Martinjmpr Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Since the manuals (both the Subaru and the Haynes) were of no help to me, can someone answer what should be a couple of simple questions regarding fuses? First off, what fuse is used by the rear 12v power outlet on a '99 OBW? Second, what fuse(s) would be used by the seat heaters on the same vehicle? Neither one is working, and before I start tearing into them, common sense tells me to check the fuses. Thanks for any help! Martin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Apparently, you get two for the price of one . The Subaru 1999 Owner's Manual (page 11-8) indicates that both the accessory power socket and the seat heaters are protected by fuse #22; it's a 20A in cars that have both the power socket and heated seats. That's the "Fuse panel behind the instrument panel lower cover". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinjmpr Posted July 12, 2006 Author Share Posted July 12, 2006 Apparently, you get two for the price of one . The Subaru 1999 Owner's Manual (page 11-8) indicates that both the accessory power socket and the seat heaters are protected by fuse #22; it's a 20A in cars that have both the power socket and heated seats. That's the "Fuse panel behind the instrument panel lower cover". Okay, I feel like a complete dummy for not seeing that in the manual, but it begs another question: Where is the "instrument panel lower cover?" Is that the cover over the console? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Okay, I feel like a complete dummy for not seeing that in the manual, but it begs another question: Where is the "instrument panel lower cover?" Is that the cover over the console? thats the one above your legs when your driving. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinjmpr Posted July 12, 2006 Author Share Posted July 12, 2006 Update: Okay, I got the cover off (it's the one that sits below the steering wheel.) According to the diagram in the manual, the auxiliary fuse block is underneath. Now, I couldn't see anything that looked like a fuse block. I saw something that was the right shape, just above the main fusebox, and it had three vertically stacked rectangles - but they were at least 5x as big as an ordinary blade-type fuse. They also did not have amp markings on them. Could this be them? See photo below. I've circled what I think may be the box, but look at the size of those "fuses." Can that be right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 now this may be normaclature. The main fuse box is under the hood, the secondary or auxilary fuse box is the one with all the fuses under the dash. At least thats how ssoby always did it before. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinjmpr Posted July 12, 2006 Author Share Posted July 12, 2006 now this may be normaclature. The main fuse box is under the hood, the secondary or auxilary fuse box is the one with all the fuses under the dash. At least thats how ssoby always did it before. nipper Yeah, I realize that. What I meant was the "main" fusebox that is underneath the dash. The fuse I'm looking for is in another fusebox located somewhere above that one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 If you are talking about the black devices in the circle I think those are thermal circuit breakers. They reset themselves after they cool down. They are normally used in the power window circuits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Update: Okay, I got the cover off (it's the one that sits below the steering wheel.) According to the diagram in the manual, the auxiliary fuse block is underneath.[...] Just to clarify things, since your photo doesn't show the lower cover off, and in case someone else reads this thread later: 1) Remove the two screws near bottom corners of the IP lower cover (one is right above the hood release lever), pull gently to disengage clips at top, allow to dangle by wires. 2) Get at eye level with the hood release lever, and look straight in, above and slightly to the left of the lever. (Amazingly, you don't have to crawl under the dash to get to this .) The fuse "panel" has no cover, and isn't very big, since it only has places for 3 fuses. The one you're looking for should be in the left-most position, with the center and right spots empty unless your car has an "option". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted July 12, 2006 Share Posted July 12, 2006 Thanks for the clarification OB99W. That is good to know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Martinjmpr Posted July 13, 2006 Author Share Posted July 13, 2006 GOT IT! Man, that little tiny fusebox is hard to find! If not for OB99W's excellent description, I don't think I would have found it. Anyway, fuse was indeed blown, and now both power outlet and seat heaters work fine (not that I need seat heaters when the temps will be 100 by friday!) The culprit in all of this was not anything on my car, incidentally. It was the cheap-rump roast car charger for my cell phone. I even confirmed this by plugging it in after I fixed the front power socket - the fuse blew right away, so I know that's what it was. Needless to say, said car charger has been tossed into the nearest dumpster. Thanks for all the help! You guys are a mechanical moron's best friend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 Hats off to OB99W. That fuse location info is great to know about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 GOT IT! Man, that little tiny fusebox is hard to find! If not for OB99W's excellent description, I don't think I would have found it. [...] Thanks for all the help! You guys are a mechanical moron's best friend! You're welcome, glad to help. You're not a "mechanical moron"; you knew enough to suspect fuses, came to the right place for help , and fixed the problem. I respect someone who does those things, even if they don't have a lot of experience. If you'll excuse a "Star Wars" reference, Yoda was wrong; there is not only "doing" or "not doing", "trying" counts and often eventually leads to success, or at least knowledge gained. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 "trying" counts and often eventually leads to success, or at least knowledge gained. You are a very wise man, OB99W. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted July 13, 2006 Share Posted July 13, 2006 A part of the Jedi, he is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 Thanks for the kind words, Olnick and Cougar. A part of the Jedi, he is. Err, umm, just call me "OB-99-Wan" . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted July 14, 2006 Share Posted July 14, 2006 Thanks for the kind words, Olnick and Cougar. Err, umm, just call me "OB-99-Wan" . I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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