So, it's not really possessed but it is driving me crazy. I have a 97 Impreza sedan. I noticed yesterday that the power door locks were not functioning as they should. I went to lock my doors after shutting the car off and they didn't lock. Today the same thing happened the first time I got in it. The second time I got into the car the blower motor for the heater didn't work(and it's very cold outside) and I had the same issue with the door locks. I also discovered that when I hit the brakes and let off, the doors will lock themselves if the drivers door is locked and unlock themselves it it is unlocked. Also, when I try to change the fan speeds for the blower motor, I can hear a relay clicking under the driverside dash. I searched on here and rs25.com and only found one similar problem. it was an 06 Impreza that had the same problem with the brakes and door locks. If anybody knows what the cause could be or what I could start checking tomorrow, it would be greatly appreciated. I don't mind the door lock issue but it's freaking cold and I would love some heat.

Robert

If the blower isn't working at any speed or is intermittent then the blower relay is the prime suspect. You could power the motor directly to prove it is ok or try jumpering the relay contacts to see if that will power the motor up. The power wires to the motor, at the relay, will be the larger ones.

The lock problem may be due to dirty switch contacts.

thanks, I'll check both of those first thing in the morning. It's a good thing I have AllData, and a 155,000btu heater for the garage.

damn it, the heater helped this morning but I couldn't find my all datadisk for subaru. so I didn't have a wiring diagram, and I couldn't find the relay for the blower. I also tried to check the lock switch, but as it's a 97 L, it doesn't have a button to do it, I tried getting to the sensor that checks whether or not the door is locked, but I couldn't figure out how to remove it. I did find a few things out today though.

1: car off, keys out, blower off, brakes off : locks work perfect

2:car off, keys out , blower off, brakes on : locks don't work at all

3: it's the same, as above, if the keys are in the run position. if I start the car it's back to the brakes locking and unlocking the doors.

4: if the blower is in the on position, and the car is running, the locks work by the brakes again

5: if the blower is in the on position, and the car is not running, the locks don't lock/unlock by the brakes, or at all for that matter

6: maybe most importantly, the covering for the wiring harness that goes from the body to the door is cracked open and filled with dirt and is kind of damp. all of this started happening right after a few days of rain. is there any wires in there that are linked to all 3 systems? or is there something else in there that would affect all 3?

also does anyone have a wiring diagram for that part of the car?

PM your email address and I will send you over a PDF file of the wiring diagram.

pm sent. THANK YOU!!!!!!

It sounds that there may be a chassis ground problem. To verify that try placing a jumper wire between the negative battery terminal and to a good clean contact to the chassis. If the trouble clears check the battery ground connections and clean them.

The trouble may also be due to a chaffing wire to the chassis, in the door jam.

ooo, good info. thanks. I'll try that.

well..... I was out at the garage to day and no real progress forward. In fact, I hit another big setback. My brake lights no longer work and the autolocks don't work at all anymore. The blower motor... still not working. I did however find the relay that was clicking.
http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x43/taoqi419/e4d3e33e.jpg
I tested it and it's functioning perfectly as far as I can tell. The no brake light problem is a big one though. I can deal with no heat and I can deal with the door locks locking and unlocking, but I need brake lights to be able to drive to work. Thankfully I do have a ride tomorrow though. I've determined that the brake switch works, the white/black striped wire from the switch is good all the way back to the brake lights. Also as far as I can tell the ground to the brake lights is also fine. However, the green/white stripe wire coming off of the brake switch doesn't seem to be powered, allowing the brake lights to come on. I've traced the wire back on the wiring diagram and lost it when it hits fuse #12. That fuse is good but I can't figure out where the wire goes from there. After studying the wiring diagram I still can't figure out how the brake system and the lock system could be connected. I have a suspicion that it's probably a bad ground somewhere under the dash. Does anyone have a list of grounds to check under the dash? I've already checked and cleaned the 2 main grounds off of the negative battery terminal.

This may not be as big a set back as you think. I now have my computer running again so I can look at service data. The Cat is back on the hunt.

I assume that fuse 12 under the dash has no power to it. If so you then need to check fuse SBF-3 in the main panel under the hood. It is a 45A fuse. It also ties to the brake light relay. I will bet you find that fuse is bad and hopefully replacing it will clear the problems you are having. If the fuse is good then check to see if you have good voltage on it. If you do have good voltage there but not on fuse 12 in the dash then the wire connection between those two points is the trouble. This may be the case since there are a number of things supplied power though fuse SBF-3.

^ You sir, are the man. I fixed it with your help,and learned how to read a wiring diagram at the same time. You have my thanks on both counts. It ended up being the wire from SBF-3 to fuse 12. After coming off of the underhood fuse box the wire was combined with another in the wiring harness in the driverside fender. I figured out the power stopped somewhere in that harness so I ripped it open. I found out that whole part of the harness was filled with mud and water. The junction where the 3 wires met was all nasty and corroded. It had completely come apart. I cleaned everything up soldered the wires back together(I'll put a crimp connector in there when I do my swap) rewrapped the wiring harness and everything works perfectly again. Once again... Thank you for your help.

That is great news Taoqi. That particular problem was a pretty good challege. You did real good in finding the trouble. You are most welcome for the help and thanks for the update.

Hey Cougar4, not jump on taoqis thread, but while searching for an issue I'm having, something you mentioned made a lightbulb go off, and may help me as well


I assume that fuse 12 under the dash has no power to it. If so you then need to check fuse SBF-3 in the main panel under the hood.........

The issue I'm having is on a 96 Impreza. My horn isn't working. Fuse under the dash is fine. My door locks arent working, and something is a little screwy my my heater fan, though it does turn on, it stays blowing hot even when i switch it to AC , then I noticed that these fuses are all in the same row in the fuse box, leading me to believe the whole row of fuses aren't getting power. (Also in the same row are the "Unit Backup","Main Fan", and "SRS AirBag", but I don't know what to be checking for in the car to see if those are working)

I didn't realize theres a "main" fuse up front that can cut all dash fuses off. Do you think it's similar situation?

Fuses can be good but you need a test light probe to check for voltage getting to them. Purchase one at a parts store or even better would be a digital multimeter. You can get one for under 40 dollars. If you do get one select a model that can handle 10 amps of current in case you need to check for a current drain someday. Using one of these tools you can check for power on each side of the fuse though the small slits on top of the fuse. I also suggest you purchase a service manual for the vehicle. You can get data on CD's off of Ebay real cheap. A service manual is your best friend when it comes to working on the car.

The horn and door lock circuits do run through fuse SBF-3 but so do a lot of other things like the blower and that is working. This means the fuse is ok. The door lock timer runs through fuse 25 under the hood and it runs other things also that may be working ok so it sounds like that is good. The horn circuit along with the brake light circuit uses fuse 12 under the dash so if the brake lights work the fuse is good. This means then you would need to check for trouble in the circuits beyond the fuses.

The heat problem is most likely due to a vent door problem and they are controlled with vacuum lines I think rather than electrically. The service manual will help you with that also. It is one of the best investments you can make in your car.