tci_w2d Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 dealer said forester differential and transfer case was bad and could cost $4500 to repair. does that sound right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 What are the symptoms? Did someone drain the transmission and forget to refill it? While many here are going to say $4500 sounds like a lot of money, remember: R+R trans is 6.5 hours. (650 dollars average) Fluid is around $50 if the good factory fluid is used. Just a syncro or bearing, and there are MANY inside the case, is 30-50 and many times 95-125 each for the bigger parts. It adds up in a hurry. The Viscous unit (the most expensive part of what they are calling transfer case) runs 550-700 depending on year. Then the labor to rebuild the trans is usually 12-18 hours depending on how extensive you go. An estimate that high is not uncommon and honestly not surprising. The dealer has to play the better safe than sorry route and replace all the wear items in the case. On the other hand, have them put a used transmission in. I don't know what year your car is but usually one can be found on car-part.com from a local salvage yard for less than $1500, maybe even half that if its older than 2004 or so, and labor again, 650, puts the total at way under half the redone transmission. I personally don't think there are very many master certified techs that have passed the transmission exam so I would probably go with a low miles used one before paying double for one that might not be put together perfectly. Even if you do find one that is certified and good at them, they are often rushed by the service writer, manager, and more money making work orders. Thats assuming the dealer has all the factory required tools on hand (many don't know where all of them are) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 yes and no. it sounds right for a dealer price quote, but sounds like a terribly incomplete information to let you assess your options. it's a huge job and parts to repair are going to be really expensive. not surprised about the price tag. but very few people would ever do that, there are far better options. a cheaper and simpler solution is to replace the transmission with a used one. you can get a low mileage and warrantied transmission for far less than that. have all the fluids replaced and torque converter and rear output shaft seals replaced before it gets installed. save the rear extension housing of your old trans for future torque bind issues - the Duty C solenoid and clutch packs in particular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tci_w2d Posted March 15, 2011 Author Share Posted March 15, 2011 thank you! great advice. the year is 1995 and he said because the vehicle had different tires on it (my bad, I didn't know), the differential an/or transfer case could be the cause of the rattling clunking noise. it's my daughters car and it's old so i don't know if i should give it up or put the money into it. recently replaced timing chain too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 (edited) Forester wasn't offered in 1995 - can you clarify what year it is or if it's another make - legacy or impreza? Yes, mismatched tires can hose the transmission. Sounds like you already have it diagnosed as a front differential failure. How sure are you that this is right? I'd replace the trans. They don't fail often so that means they're cheap since there's low demand. For instance here's two in texas at this number: 915-877-5353 $200 tested with warranties! great price. I'd buy 5 of those before paying crazy amounts for a rebuild/new on such an old car. Local trans shop where I used to live charged $150 to install your trans. So for $350 plus maybe some add ons for fluid, hoses, etc you're done. You should clarify what year/make so we can make recommendations on transmission as not all subaru trans will have the same final drive ratio to match your rear differential. A forester rear differential isn't the same as any Subaru vehicle made in 1995 so that's why you should clarify that info. You could even fix it essentially for free if you wanted to entertain the idea of running it rear wheel drive and thereby not even "using" the front diff. I make no claims how long it'll work but it's an option for crazy people. Edited March 15, 2011 by grossgary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tci_w2d Posted March 15, 2011 Author Share Posted March 15, 2011 lol. Not sure if i'm that bold. The Forester is a 1999 and I bought it used 4 years ago. Thanks for your help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 i would get a second opinion. it may just be torque bind. is it an auto or a manual trans? what are the symptoms? if an auto, have you tried putting in the FWD fuse? more info please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 15, 2011 Share Posted March 15, 2011 i agree, you may want to verify the diagnosis but giving us some details. forums like this can be more efficient than mechanics at diagnosing something since we're extremely versed in Subaru's. i joke that i can address anything Subaru related and nothing about anything else. those two $200 transmissions at that number are in TX and from 1998 Foresters. may want to verify that it'll work in your vehicle but i believe they will. there were some changes at some point, I just can't keep straight when. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tci_w2d Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 Sorry for the sketchy details ... i'm new to this forum, but figured it was a good source for info (and proved to be true). It's a 1999 Forester, manual transmission, purchased used from CarMax about 4 years ago. I got it for my daughter in college and it now has 130ish miles. I recently had to replace the timing chain and replaced the clutch a couple years ago. She took it in to the dealer for a 130 mile check-up and because it was making a clunking noise. It's always been a rougher and noisey than my outback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 If it's clunking when doing tight turns in parking lots, it's probably the center diff. You can replace the center diff without removing the transmission. A decent independent shop should be able to do it without much hassle. Putting a brand new center diff in shouldn't run much more than $1200. Mismatched tires will not hurt the front or rear diffs, it's the center that takes the strain and overheats it's limited slip component, the viscous coupler. If it gets overheated enough, the plates warp and it binds and releases making a clunking during turns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tci_w2d Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 thanks very much. good to know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tci_w2d Posted March 16, 2011 Author Share Posted March 16, 2011 Here is what the dealer is saying now: He said it's a problem with the transmission. A nut on the back if the main shaft (I think) put pressure on the bearings so they need to be replaced and that's what made the rattling noise. Replacing them is $1400. There are small oil leaks all over the engine so the engine needs to be sealed for $2500. That seems expensive for just replacing bearing and sealing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted March 16, 2011 Share Posted March 16, 2011 time to find a different shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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