Has anybody replaced an Inhibitor switch on a 4eat?

[harrymaneuvers]

I am at the end of my rope with trying to track down a cause for no reverse lights... and that has landed me at the Inhibitor swich on the passanger side of the tranny.

Looks like this:

http://subarupartsforyou.com/images/products/31918AA.jpg

I found a brand new assembly on ebay and the guy is willing to ship it to my door for $40 flat.

I have read the FSM and seen the steps but how fragile are these things??? Can i really just unbolt it... slap the new one on and make sure the pin lines up before I tighten it down??

Or are there certain things to watch out for when doing this?

I am pretty nervous to do this myself because right now I am experiencing no other problems with shifting/the tranny other than the no reverse lights issue.

Input?

[Hocrest]

It's tight working in there up against the tunnel. It helps to have a 1/4" ratchet and some assorted ratcheting wrenches.

[harrymaneuvers]

Okie dokie... Have you actually replaced one???

Anything that I need to look out for or is it pretty straight forward....

From the looks of it... you just put in in neutral, pop out the locking pin that attaches the cable linkage... then unscrew the three bolts holding it on and take it off.

[Huffer]

I have never heard of an inhibitor switch, but my reverse lights didnt work until I replaced the reverse switch which was just a sensor that screwed into the transmission and clips into the main hrness. This is on a 5mt though...

[harrymaneuvers]

Yea from everyone I have talked too... including subaru repair shops... Everyone seems to think I am talking about the reverse switch but that is only on a 5mt...

I think the problem was created a couple months ago...

I am not sure why specifically but I was coming to a stop in a parking lot and I went to shift it into N while I coast to a stop from about 15 mph... I accidentally went all the way into R. Which didnt cause anything noticable... No lurching no grinding or anything. But looking back... that is the only thing (other than 217k miles) that I can think of that would cause the inhibitor, or the contacts inside of it... to fail.

[Hocrest]

Okie dokie... Have you actually replaced one???

Anything that I need to look out for or is it pretty straight forward....

From the looks of it... you just put in in neutral, pop out the locking pin that attaches the cable linkage... then unscrew the three bolts holding it on and take it off.
I've done them on the car on an XT6 and SVX. If the transmission was out of the car it would be a 30 second job. It's a little more difficult just because it is right up against the side of the tunnel. IIRC you'll need a 8mm and 10mm. And I suggest having a couple different forms of that size; wrench, 1/4 socket, 3/8 socket.

As you can tell looking at the new IS, there is some adjustability in the three mounting slots. Use a pin in the alignment hole and have someone in the car to make sure that the lever stays in "N" when you tighten the three mounting bolts.

[harrymaneuvers]

Great thanks for the tips!!!!!

I came to this conclusion because of an earlier post of mine trying to diagnose the issue... Someone else posted the wiring diagram and basically said that it was almost certainly the inhibitor switch.

Can i get a second opinion for you guys??? It either has to be the inhibitor or the Shift lock right???


https://sl-i.net/FORUM/

[Hocrest]

Either the IS or fuse 18. To verify, use your voltage meter. There are two large square connectors above the transmission against the firewall. The smaller one is for the IS.
You should always have 12v+ at pin 9 (Green/Black stripe) and 12v+ at pin 10 (Brown/Yellow stripe) when the shifter is in "R".

[harrymaneuvers]

So should I start the car... put it in reverse (with the parking brake on), get out and unplug the connector and test?

Or should I do this while the key is turned to the accessory position with the car off?

[Hocrest]

So should I start the car... put it in reverse (with the parking brake on), get out and unplug the connector and test?

Yeah

[harrymaneuvers]

And there will be no ill effects from disconnecting it while the motor is running???


What about after I test the plug?? Should I plug it back in with the engine running or turn it off and plug it back in?

[Hocrest]

It won't matter. But the car won't start with the inhibitor switch unplugged.

Just plug it back together once you test it.

[harrymaneuvers]

So...

Last night after draining/refilling my front differential. I decided to investigate my back-up light issues. I noticed different symptoms this time. Like when in park with headlights on... all four red lamps were lit across the back of the car... but when I stepped on the brake... the red lamps on the truck went off... Or when I would have it in reverse...the reverse lights would be on until I stepped on my brakes... then they would go off... even though I was still in reverse.

Anyways... I had a multimeter with me so I decided to try to test the plug. I tried for about 5 minutes to disconnect the two plugs (without taking the airbox off) and couldnt get it. So then I went into the trunk and went through every electrical connector that I could find that looked like it had something to do with the brake/back-up lamps... Checking to make sure that there wasnt a connector coming loose or something else like that.

I didnt notice anything unusual but now all of a sudden my back up lights seem to work perfectly and I no longer get ABS code 54 (faulty stop light circuit) whenever I put the car in reverse and take my foot off the brake.

The problem has seemed to go away for now. I am suspect of the brake light switch by the pedal still so I got a new one just in case.

On a side note... I have been cleaning grounds to my car and I was wondering if you happen to know where, on the car, the body ground point is that is referenced in the wiring diagram above...