Ok I know the title sounds weird.

 

something is missing power wise in my 96 legacy wagon 2.2.

 

I turn off the key the cigarette lighter doesn't work..  All power that would keep my aftermarket cd/radio  presets,, disappears,, I have to reset any stations,,  I just quit doing it at this point.

 

My  head lights shut off with the key,  I don't have to turn them off.

 

My nephew had the car and put in the after market stereo so I thought maybe that was the reason for the presets not staying.   But after thinking about the head lights and the cig lighter/power socket,, not working after the key is turned off,, I thought maybe it is something else..

 

I have gotten great advice here before on my Timing belt etc..  

 

so thanks in advance!

 

Headlights and cigarette lighter not working is very normal. Subaru headlights have went off with the key since 1982. The presets going away is most likely due to the radio not being hooked up correctly.

X2 what bratman said.

Headlamps and lighter sockets are not normally powered with the key Off.

 

The radio issue is because the power wires are not hooked up correctly.

Pull the stereo and see if he used a harnes plug adapter or just cut and spliced all the wires in the dash.

he cut /spliced all the wired into a plug for the after market radio.

 

im an electrical moron. 

 

I had a buddy look at it when I h ad it out before but wasn't able to figure out the always on power to the radio,, so that the presets would stay.

Its in there, I don't know wire color off-hand. Its possible he just flipped the switched and constant wires.

 

Red wire is switched. This is your "turn on" wire.

Yellow is constant source. The main power for the unit comes in through this one.

 

Having the yellow spliced to a switched power wire means the whole thing loses power every time the key is turned off, even if there is constant power on the red.

yes that is exactly what happens!

ok ill look for those wires...    Is  there any chance that there is a fuse somewhere that might be bad and "disable "  this yellow wire.? 

 

Cause Im thinking he checked the wires  for power,,, 

Mine was a huge PITA when I put my aftermarket radio in. it turned out someone had put an inline fuse holder on the constant power source. I had to trouble shoot the wiring harness with a multi meter before I figured it out. I do know that it wasn't like that from the factory though

use the green wire for your constant 12v

I don't understand why people don't spend the 10-15 bucks on the readily available harness adapters to avoid hacking stuff up. Stupid.

I agree Bratman.   When I got the car he told me he didn't have an antenna adaptor so the radio didn't work,, he just listened to CD's.  

 

I pulled it and looked and he just didn't plug in the antenna which fit fine..  thus I got the radio working,,, but then I lose the presets because of the power issue.   

I don't understand why people don't spend the 10-15 bucks on the readily available harness adapters to avoid hacking stuff up. Stupid.

I agree mine was already hacked up when I got it

I am trying to figure out the same issue. my 96 Impreza does the same thing i have to reset the presets everytime i turn the car on. the wiring was hacked up when i bought the car so i used a multimeter to find my wires and i couldn't find the constat power. i have it wired right and still doesnt work. I also checked my cig. lighter constant and it didnt work.

I used this diagram also:

for a 96 Impreza

http://www.modifiedlife.com/1996-subaru-impreza-car-stereo-wire-schematic/

 

here is the one for a 96 legacy xdeadeye:

http://www.modifiedlife.com/1996-subaru-legacy-car-stereo-radio-wiring-diagram/

Cigarette lighter doesn't have constant power in these cars