relative4 Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 LaunchTech CRP123, available for ca. $150 on eBay, etc. - NICE scanner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travrach Posted March 3, 2015 Share Posted March 3, 2015 Haha, glad someone bumped this thread. Just had this issue this weekend because of such cold weather and car was outside..usually in garage. Will re-solder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elchrispy Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 If this fixes the problem, should the airbag light immediately turn off? Or is it the kind of thing where you have to drive some then it will go away? 2007 Spec.B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theflystyle Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 If this fixes the problem, should the airbag light immediately turn off? Or is it the kind of thing where you have to drive some then it will go away? Should be immediate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jebusmckrackin Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 it should go away I had to resolder it like 3 times went away every time I fixed it. But then I just ended up saving up some money and buy a new map light console which is like a hundred and twenty something dollars and it never done it since Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnyJagaru Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Just wanted to pipe in that I fixed mine by resoldering the chip resistors too. These are ROHS compliant so you need a hotter than normal iron and silver solder to do it properly. I also sprayed contact cleaner in all the plugs/sockets on this fixture. Its been fine for over a year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surolegga Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 (edited) Just wanted to pipe in that I fixed mine by resoldering the chip resistors too. These are ROHS compliant so you need a hotter than normal iron and silver solder to do it properly. I also sprayed contact cleaner in all the plugs/sockets on this fixture. Its been fine for over a year. Silver solder for sure...it took a loooong time to heat up and mix with the standard 60/40 rosin flux I had. So the airbag dash light is off, but can anyone tell me if the LED lights themselves can cause this? The "PASS AIRBAG" light randomly lights now, although "ON" and "OFF" are good ("OFF" was not showing when the dash light was on). The 511 resistor solder did not look too bad, but all of the LED solders looked like they had a hairline crack. Edited June 16, 2015 by surolegga Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnyJagaru Posted June 17, 2015 Share Posted June 17, 2015 I've been working with electronics for about 30 years and LEDs always fail completely. It should take any longer to solder. I'm wondering if you now have a cold solder joint? Also, measure the resistance across the 511 resistor. It should be 500 Ω. Sometimes chip resistors will crack and become intermittent. Did you clean all the contacts too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surolegga Posted June 18, 2015 Share Posted June 18, 2015 I've been working with electronics for about 30 years and LEDs always fail completely. It should take any longer to solder. I'm wondering if you now have a cold solder joint? Also, measure the resistance across the 511 resistor. It should be 500 Ω. Sometimes chip resistors will crack and become intermittent. Did you clean all the contacts too? No ohm meter to check. No contact cleaning. First soldered the 511 thinking it was all I needed, no dice. Then tried some gentle touch up on everything else on the board (I say gentle because the tip I had to work with was like a bull in a china shop), result. As long as I don't get an airbag light in the dash I am happy, it will pass inspection. But I have the feeling it will come back. Thank you for the reply! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xVern Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Awesome fix. Mine started doing this yesterday. Looks like i know what i'll be doing today! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surolegga Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 I'm wondering if you now have a cold solder joint? After you said this I looked it up (I'm no electronics solder specialist), and it looks like every joint on the board qualified before I touched anything. Awesome fix. Mine started doing this yesterday. Looks like i know what i'll be doing today! After I fixed mine (it was solid all the time), it started acting up again. So I contacted SOA and they said take it to the dealer to verify. I paid for it out of pocket and SOA sent me a check to cover parts/labor. They seemed very interested in getting it resolved quickly. Of course I know it is for the good of Subaru as well, the bad part/fault can cause your airbags to not deploy. But it is still nice to have a company react and "get it done" fast so that you can have peace of mind...not worrying if the damn light was going to stay on when you are miles away from home with your family in the car... Long story short, if you don't want to depend on your soldering skills to save your life, contact Subaru. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amptramp Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Lead-free solder is the bane of everyone's existence in the electronics industry. It is not used in military, spacecraft or medical equipment because it requires the parts to be heated beyond the temperatures used for tin-lead eutectic solder (eutectic means the lowest melting point proportion which is 63% tin and 37% lead. As a result, cold solder joints are common because the temperatures required are close to the limits that most components can survive There is another factor: lead suppresses the tendency for tin to grow "whiskers", long spiny crystals that can short out to adjacent connections. Tin whiskers have been suggested as the cause for the rash of unintended acceleration accidents and other problems associated with cars since the adoption of lead-free solder around 1985 (when Audi got hit with a lot of complaints). This correlation does not rise to the level of "evidence" yet and whisker growth can be stopped by conformal coating, but lead-free solder was just political grandstanding - the lead doesn't re-enter the ecology even if the board is buried in a landfill or tossed in a lake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amptramp Posted July 14, 2015 Share Posted July 14, 2015 Done! You have to watch that there are four screws, two under the lid (that is probably designed for sunglasses) and two on the outer edge of the lamps. I resoldered every connection and so far it seems to be working. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowtipper Posted August 9, 2015 Share Posted August 9, 2015 I didn't read the whole thread, but just to affirm a fix for the intermittent AIRBAG light. 