96 OBW lurches backward after shutoff

[Moodybluesr]

I just picked up a '96 Outback and it has a couple of issues. It has an automatic trans and seems like it is binding up a little bit as the wheels turn in, with quite a bit of binding noticable at full lock. It also has an issue I haven't experienced before in any vehicle, which may be related: after the car is stopped and put into park, when I turn off the ignition the car lurches backward. Mind you, this is AFTER I have put it in park and it has been sitting still a few seconds. Very odd. Anyone with any similar experiences? Transmission mount maybe?

[Suzam]

You didn't tell us how many miles are on the car, however your binding could be a symptom of torque bind, you can use the search function on the board here to find out all sorts of info about it. It could also be something else like a bad CV joint.

 

Are all the tires the same make, tread wear and at the correct pressures?

 

If they are a quick test is to put a fuse in the FWD fuse holder under the hood and see if this stop the binding.

 

The lurch you feel is possibly the normal play in the drive train relaxing after the stress is relived from all the connections. Do you use the parking brake?

 

Keep us posted on your progress.

[johnceggleston]

my guess is that you do indeed have torque bind and the lurching backwards when you shut it off is torque being released when you sut it off. try shifting into neutral for a second before you shift into park. this may release the bound up torque.

 

but you will want ot read up on torque bind, left uncorrected it can cause damage to your trans and axles and may cause tire wear.

[Suzam]

my guess is that you do indeed have torque bind and the lurching backwards when you shut it off is torque being released when you sut it off.

 

Exactly, we used the term "Wind-up" for the true 4wd plow trucks when you ran them on dry roads. The gearing for the front truck axle is slightly faster than the rear by maybe 1/100th so the front tires always tracked or pulled to help keep the trucks straight. Not a problem on slippery surfaces but on dry the binding was excessive. The stress on the axles, CV and U joints can damage the parts causing even more repairs.

 

For AWD the transfer case (when working correctly) has enough slippage so there is no binding or wind-up.

[Moodybluesr]

The tires were indeed pretty crappy and the wrong size (though all four were the same) so I replaced them today with four good tires I had sitting around off my RS. This seemed to smooth out the symptoms a little bit, but they are still present. The tranny fluid looked a little diluted and the a/t temp light blinked at me today for about 10 seconds afetr a warm start. I am going to replace the tranny filter and fluid along with the rear axle fluid and see if this helps anything out.

 

BTW, the car has about 148k on it, and this is the first Subaru automatic I have had to deal with. I had a '95 Legacy AWD auto before this one and it had no issues. To tell the truth, I usually only buy stick shift, but this one was such a good deal I figured I could make some $$ off of it.

Edited September 25, 2009 by Moodybluesr

[johnceggleston]

the a/t temp light blinked at me today for about 10 seconds afetr a warm start.

 

the blinking AT TEMP light means there is a code for a trans problem, since you have torque bind, there is a 99.99% chance that you have a bad duty c solenoid in the transfer clutch extension housing. put a fuse in the FWD holder under the hood and see if the problem goes away. (this will test your duty c.)

 

I am going to replace the tranny filter and fluid along with the rear axle fluid and see if this helps anything out.

 

replace the fluid, but if the duty c is bad you will have to replace it, get it and 2 gaskets for it online, less than 90$.

 

do not touch the so called filter. it's really just a screen and you have to pull the pan to get to it and there is a better than average chance your pan gasket will leak afterwards.

 

but if the duty c is bad you will have to replace it, get it and 2 gaskets for it online, less than 90$.

Edited September 25, 2009 by johnceggleston

[kirbykirb]

Your transmission is going to die.

 

Duty Solenoid C is toast man..start pricing out cheap transmissions..since you have a outback you need a transmission with TZ102z2ABA-CH. This will be located on the bell housing of your transmission, you can see it right below the starter.

 

You can do the transmissiwon work in a good afternoon, make sure you buy lots of fluid and get some lucus oil, it'd make the new transmissiion last forever.

 

 

 

I found ebay is the best place to get a transmsision from, since every junkyard near me (bought 3 transmissions near me) decided to sell me broken transmissions (worse then mine which wouln't even at this point engage gears due to torque bind).

 

 

 

I did this 4 times,

[Bigbusa]

The lurching doesn't mean your tranny is going bad. It means you have a major case of torque bind.

 

Like everyone else said the surging is just your drive train "relaxing" after you turn off the engine.

 

 

KIRBY - did you just drain the ATF right on the driveway?! WOW! What a mess! I'm surprised your neighbors didn't call the EPA on ya!

Edited October 16, 2009 by Bigbusa

[nipper]

my guess is that you do indeed have torque bind and the lurching backwards when you shut it off is torque being released when you sut it off. try shifting into neutral for a second before you shift into park. this may release the bound up torque.

 

but you will want ot read up on torque bind, left uncorrected it can cause damage to your trans and axles and may cause tire wear.

 

What he said. Also start using the parking brake if it bothers you.

 

Make sure the tires all match and are of equal wear.

 

 

nipper

[2.5GL]

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=78467&highlight=torque+bind

 

Try this thread for starters. Good pics of the problem areas, and steps to fix it. The tranny will be fine. It will not die on you (at least not because of the torque bind). As always, same tires, same size, correct pressures. Duty solenoid c is most likely at fault, but the clutches are sticking as well. That should be addressed at the same time.