no pwr windows or locks....

[huntervf]

Greetings all, BRAND new Subie owner here and loving it despite the rather... er... rough condition of the car.

Here's the beef: 1990 Legacy L wagon, been driving it for about a week with no issues, then last thursday on the way home from work I find both the power windows and locks to be non-op. I was prepping for a weekend trip so I didn't do much diag, checked the fuse box under the dash but found no blown fuses. Anyone have any words of advice on where to start my diag? I'm good with a wrench, but me and electricity mix about as good as Guiness and drano. Seriously, I could've caused that big east coast blackout several years ago, so I will gladly listen to any words of advice.

It may also be worth noting that my motorized seatbelts are non-op as well. I noticed in my searches that there were a couple of mentions of these belts being tied in with the windows and/or locks, but nothing was specifically mentioned about year of vehicle or even where to look. The belts have been dead since I got the car though, whereas the windows and locks were working just fine until last Thurs.

TIA for the advice

[awssubaruls]

man its motor problem. replace it and check the siwchs in driver door its some times locked cause hard press and stuk.

[huntervf]

ONE motor problem would cause all windows and locks to stop functioning? Perhaps I wasn't clear... none of the windows or locks work regardless of which switch or lock is pushed (I did try all switches on all doors).

[ericem]

I think they are hooked up in series, but the locks should NOT be affected. Check all the fuses. There is a box under the hood near the battery and one on the driver side under the dash it is a little black square box on the side.

[huntervf]

Ok, re-checked all fuses under the dash and checked all fuses under the hood, still no dice.

I gotta believe that, since the locks and windows both quit working at the same time that they're somehow connected. Anyone have ideas on where to look for possible corroded/damaged wires that would affect both? I had a similar issue on an older SHO Taurus several years ago and it ended up being a main power wire that actually caught fire on me. Obviously I'd love to find this particular issue before something like that happens.

[huntervf]

Anyone??

I was greeted yesterday to a nice aroma of hot wires, so something is happening somewhere

[scuzzy]

Anyone??

I was greeted yesterday to a nice aroma of hot wires, so something is happening somewhere

Common sense says:
Stop driving the car, disconnect the battery.

As for others telling you what to do/where to look, well; good luck - none of us have ESP, but I would start by removing the door cards to get a look at the window motors.

[huntervf]

Wow, what a great community.

I'll be sure to come here whenever I need a dose of unhelpful sarcasm

"Common sense" says when multiple items quit working at the same time it's likely not a motor issue. Obviously none of you have ESP, but apparently nobody has any experience either.

Thanks anyways folks, guess I'll look elsewhere.

[huntervf]

Here's an update in case others find they have a similar problem.

Found the rear strut tower is rotted and has broken away from the car. As a result, the wiring harness running through that area was getting all cut up, causing obvious dead shorts in all affected areas.

Interestingly enough, I was pointed in this direction by some knowledgable folks over at SHOforum who were familiar with the electrical design and suggested checking out the area around the seat belt motor module, which is also installed in that area. Windows, locks, windshield wipers, hazzard lights and seat belt motors were all affected from this one area. Not surprisingly, it was all done without the use of ESP... just good old diagnosis with the help of experienced enthusiasts who are actually interested in helping others. Reinforced the strut tower, freed up and replaced the damaged wires in that area and all is well.

So once again, thanks for the...ah...help. In the interest of helping others in the future I'm posting my experience with this issue, perhaps you can get quicker results from this forum than I did

[Legacy777]

Thanks for the update. How badly was the strut tower rusted?

[huntervf]

Very bad, and it was getting worse, hence why items were gradually blinking off (belts were non-op from the get-go, windows/locks went later, wipers went a little later yet them came back for a couple days until the tower completely broke away from the car.

I now basically have a psuedo-rollcage in the back; finding good metal to weld to was a PITA and the other tower was starting to break as well, so myself and some friends fabbed up a type of cage that goes along both sides and connects both rear struts as well. Lost some of the space and added some pounds, but the car is back on the road and handling much better than it ever did in the past.

[Legacy777]

Good deal!