2008 Legacy base model. Was getting an intermittent AIRBAG light. The overhead Map Light indicator would show the AIRBAG light and ON light, but no OFF light. It started acting up within the last 2 weeks. Temps have been from 80-100 with max humidity (Gulf Coast). Found the following youtube video: Credit to this guy for my solution. Initially only soldered the 5 incoming wire points and the 8 points for the LED lights. Tested and failed. Brought it back in and soldered the small chips/diodes/whatever the black things are. I believe 4 on one side and 4 or 3 on the other. Did both ends of each chip. Reinstalled Map Light and the OFF light illuminated normally along with the rest of the lights. No AIRBAG light and overhead indicators indicated normally with and without a person in the passenger seat. Fixed. Tips: First, finer point soldering iron. To get to one side of the chips, you have to "thread the needle" between the LED lights. Also, some of the chips are very small. Just take your time and don't let any solder run into each other. Second, the solder on the chips definitely has some coating to protect it. Use the iron to scrape it a little so the heat gets directly to the existing solder and melts. Then you can add more. Otherwise, you'll just add solder on top of the coating. Third, if you don't remember, don't just pull down on the map light to remove it. Pull the light diffuser, then unscrew the two screws. Hope this helps someone. I'm looking at trading in my Subaru for a new pickup and the last thing I wanted was a warning light for them to dock me on. She's treated me well other than this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbeierl Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 Add one more success on my 2009 2.5i Limited. Re-flowed the solder on the resisters and everything seems happy again! Yay! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanchitosonria Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 just wanted to say thanks! This fix has worked on 2 Legacies. Maybe we should sticky this fix? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kroll Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 I know a Subie tech that will expertly re-solder all the points on the board for roughly $25. This includes return shipping. He does great work. PM me for info. Q-Ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnyJagaru Posted October 1, 2015 Share Posted October 1, 2015 If anyone is in the Caledon Ontario area I will do this for no charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rob_m Posted October 2, 2015 Share Posted October 2, 2015 Glad I found this thread. Thanks to all! The wife's 09 Outback started this today, and the dealer instantly knew what it was ... then hinted that if I had a soldering iron and did some research, I could fix it myself. Weekend project! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kroll Posted October 3, 2015 Share Posted October 3, 2015 I've made a plethora of repairs and mods on my LGT, but I drew the line at soldering. It's not difficult at all and is certainly a DIY. However, it does require some skill and finesse to get it right. Personally, I'm rubbish at it and was glad to get some help. Q-Ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autoarcheologist Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 (edited) I have the airbag light on our 2007 Outback XT. I noticed the console light was dim so I pulled it down and resoldered it. That brought all the console lights back. I just touched all the resistor joints and the LED solder joints, and didn't have to add any new solder. However the dash light didn't go off so I had the codes scanned and it showed 11, 26 and 71. I'm pretty sure the 26 code will go away if I can clear it, but I think the airbag roll connector in the column is bad, so the light is still on. Does anybody know a DIY way to clear the codes? The shop that scanned it won't reset the codes unless they do the repairs. I'm going to call the dealership on Monday, but hoping there is an easier way someone knows. So far it seems the 2005+ Legacy is no DIY friendly. My other option is to just replace the roll connector and hope the light goes out. Edited November 8, 2015 by autoarcheologist Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbeierl Posted November 8, 2015 Share Posted November 8, 2015 I'm also having issues with the airbag light on the dash (haven't noticed it on the Over head console) coming on intermittently. I notice that when I start the car if it's on when I start it, it stays on for the rest of the trip/run time and vice versa. Not sure if I can pass MA inspection with it on but as long as I can I don't see a problem other than an annoyance of the dashboard light I believe if the airbag light is on in the dash the airbag system is disabled. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejean Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 So I've read through this thread and may have missed it but what lead-free solder is best to use - silver? Thx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amptramp Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 ^ I would not restrict myself to lead-free solder because it has three problems: 1. The fumes from the flux used in most lead-free solders is more toxic that the resin flux used with tin-lead solder. Rosin is not useful at the high temperatures required for lead-free solder. 2. The melting point is higher, putting components at risk of damage if you keep the soldering iron on it too long. The factory uses infrared, vapour-phase or flow soldering with a precisely-set temperature profile to keep components from getting damaged and if they err on the safe side (low temperatures), you get cold solder joints like the airbag light boards. This thread exists because of this problem. 3. Tin exhibits whisker growth in damp atmospheres which is totally suppressed by lead. Whisker growth is not suppressed by silver. There have been suggestions that the unintended acceleration problem that has occurred with manufacturers like Audi and Toyota coincided with the introduction of lead-free solder. It's not as if lead-free solder solves a problem - you could bury a tin-lead circuit board in damp soil and the lead would not leach out into the environment. The solder connections would not lose any mass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejean Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 Thanks amptramp! So my issue is the red dash light (the psgr airbag light on the map light console seems to be fine). The issue comes and goes. Seems to be no rhyme or reason. Still the resistor in the map light area you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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