Vic MacB

Just a follow up on my torque bind issue. I waited a month and did a third AT fluid change complete with additive. This approach has been recommended by several people on the board, so I tried it. I can happily report that the problem has disappeared. the Tranny feels excellent. Thanks for all your suggestions. Anyone else who is experiencing this problem should consider changing their tranny fluid three times with a few weeks between changes before spending the $800-$1000 for the new clutch packs... Thanks

I too have an SVX and they are the best-kept Subaru secret there is. The more you drive it the more you love them.,

I did some slow turns today an it was still there but hardly noticeable. The second change was not a flush just a regular drain I believe.

Ok I did get a chance to drive the car a little this morning. Initially I thought it was perfect. No torque bind in simple cornering. Even tighter corners at normal speed felt perfect. On my return trip I noticed a slight (very slight) bind on a slow sharp turn. So I am hoping it will continue to get better and completely go away. But I realize that the opposite could occur and that the problem will get worse. Time will tell here but it is, for the time being about 99 per cent perfect. On an earlier post someone asked if I was getting any warning lights on the dash. The answer to that is no. No warning lights at all.... I think there is hope that this will go away only because the car had no symptoms until the AT fluid was replaced. If it had earlier symptoms and the tranny fluid change made it worse I would think an immediate clutch pack would be in order but because this seemed to be caused by an AT fluid change, I am more confident that it can more or less correct itself... Car has 147,000 Kilometres... Thanks I'll keep you informed over the next few weeks. Fingers crossed

Ok latest update. I took the car back to the garage, sent them a number of your comments. They changed the AT fluid a second time and put some additive in and my daughter reports that the torque binding is gone. I have not had a chance to test drive it yet but I will tomorrow and report back. Might have gotten lucky with this one.... thanks... keeping my fingers crossed.

Thanks for all your responses. I have taken a selection of them and emailed them to the garage. Will let you know what happened. The car will go to the garage tomorrow to see if we can solve the problem with some quick and dirty solutions. If not, I plan to let my daughter drive it in FWD for a while until I can afford to get the repair done properly at the Subaru dealership...

ok I inserted the FWD fuse and the problem has gone away. The FWD light is on on the dash and the binding seems to be gone... Just a note: i took the car to work this evening and there was a little snow storm while I was at work. Holy smokes what a difference. I have been driving Subaru AWD for more than 10 years and I basically have not driven any other car. For the first time in ten years I was very tense coming home. The car's wheels were spinning like there was no tomorrow and the rear end just did not have that secure feeling I get with AWD. When you have it you really don't realize how bad it is for everyone else...

Thanks guys. Farely low milage at about 140,000 kilometres on the car. I did not take it to a transmission shop, just my local garage where they do most of the work on the car. They suggested a tranny fluid change and since the car was in I figured it wouldn't hurt. I'll try the fwd fuse and see how that works. I've read to change the fluid two or three times in a row to flush out all the old fluid and crap so I think I'll get that done first and maybe try an additive. If that doesn't work it's off to the dealer for the real work... Thanks guys

I've gone back and read all I can about Torque Bind. I have a 97 Legacy that seemed perfectly fine until I got the transmission fluid changed at my local garage. Ever since then I've had a torque binding problem on turning. It's my daughter's car so I did not know about it until about two weeks after the problem started. While the car was at the garage the mechanic also changed the cv boot which was ripped. My questions: A) Could the transmission fluid change cause the problem? Could changing the CV boot introduce a problem? C) What are the best inexpensive fixes. Without seeing it the Subaru dealer suggested the clutch packs shoudl be replaced. Right now there are no warning lights etc, Just some torque bind on turning. D) How much damage is caused by ignoring it? Thanks

That's the one... It won't stay on and, yes, it's quite heavy if it fell on your head... Vic

I will look more closely tomorrow but it could be exhaust smell or something burning off the engine but there is nothing really obvious. I wonder if it is coming from the radiator??? Sorry I can't be of more help. I will check it tomorrow.. Vic

Hello folks I'm new to the site. Just wondering if anyone else has had a problem with the ball socket on the Legacy wagon hatch latch. One of mine on my 97 Legacy wagon has come off and will not stay on.... any ideas, quick fixes or similar problems... Also on both my 96 and 97 wagon (but especially on the 96) I get an odd odour from the car once it is warmed up. It's very apparent if I'm stopped at a light and noticeable from outside the car when I turn the car off. Thanks Vic