I have been driving my Outback since I tried the fix and speedometer still working, after I had ordered new Speedo
from Subaru, lucky for me they refunded my money. In my case I re-soldered the
two connections where the wire (shown in picture) was to be soldered. As I
mentioned adding the wire threw a CEL code P0462.

 

 

 

(Off topic below )

 

 

 

My cruise control quit working but had nothing to do with the Speedo. The cause of
my cruise control to fail was the vacuum hose dried out and had a split down
the side. That was the first thing I checked was the hose when I noticed it
became separated. I was curious as to where the hose connected. Then I realized
that was the cause of my problem. Went to AutoZone to buy some vacuum hose,
don't waste your money like I did, the hose I got fit but the hose would
collapse, therefore choking itself. I went to my local Subaru dealer and they
cut me a 2 foot stretch of hose for free. The new hose was slightly larger but
with a zip tie you can tighten hose. The location is near the ABS control box.
I would take a picture for reference but my Outback is currently in the shop
for HG test and hopefully to find out where my oil leak is coming from. I had a
shop previously re-seal the pan, but according to what I read and was told by
the new shop they used a corked based gasket when RTV should have been used.
The new place has high reputation for excellent service, up till now I wasn't
finding an honest mechanic. I would love to complete my own work on my car and
save money, but most of the bolts are rusted, froze, or broken due to age, plus
I don't have any free time.

 

Edited April 18, 201411 yr by nosubstance

2015 update:

 

on another forum,

a member bought a 99 GT instrument cluster to replace a non-working cluster on a 97 GT.

iirc, he tried to replace the face plates on the speedo, etc.

and busted some .

then tried to replace them  and then none worked correctly.

 

once installed,

everything worked on the 99 cluster

except the speedo.

i thought the 99 speedo was a one year item, and mentioned it.

so he pulled both apart and swap the 97 circuit board into the 99 speedo.

and presto, everything worked.

 

if the year info is accurate,

could this be a new fix for the 99 speedo?

or is the 99 GT speedo different from the 99 outback speedo?

2.5 cars should be the same in 99 I would think. So a GT and outback would be same

I did this, after someone shared the link with me.

​I removed the cluster on Sunday (45* F), all lights worked as normal.

​I was able to remove everything, solder, fix the trip odo (broken arm), reinstall, let everything sit to cool, finally install back into car yesterday: (Monday, 18*F).  

 

 

While working on the vehicle, everything went smooth.   Of course, the only way to test if it is now working is to drive the vehicle.....
​I let the car warm up while scraping the ice off of the windows, and fnally got in to go around a few blocks and back home.


​I parked the car, extremely happy that I could fix the speedo for my mom's car...... The marker lights wouldn't shut off.   I am still new to the car, so I didn't know if it was a sort of warning sign that something else was left on.   I kept flipping on, then off, all buttons on the dash, for seat heaters, cruise, foglights, messed more with the headlight and turn signal and wiper arm switches.....


​IF I did something wrong, I would think that as soon as it was hooked up, It would have given me this problem.   I was in the car for 15-20 minutes  before starting the car.  No lights were on until I started the car.....This includes the dome light.....


​One thing that I noticed, The wipers were left on from the last drive.  

They were frozen in place while I was trying to bust them free.   Could this have melted something else, causing the lights stay on?

​Would the dash cluster being out, really break the connection so that the dome light wouldn't have functioned if the door opens?

​What else should I be looking towards to get the marker lights to turn off?

​Is this a separate but also common issue with these cars?

​1999 Subaru outback limited wagon, 2.5/auto.

​Thanks for the write-up for the fix, and thanks for any possible suggestions on my new issue.

The parking light switch on top of the column got bumped.... Turn it off.

The parking light switch on top of the column got bumped.... Turn it off.

absolutely correct!

 

 

Thank you, and sorry for the dumb question...

Don't feel bad.  Its at an angle where its difficult to see sometimes. When I worked at the dealer, you wouldn't believe how many times I had a salesman come back and ask why the lights won't turn off.  And they're the ones selling the thing.

Fixed a 99 Legacy today.  Worked Great.

Interesting revival of a really old (as in:  Predating my owning any Subies by a lot of years) thread, and may come in handy as long as I still have my '99 OBW.

But the term "chipboard" makes me a little crazy.  There's no such thing - at least, not in electronics.

Edited March 19, 20215 yr by jonathan909

12 hours ago, jonathan909 said:

But the term "chipboard" makes me a little crazy.  There's no such thing - at least, not in electronics.

chips...bread...they’re both carbs in the end. Hahahaha

Nyerk, nyerk, nyerk.