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91 Legacy sedan wind whistle


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Have the very common front window wind whistle. I tried the sticky foam trick and bending the sail section bit inwards all to no avail. I took it to a Soob dealer who said the rubbers need replacing and they are $250 aus each side, that's $180US. I thought that was an outrageous price. He is also the Mercedes dealer. Any comments from you knowledgeable people. Thanks Ian :-\

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Ian, before you do that, try two other things...

 

1) Check the window regulator. The adjustments made to that are what seat the window in the weatherstripping properly. My XT made absolutely no wind noise until I had to swap the regulator for a new one. I still haven't adjusted it right and there is now a bit of wind noise as a result.

 

2) My Legacy (like yours) had a new fender put on the front left from an accident a few years ago. For some strange reason, I didn't notice until only about a month ago, that the fender was installed incorrectly and there is a spot near the windshield where the hood and fender are not flush. I believe that might be what's creating the Legacy's wind noise...

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Another issue I've faced. I had the wind whistle traced to the air flowing thru the slot of the "fold back" mirror on the drivers side. I folded a piece of scrap paper over a bunch of times, stuck it in the slot, and..... "viola".....the whistle went away.

 

Just another place to check....

 

Dave

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The first generation Legacy's had the plastic guards to protect the windshield (A) pillars. These are often not able to be reinstalled tightly when replacing a windshield. Use black electrical tape to tap the seam between the rubber seal on the guard and the glass, also tape the top windshield seam and test drive the car. I used a silicone adhesive to firmly attach the A pillar guard to the glass to eliminate my whistle problem.

 

Your car is a 91 and 13 years old, so the seal may in fact be worn beyond hope.

 

But I would check the window alignment and stub assembly.

 

Did you replace the stub assembly mentioned in your other post:

 

 

http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6152

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The cost was just for the rubbers, then was the labour etc, they estimated 1 hour per side about $700 Aus was the approximate quote. I tried the 12 gauge wire trick from the http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/subaru.html site. It has certainly decreased the noise dramatically to liveable levels on the passenger side. I'll have another play this week end. Thanks for your replies. Ian:santa:

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Alias20035 suggested in an earlier post to replace some stubs

http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6152

I intended to try this replacement of the stubs as suggested by alias20035, but when tried to remove the door trim it all went to crap. Basically the Haynes manual said to remove a screw on the door handle assembly and then pop the clips on the edges of the trim, take off the armrests etc. Only problem my Liberty(Legacy) did not have a screw on the door handle assemby. After I had removed the rest of the trim stuff I could not free up the assembly to separate it from the trim without breaking something I thought. So I gave up. Any hints. Thanks Ian

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Originally posted by AussieIan

Alias20035 suggested in an earlier post to replace some stubs

http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=6152

I intended to try this replacement of the stubs as suggested by alias20035, but when tried to remove the door trim it all went to crap. Basically the Haynes manual said to remove a screw on the door handle assembly and then pop the clips on the edges of the trim, take off the armrests etc. Only problem my Liberty(Legacy) did not have a screw on the door handle assemby. After I had removed the rest of the trim stuff I could not free up the assembly to separate it from the trim without breaking something I thought. So I gave up. Any hints. Thanks Ian

 

Did you get the two screws? One at the front of the door grip/arm rest under a sponge cover, and the other screw under the cap on/under the arm rest?

 

You have to remove the door handle trim which it sounds like you tried, some of these trim pieces have a hidden screw, while others separate into two pieces, with the outer peice sandwiching the door panel. Do not pry the door off without getting the handle trim off, otherwise you may damage the trim or not be able to get it back together.

 

You also have to remove the triangular "sail" cover up by the mirror. It will pry off with a flat screwdriver or similar tool.

 

Once you have the screws and sail cover off, you should be able to pry the door panel carefully off from the bottom edge. Once all the clips pop loose the panel should lift up and off the window sill. Then all you need to do is disconnect the electric window switch harness.

 

See this link for info, it applies to the Australian 99-03 Liberty/Outback (well, 00-04 North America Legacy/Outback to be totally accurate) but your older model should be somewhat similar, my 93 Legacy was not that different compared to my 01 Outback.

 

This is the guide for radio/speaker install, which covers door panel removal

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the weather stripping is kind of tube like with a cavity in the middle. Get a piece of thick fairly stiff wire about 8" long or something like it and push it into the cavity.

 

This will make the seal against the window tight = no noise

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Thanks again guys. Thanks Alias for that particularly useful article on stereo installation. I have the whistle problem under control by the wire and sticky foam methods but it is not cured. The catr is quiet enough for Xmas trip to SA and back and I will look into it further then. Ian

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