Trunk issue- rarely opens

Howdy guys (and gals). I'm new to this forum, and have searched the bejesus out of this topic and have found a couple of potential solutions which I have tried to act on with little to no success. So, I'm wondering if anyone has some additional advice.

 

I attempted to use the trunk pop lever, but the trunk release doesn't do a damn thing to pop the trunk. This wouldn't be a problem if the car had a FOB, or a key hole, but it lacks BOTH! As a result I have to fix this one.

 

If I pull on the lever, I hear a slight noise, but not the 'thunk' one is used to hearing.

 

I can only get the trunk open if I fold it down the seats and reach for the emergency handle. It works.

However, the pull handle does not.

 

So far this is what I've done:

- opened the trunk from inside.

- inspected how the emergency handle works. Saw that it pushed on the ball retainer/clip actuator thing which moves the latch.

- There is a little pin switch thing that moves on the latch assembly, but I can not find its use. I think it would normally disable the interior pull handle. However, it does not stay in place or in any 'locked' position and I do not think it is supposed to do anything else.

- I can pull on the exposed part of the cable to make it work (though this is too difficult to do inside of the car when it is latched). This would normally lead me to believe that the cable is broken/stretched.

- If I prop up the pull handle, I can see that it is pulling on the ball retainer/clip actuator thing which moves the latch. It seems to be at full pull. Additionally, when I use a friend to pull on and hold the lever inside the car with the trunk open, I can see that the retainer/clip thing is at full pull. This is confirmed because when I move the emergency handle, it still has a little bit of travel left before hitting the latch actuator while it is being pulled from inside. This cancels out my idea of being a broken or stretched cable.

- I traced some of the inner workings of the trunk to those black bars that run from the curved support arms on either side of the trunk and flopped them the opposite way.

 

This seemed to help, however, the only way it would open the trunk would be with a really, really quick snap of the lever. And this does not work every time. 40% at best.

It will open, but isn't anywhere near consistent and can't imagine this getting better. Nor can I imagine that this is the appropiate way that the trunk opens.

 

Is it possible that the trunk is too heavy? I'm used to hearing cars make a 'thunk' or obvious release sound of the latch. Even when I am successful in 'snapping' the latch back quickly, there is no sound confirmation.

 

Any ideas?

I've found one last old thread from '08 but don't know what year the car in question is from.

 

Seems those bars I flipped are called 'torsion bars'

Could mine just be bent or worn out? Or is the current operation normal?

 

Subaru calls them Torsion Bars...this was taken directly from the installation manual, so these should be the upgraded bars.

 

TORSION BAR RIGHT E721SAG020

TORSION BAR LEFT E721SAG030

Does your trunk have a spoiler? There are two sets of torsion bars, one for spoilers, one for bare.

 

If you've got an aftermarket lip or spoiler you may need the heavier torsion bars.

I do have a spoiler.

Would you be able to confirm that the part numbers above are the heavier bars?

Hmm I wonder if my trunk isn't working right too. Mine doesn't go "thunk" when I pull the lever. It doesn't even pop up. I hear a faint "click" and it's open. When I get to the back, it looks closed but it's definitely unlatched now because I can lift it.

 

What's the proper behavior? Thunk and pop up, or faint click and sit closed but unlatched?

Hmm I wonder if my trunk isn't working right too. Mine doesn't go "thunk" when I pull the lever. It doesn't even pop up. I hear a faint "click" and it's open. When I get to the back, it looks closed but it's definitely unlatched now because I can lift it.

 

What's the proper behavior? Thunk and pop up, or faint click and sit closed but unlatched?

 

I don't know, mine behaves like yours. I added an ebay lip though, I think that's why mine doesn't pop.

I found this post from an older thread:

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2689837&postcount=14

Upgrade the bars. The OEM spoiler weighs it down too much. I have the same problem, I'll be fixing it when it warms up.

