Rear door weatherstripping help!

[free5ty1e]

EDIT: Replaced huge image with thumbnail

So, finally attempting to replace my torn weatherstripping in the rear on my 94ss.... and I cant figure out how to get this last damn piece loose.



As you can see I have already bent the shit out of that bracket during my attempts thus far. I have the fsm pages right here and they are no freaking help at all. Anyone know a trick here, what am I missing? Help?

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[free5ty1e]

Ive gotten the lower 3 sides of the door cover loose but cant figure out how the top is secured!!

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[free5ty1e]

Im still stuck here and dont want to break my door....anyone had these apart before?

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[free5ty1e]

This is far more of a pain in the ass than I originally anticipated. Yikes.

Found screws behind the ash tray but those ended up just holding in the ashtray itself. Removed it anyway since I didn't want anything in the way.
Dug through a bunch of foam in the circular indentation in the door handle to find a large philips screw; removed.
Removed a plastic pop-off panel under the handle and looking in there from an awkward angle I can see another large philips screw; removed.
I went back and looked at an even more awkward angle upward in that hole and found another large philips screw facing directly upwards. Great! How the shit am I supposed to remove this one? I'll have to bend the plastic around the opening, I suppose...what the hell, Subaru?

The top of the door panel is still held on quite tightly somehow...

I tried prying up the plastic that holds the power window switch... BAM, power window switch has fallen into the door with a sickening snap and I still have no new access. Got the other side up too. I think the rest is held in by that stupid vertical screw that Subaru decided nobody needed direct access to. Then maybe under there I will find more screws, I suppose...

I tried to pry out the sides of the interior door handle, and was able to SNAP out the handle side but couldn't get the lock side to budge. I'm still quite afraid that I will cause more damage by proceeding, certain that I've already caused a significant amount of damage, and concerned over how I'm going to get this door back together in a fashion that will still effectively seal out the elements once the car is no longer securely parked in my tiny-ass garage.

So lost here... trying to proceed very gently and carefully but frustration is mounting. I have one more day before I start my new job and I don't want to show up in my '92 (which still smokes like a chimney) if I can help it. Any additional relevant information or drawings would be greatly appreciated, if anyone knows of anything I'm missing... I'm quite certain at this point I will just continue to utilize metal tape on the other rear door's weatherstripping to keep it from flopping out and getting closed in the door. Replacing the weatherstripping correctly just appears to be too monumental a task for such an amateur mechanic as myself.

[free5ty1e]

OK... I'm still not sure of the exact minimum pieces to remove or snap before access was granted, but there is one major point I must note here -- not only for myself for any future attempts at such things, but for anyone else searching for this information.

The rear door cover's top is held in simply by metal clips in the door frame that face downwards; they're just REALLY tight.

To get the door cover loosened from the top clips (LAST, only after unfastening ALL clips around the edges and probably all screws you can get to) simply pull the door cover upwards from one corner at a time!!
It is not necessary to remove the ashtray, the door handle / lock, or the second screw in the access panel that is facing upwards


Hopefully this helps someone in the future to not break their doors during a simple weatherstripping replacement.

[free5ty1e]

OMFG... this was one of the worst, if not THE worst, experiences I've ever had working on this damned car.

I broke several clips and bent the window felt strip guide, but at least my power window switch still sits in the plastic piece - which is now flapping about because it's clip broke in the damn door.

I will NOT be attempting to replace the other rear door weatherstripping. I'm taping it up right now with metal tape again and I'll continue to do so as needed. At least this way I am not stressing years off my life for no good reason.


If, at any point, someone knowledgeable on the subject would like to offer his or her garage and time to demonstrate with my car and help / show me the correct procedure for simply replacing the rear door weatherstripping, I would be quite interested to learn and would buy you a meal and / or some beer in appreciation. Until such time, however, F*** THIS!



I also will be leaving the damned door ashtray out, who needs that s*** anyway? No idea how the hell I'm supposed to get that back in, either. I am, for the first time, filled with resentment towards the Subaru engineers that designed the rear doors on this damned thing.

Edit: No.... not metal tape this time.... gonna see how gorilla tape fares.

[Legacy777]

Are you able to get the door cover off?

There is a screw at the very top of the door handle. There is a little black foam piece you need to remove to see that screw. There is also a cover that pops off below the arm rest. Another screw is in there. Other than that, you just pop the door cover plastic clips away from the metal part. Once those are all off you lift the door cover up and it should come off. It's usually easier to do this with the window down. Also, there is an electrical connector for the windows that you need to remove once the door cover is off so the door cover can be completely removed.

[free5ty1e]

Never got the door cover completely off; my confidence level was so low after the first couple hours of attempts that I was proceeding in such a careful manner as to not snap anything else.

You make it sound so easy... unfortunately I don't think I want to try this any time in the near future, at least not by myself. I'm happy with the gorilla tape repair on the driver's side rear weatherstripping for the time being

Thanks for the info though, I'll certainly refer to this thread when (if) the time comes!

[Legacy777]

When I was doing stereo stuff to the Legacy back in the late 90's I got to the point I could have a door panel off in about 2 minutes.

[free5ty1e]

Lol damn! I suppose it helps to know what you're doing too

....which I freely admit I did not.

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