Manarius

No, binding is very different from a dragging wheel. Biding is almost always drivetrain related. Wow though, that bearing must have been near seizure if it was that bad. What did the person do, drive it for like 15k miles with it grinding and acting up? Sheesh. Did the bearing finally start disintegrating and tear up the hub? Is that why you had to replace it?

When my wheelbearing was toast, it was definitely noticeable - you can't ignore something like that. I think that if you need a stethoscope, something else must be wrong. I'm a big fan of the lateral movement method - jack up the car and either kick or shake all 4 wheels. None of them should move laterally at all if kicked or shook. By laterally, I mean that if you're looking at the wheel, it shouldn't move away or from you, it should be absolutely tight to the hub. Also, if you take off the wheel of the suspect bearing, there should be a good amount of play in the hub itself - the lug studs should be pretty easy to shake, and they should move a good bit. I wonder if you have a dragging dust shield. I'd certainly check that before you get into bearings.

I think I'd disagree with this. I don't know how you got the other bearing in (sledge to the hub!?), but pressing is a surefire method to get them in if you do it right on. I don't know about this kent more suitcase, but if it has a hub tamer...I'd opt for a press over a hub tamer, but that's me. As for getting the axle out....pb plaster is your fried like 4g63t said.

Yeah, just get an OBDII reader. They're far more common.

Well, perhaps I swapped my cycles...I always forget which % cycle makes which %split. However, I know a guy on SL-I has made such a switch without problem. losdiosdeverde86 is his name.

Yes. A guy on SL-I has implemented a switch of this sort. It makes the Solenoid go to duty 100% to make 50% split.

Eh, I was writing quickly and not paying attention. Loosening a control arm (I think that's what it's called - maybe it was a trailing arm), was how I saw it done on the back of my car. On the front, he loosened the ball joint.

I think it's time for a rear drum to disc swap.

http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/trans.html Read, follow, post back with the codes.

If it flashes, then that means that there is a stored TCU code. The light is supposed to go on and then go off. If it flashes more than once, you have a TCU code saved, which means something is busted.

Hmm. I've honestly never tried the test. But, assuming that the fuse isn't working, that means the solenoid C is stuck in a position that engages some of the transfer clutches.

Mmmph, I'm tired of arguing. It serves no point. The manual says what you're to do with those gears, and regular driving isn't one of them. I stand by that, the rest of you do what you like. Mind you, it's the ricers who shift the gears in their auto's cause they were too impatient to wait around to get a MT car. There's a reason all the seasoned mechanics tell you not to do it. I know my mechanic who has 30 years of experiece in foreign vehicles told me not to. He also told me not to put in the FWD fuse, yet some people around here do that too so....

Why are you running 5w-30? I thought the manual called for 10w-30 or 10w-40? I think you've got oil laying in the cylinder heads....fried rings?

You better take it easy there playing the age card. I consider this the first shot in the flame war - be warned. Personal attacks are NOT acceptable on this board via the rules and agreement signed at registration. Pulling a trailer and driving around normally are two entirely different things. Sure, if you're trying to keep the car from continously locking and unlocking the TC, 3rd is a sure bet. But, that's pulling a trailer, that's not driving around normally. Tell me, why would I want to drive around in 2nd all day long at 30 mph when I can do it in 4th plus lockup? Just for the extra torque? Give me a break. Our Legacies aren't performance vehicles. They aren't turbo (well, most of us aren't) and they aren't small and light. The 4EAT wasn't designed to be shifting back and forth just because the driver wants to have a little extra torque. The 4EAT was designed to get the job done, and shifting it through the gears just to drive it like a stick isn't worth the time or effort. If you want a stick car, buy a stick car. And when you're junking your car because you just had to manual shift it all those times just because you wanted to, and I'm driving my non-manually shifted car with stock tranny at 250k miles, we'll see who's laughing all the way to the bank.

Hmmph, there's plenty of hills where I live and I have no desire ever to shift my car out of drive just to get some power up a hill. Maybe I have a transmission that actually works?

I'm dead serious. Auto trannies are meant to be put in drive and then left alone. There's a reason drive comes first on the selector. Read any manual and it says the same thing: Don't use 1-2-3 unless you need to. Want != need. Besides, there is no performance advantage to putting the car in 1-2-3; it just makes it bind up like a normal manual car. I'm sure that that kind of binding isn't good for the internal tranny components. But, hey, you wanna be slapping in a $500 tranny with $500 in labor because you wanted to shift, be my guest. But, my "Only D" tranny has gone 150k + miles and I attribute that to not having some wannabe ricer shifting it through it's gears just because they wanted to be "cool."

I was gonna say, that car with that kind of damage isn't worth more than 4k.

Smells to me like you need an alignment, badly. And sure you can do it crossways - my manual says to do it as such. FL -> BR FR -> BL BL -> FL BR -> FR

The auto transmission isn't meant to be shifted unless you have an absolute need to; ie. you're stuck and you need more torque. It's not meant to be your plaything because you didn't get a manual car. Put it in drive and let it go. Shift it to 3rd if you want to help it out while you're towing something. Otherwise, don't bother.

Solenoid problems are not nearly as common as clutchpack issues. And then, even those aren't *that common.

I resent that 90-91 Legacy Wagon comment. They're just as reliable as the 92-94. Come on, Doug goes through an engine a week with his courtesy of his SC's, but they keep coming back. And, he has a 90-91 style. The raised roof is just a difference in chassis. I believe those are the "BJ" style (ie. your vin number would start with like "4S4BJ"). They aren't really any different than their BF counter parts. The old trannies aren't bad if you don't beat the crap out of them. The 4EAT isn't that badly designed, it's just that it doesn't like heat. I have a 4.11 Geared 4EAT in my sedan, and it's given me no trouble. I'd stick to finding a 5MT, probably a little more reliable than a 4EAT, but that's not saying that the 4EAT is a ticking time bomb or anything.

Timing != Emissions failure. Timing = crappy running engine. I still think they're something up with this mechanic of yours.

http://www.subaru-svx.net/forum/showthread.php?t=19868

The engines from 90-94 look a certain way and then the 95-99 look a little difference from those - it's hard to explain. The serial number will tell all though.

AWD doesn't stop hydroplaning; slowing down does. Hydroplaning comes from when your car's tires can't displace enough water to keep the rubber directly in contact with the road.