I found this post from an older thread:

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=2689837&postcount=14

 

Interesting. Mine are black. I'll break out the calipers and measure them tomorrow.

Hmm, my 05 has an OEM spoiler, and it does't pop up, either. Both the FOB and lever in the car allow it to open, you just can't tell until you pull up on the trunk. Best of luck with the issue, let us know how it turns out after replacing the Torsion bars!

Confirmed with the calipers- I have the 71cm thick bars. Something note worthy- they are black in color.

 

Another discovery, I have found that if I pop the trunk and hold the lever, someone else can open it as it has been unlatched.

 

However, I don't usually have another person with me. As a result, I've been able to pull the lever and jam an empty tube of chapstick underneath it to hold it open while I wander around the rear to open the trunk.

 

It isn't the best solution but it will get me through winter until its warm enough to work on the car and wrestle the old and new bars out/in the trunk.

Hmm I wonder if my trunk isn't working right too. Mine doesn't go "thunk" when I pull the lever. It doesn't even pop up. I hear a faint "click" and it's open. When I get to the back, it looks closed but it's definitely unlatched now because I can lift it.

 

What's the proper behavior? Thunk and pop up, or faint click and sit closed but unlatched?

 

It looks like this isn't typical behavior for Subarus. I'm just used to hearing come sort of noise that confirms that the trunk is open. Then again, this is the first car that has this torsion bar setup that I have owned.

I wouldn't be so quick to say it's not typical behavior....

 

Hmm, my 05 has an OEM spoiler, and it does't pop up, either. Both the FOB and lever in the car allow it to open, you just can't tell until you pull up on the trunk. Best of luck with the issue, let us know how it turns out after replacing the Torsion bars!

^-- So he confirms as well.

 

I don't see how the bars would possibly cause the trunk to just spring open. It's not a pressurized/spring loaded setup. It has 2 bars that provide tension for the trunk to either remain fully open, or shut, but not in between, nor does it cause it to pop/fly open when the latch is released. It just makes it so it can unlatch. To be actually opened, you have to actively lift it. I could be mistaken, but this sounds like it's done by design...

I may have worded that poorly. What I meant is that the 'thunk' noise is not common to Subaru. Which is okay, it was just odd to me.

Ohhh gotcha.

I had an oem spoiler and then swapped it with a non-spoiler trunk lid. the trunk lid still doesn't pop up when released

Well... this answers my trunk question. New torsion bars it is:icon_arro

I just purchased a 07 LL Bean Outback Sedan that has the rear spoiler. It has the black torsion bars but the dang trunk will not pop up.....

 

Anyone have any pictures on how they are to be installed. The only think I can think of is someone has had this trunk lid off at some point and maybe they are installed incorrectly.

 

Fulton nice tip on the clip, Mine is on both bars but still no trunk movement.

 

I have to push the button and lift or it will not open.

 

Old thread but needing some good detailed pictures of one that actually works

 

Thanks

Hmm, my 05 has an OEM spoiler, and it does't pop up, either. Both the FOB and lever in the car allow it to open, you just can't tell until you pull up on the trunk. Best of luck with the issue, let us know how it turns out after replacing the Torsion bars!

 

Same goes for my 07... when I use the lever inside the car it almost feels like its not working but the trunk does open... I use the FOB to open the trunk and it works great.

If you look at the pictures I took in the thread below that should give you a general idea. I've pushed around the bars in the center since they rub together, and that doesn't seem to have any effect on how the trunk operates. So it sounds like the problem is at the end of the bars, either on the driver side or passenger side. The pictures in the thread below are of the driver side.

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4823924&postcount=7

 

I also forgot to mention I believe the torsion bars are supposed to get swapped out when a spoiler is installed, with different torsion bars. So maybe you (scooby2.5) have the torsion bars that are designed to be used without a spoiler and can't lift the extra weight?

 

I wonder if you might have some corrosion on the cable Mike, near where the release lever is?