I'm getting ready to install a remote starter/keyless entry in my wife's subaru. Does anyone know if the electric locks are supplied with a constant hot line and controlled with ground pulses, or is it the other way around?

They are fed constant power via a 20 amp fuse and they work on a master switch which sends power to all the lock solenoids that are basically connected in parallel. They are switched on the hot side by sending 12 volts to one of two wires depending on whether the solenoid is to be locked or unlocked. There is a third wire that sends a signal back to the dash that tells the driver if the doors are locked or not, and of course the ground wire which is also in parallel with all the lock solenoids.

 

The most dificult thing in our systems for adding keyless entry is that the master switch on the drivers door is just that; an ordinary switch. There is no solenoid on that door lock..What could be done is, if your in a Left Hand Drive vehicle one could acquire the solenoid from the passenger side of a RHD subaru of the same body style that will bolt to the mounts in your door and use the keyless entry as a master instead of the default switch..or you could bend a mirror image to your passenger front door of the steel rod that links the lock solenoid to the lock mechanism and go scavange a lock solenoid from a parts car and hook your bent steel rod up to it..

 

hope that helped

They are fed constant power via a 20 amp fuse and they work on a master switch which sends power to all the lock solenoids that are basically connected in parallel. They are switched on the hot side by sending 12 volts to one of two wires depending on whether the solenoid is to be locked or unlocked. There is a third wire that sends a signal back to the dash that tells the driver if the doors are locked or not, and of course the ground wire which is also in parallel with all the lock solenoids.

 

The most dificult thing in our systems for adding keyless entry is that the master switch on the drivers door is just that; an ordinary switch. There is no solenoid on that door lock..What could be done is, if your in a Left Hand Drive vehicle one could acquire the solenoid from the passenger side of a RHD subaru of the same body style that will bolt to the mounts in your door and use the keyless entry as a master instead of the default switch..or you could bend a mirror image to your passenger front door of the steel rod that links the lock solenoid to the lock mechanism and go scavange a lock solenoid from a parts car and hook your bent steel rod up to it..

 

hope that helped

Actually, that was helpful, and may even be more helpful as I sit here and continue to reread and think about it.

 

I hadn't even thought about there not being a solenoid on the driver's door. I wonder if I could rig up the solenoid from the rear hatch to work with it somehow? Fashioning a rod and clamping it shouldn't be too terribly difficult. I just have no idea of where to begin to look to find the right hand drive parts. If nothing else I suppose I can fix it to where it will at least unlock the rest of the doors until I can rig something up. That will help with getting the kids in the car anyway.

 

I'm still not quite clear about the polarity of the wires that activate the locks. My keyless/starter unit sends a ground pulse, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to hook that up without having to wire in any relays. Surely the swtich that activates the locks off of your key would be using a ground to do its job (I hope).

Actually, I just got home and managed to find my shop manual and answered my own question. There is a door lock control module to the right of the fuse box that operates off of a ground signal, so I should be good to go on that.

 

Thanks again for bringing to my attention the solenoid/actuator issue with the driver's side door. I think I should be able to overcome that one without too much problem now that you pointed it out to me. I probably wouldn't have thought about it until I was nearly through with the job and wondering why my driver's door wouldn't unlock.

yeh mine doesn't have any control unit on the power locks, but subaru did one or two things differently between the ordinary ea82 powered cars and the Loyale..Glad I could help

yeh mine doesn't have any control unit on the power locks, but subaru did one or two things differently between the ordinary ea82 powered cars and the Loyale..Glad I could help

Heh, I'm gonna have to get in to it tomorrow to find out. One page of the shop manual talks about the control unit, and then a wiring diagram in the next chapter shows the switch on the door lock handling all of the current.

 

Oh well, if I can get it to start and warm up by remote that'll be a good start. That oughta shut her up for a while.

Well, wasn't I fooled. There was no door lock control module. I hope no brain surgeons study the Haynes manual before going in to operate.

 

Apparently what I'm going to have to do is buy an actuator that works with the keyless entry system. It will lock/unlock the driver's door and of course the rest of them will lock/unlock the way they normally do. It's apparently some part the manufacturer makes specifically for subarus.

 

At any rate, the starter install worked great. Works like a charm. Makes the wife happy.