactly how to do it. I had the same affectation now is repaired, Thanks
Great video
Мне помогло 👍
Won't the problem reoccur?
Maybe adding a sleeving might extend it's life?
Yes, eventually I would image it will happen again but the car is 13 years old and has 245,xxx so it took that long for the OEM wires to get that fatigued and break. So with replacing them all hopefully it will last that long again or close to it. Its kinda of a design flaw on how close the wires are and how they get folded over when its closed. They changed the design on the 2010 and up. I'm not sure a sleeve would make a difference as it not rubbing on anything its more that there folded over in the same spot pretty far time and time again. Thanks for watching and taking the time to leave us a comment. If you enjoyed watching the video or it was helpful don't forget to give the video a thumbs up/ like if you haven't already. Thanks
@@TheDIYGuyDOTnet oh wow it took that long to fatigue. Makes sense then, and yeah a sleeve seems like it won't help.
Thanks for answering my question and making the video 👌🏻
@@Noclpro28 Ya on this outback anyway some in the 140-150K range but I guess it really depends how often the hatch/ tail gate is opened and closed. No problem.
I can’t get my tailgate to open at all.
Solder and heatshrink is the only way .
I just got done with this fix, good news and bad news, the good news is I fixed the problem that I was trying to fix which was the back gate not locking. The bad news is I created two more problems somehow, my rear windshield wiper and my reverse lights no longer work. So weird I checked all of the connections and all are matched up correctly. Anyone know why this is?
I’m kinda in the same boat. I fixed some wires to get my reverse lights to work. When I hooked everything back up the dash light shows that the rear door is open but it’s not. It won’t lock now too. So frustrating
🎯
Btw... That air freshener hanging in the back emits poisonous fumes.
Fragrances contain all kinds of unhealthy chemicals... including cancerous ones.
It's not worth the risk just for the car to smell "nice".🙁
5:25 note to self
11:20