Well, after giving me some trouble by sticking in the open position, my hatch lever finally gave up on me and simply broke off, so it looks like I'm without the use of my trunk for a while (except for throwing stuff over the rear seat).
I'm curious as to whether this is a possible DIY repair or if I should just leave it to my local mechanic, and if it is possible to do it myself, what parts would I need...(the plastic handle is all that broke, but I'm wondering if it is possible to replace only that part, and considering the latch was sticking anyway I should probably just all out replace it while I'm in there).
Exact same thing happened to the wagon I am soon getting. I'm thinking the easiest way is to replace the entire hatch, but who knows. Never had a wagon before...
98 Ford Contour V6 24V 5MT
98 Chevy Camaro Z28 LS1 6MT
91 Rio Red SS 5MT Sold
91 Flat Black Wagon L+ 4EAT RIP
91 Pearl White SS 4EAT RIP
Do you mean the external handle on the wagon? If yes, then buy a new one from the dealer. They're very cheap, but just the handle - don't let them try to tell you you need the reflective trim between the lights, too as that's BS. I think mine was $12 and took a couple minutes to replace.
Steve
Midnight in a Perfect World on Amazon or order anywhere. The first book in a quartet chronicling the rise of a man from angry criminal to philanthropist. Midnight... is a distopic noirish novel featuring 'Duchess', a modified 1990 Subaru Legacy wagon.
Yea, the plastic handle is what broke. How do you get in there to replace it though? Is it possible to get at it from the outside or do you have to remove the plastic from the inside of the rear door and go at it from there?
If $12 is all this takes, I'm gonna be really happy!
I forget and it's dark now, but I think there are two nuts that can be pulled from outside. There was some way to actuate the door lock linkage (if it's stuck closed) from there. If you take a look it's pretty straight forward. You may have to pop and unscrew the plactic rivets to get the inner panel off to fully replace the handle, but I know there was a way to get it open if that was necessary.
IIRC the actuator rod pops off the handle so you can release the latch, but you don't need to. There was a metal plate inside with two studs that come out to hold the handle and you just need to slide the new handle over and put the nuts on.
Looking in a JY for a replacement originally, I noticed all the Legacys I found had broken or frozen handles, so i think it's pretty common or at least if the handle isn't used often.
Steve
Midnight in a Perfect World on Amazon or order anywhere. The first book in a quartet chronicling the rise of a man from angry criminal to philanthropist. Midnight... is a distopic noirish novel featuring 'Duchess', a modified 1990 Subaru Legacy wagon.
