mattman18t Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Hi. My hatch is stuck closed. (like its locked) Hopefully someone else has experienced this. on a 1997 Subaru Legacy. A buddy of mine helped me fiddle with it for about an hour and a half. Both of us generally are able to fix just about anything, but neither of us could see where the trouble was coming from. The Haynes Manual didnt have anything helpful either, that I could find. I make deliveries with a full car load daily, and am really suffering right now. Car can't go into the shop until I earn more vacation time. If anybody has anything to suggest, PLEASE Do ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanger Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 what happens when you pull the trunk lever from inside the car? I had to fix my trunk lever when i got my 15k miles service, turned out the cable was loose and they fixed it ○ ○ ○ Instagram: itshangertime :spin: ○ ○ ○ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twisted Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 -Sometimes the hatch opening handle hinges get rusty. Spray wd40 on them. -Assuming u mention hatch, its got to be a wagon. Open from inside then spray wd40 on evry freakin place u can on the lock assembly -go visit a dealer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdubs Posted January 23, 2008 Share Posted January 23, 2008 Your handle has probably rusted the spring off. Its a simple procedure to open the hatch to work on it. Crawl into the back, rip the carpet off the door and pull the thin metal bar coming from the handle up, and with some convincing should open it up. You should also replace the plate behind the handle. Glad I got both on mine, when I took the handle off the plate behind it just crumbled into pieces. I have the part #'s, I'll add them once I come across them for both parts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattman18t Posted January 24, 2008 Author Share Posted January 24, 2008 Thanks bdubs. I will try this immediately. And Please do post the part numbers whenever you come across them. I'll keep yall posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongHiway Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 Same thing happened to me with a '97 Outback. I fiddled and diddled and finally thought this was the problem. Rust (mostly) grime and so on, caused the lock not to open completely, sometimes the key would work, sometimes the electronic switch. So, WD-40 with the nozzel extension spraying everything inside the clasp (not the lock, the U shaped bar). You can sort of peel back the rubber and look inside. This worked for me but, took a couple of trys till I hit the "right" spot, which was a completely random event. Given the condition of the back door, Subaru was reluctant to tough the mechanism. I tried to unbolt it once but did not want to be too aggressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehsnils Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I had such a problem on my '92 and it was caused by that the handle didn't return by itself and I had to push it back manually. This prevented the lock from getting unlocked, even with a key, but it was able to both close and lock. All that salt on the roads are killing our cars... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdubs Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I found them! The handle was easy, but to find the plate took me a couple of days of searching. Handle (fits 90-03 wagons): 62150AA211 Bracket (95-03 wagons): 84927AC020 I just ordered mine at the dealer, but a few online places are cheaper. It comes with all hardware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongHiway Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I found them! The handle was easy, but to find the plate took me a couple of days of searching. Handle (fits 90-03 wagons): 62150AA211 Bracket (95-03 wagons): 84927AC020 I just ordered mine at the dealer, but a few online places are cheaper. It comes with all hardware. Good luck getting the old one off, I got scared about being too aggressive - thought I might rip the latch mechanism right out of the hatch door. A weekend's worth of liquid wrench is in your future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LongHiway Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I had such a problem on my '92 and it was caused by that the handle didn't return by itself and I had to push it back manually. This prevented the lock from getting unlocked, even with a key, but it was able to both close and lock. All that salt on the roads are killing our cars... Salt must be part of the conspiracy car manufacturers use to get us to continually buy new cars. Over here, Ford and GM probably pay the towns to use salt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdubs Posted January 25, 2008 Share Posted January 25, 2008 I replaced the one on my 95 a couple months ago. It wasn't that bad, because the bolts are on the inside of the hatch, and the backing plate is so rusted, it just crumbles right off. It took me about an hour to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattman18t Posted January 26, 2008 Author Share Posted January 26, 2008 Thanks again for all the responses. Thanks to BDubs for looking up the part numbers. I've been sick, and its been cold, so i haven't had a chance to dig any deeper, but I'm hoping to get some done today after work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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