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Replacing back hatch handle

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oberhartrl14,

 

First, use pliers to flex the black plastic arm, right at the piece you want to free up, back and forth until it fractures and frees the piece. Then use an exacto knife to cut the nylon lock from the silver metal piece.

 

When you drive the silver piece into the new nylon lock, it'll grip when fully seated.

 

At least this is how it appears to me in the picture.

 

If I had the pieces in my home garage, I'd use the bench grinder to cut the black piece from the silver section, and still use an exacto knife on the lock. Good Luck!

  • 2 weeks later...

If you look back on this forum, there is a post titled "98 Legacy Wagon, rear latch parts?" (link below)

On that thread I posted a video I found on Youtube that shows how to replace this handle. I replaced mine too.

In your photo, the red arrow points to the actuator rod end, which is threaded to allow adjusting the length of the actuator rod where it attaches to the handle. The metal actuator rod end is just press-fit into the white plastic part. You can just pry the metal part from the plastic part with a small flat screwdriver. (Note: the threaded actuator rod end does not have to be removed from the rod in order to replace the handle if you just pry the parts apart with the rod end still on the rod.)

Start watching the video at 04:40 to see how it comes apart and reassembles.

When you are ready to install the new handle, first put the threaded actuator rod end back on the rod to the same number of threads it was before. Then insert the new handle through the hole in the door without the white plastic pressure-fit piece on the handle. Insert the white bit through the handle, put the actuator rod into the white bit, and press the white bit onto the rod end with a channel-lock pliers. Then tighten the two 10 mm bolts holding the handle on, and check that your actuator rod end is adjusted to open and close the latch mechanism properly.

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/95722-98-legacy-wagon-rear-hatch-latch-parts/

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