Need info on Automatic Differential

[foxgap]

My mechanic is saying that the diff is going in one of our cars,  95 2,2 LS Legacy.  He changed the right axle and for a while the clicking noise went away.  Now it is back on the left side and he changed the axle with a known good one, a rebuilt and a new axle, noise still there.  He had a bore scope put in the diff and found no damage but the noise is still there.  The diff makes noise going straight and on tight turns at low speed and high, but after a while driving the car the noise almost goes away. Driving along the highway or country roads you would not even know there was a problem.

So I am going to look for a used diff and trans just to be ready when the time comes to replace it.  I have found a 97 Impreza 2.2 for parts with a good trans and diff.  Will this work in the Legacy? If not, what other cars will work.  I know that it must be a 2.2 car because of the gear ratio, 4:11. 

One other question.  Can the diff and trans in the car be sent out for rebuild or is not cost effective?  Trans and diffs around here are anywhere between $300.00 to $450.00 at salvage yards but are getting harder to find now.  I hate to buy something at a you-pull-yard and it is in worse shape that what I have now.  Most of the salvage yards will give a 30 day warranty but as you all know the you-pull's  on on your own.

 

Thanks all for your help,   Mark

[bratman18]

Still a decent chance it's the rebuilt axle he installed. They are commonly bad right out of the box.

[BumbleBeast]

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/topic/148220-automatic-transaxle-lubrication-the-differential/

[idosubaru]

aftermarket axles have gobs of issues.  given i'm not even a mechanic and i've seen countless issues i don't know how these mechanics waste all this time on aftermarket axles.  weird.

sounds like you replaced them quite a few times and he tried to make sure those aren't the issue though.

 

does the car have torque bind?  if it's just torque bind then it can be repaired much simpler/cheaper via the rear extension housing Duty C solenoid and/or clutch pack.

 

any 1995-1998 transmission (and 99 OBW/Legacy i think) will work if the gear ratio matches. if you swap the rear diff to match you can use any gear ratio.

 

if the noise is just a bearing you could try and replace the front diff bearings only if you're up for disassembling a front differential. 

[foxgap]

Gary, the diff does not have any torque bind that I feel, other than the clicking noise the Diff and trans works great.   I am going to call the mechanic and see if he will change the right axle again to see if it is possible that the new axle he put in that side could be the problem.  It was a new axle also, not a rebuilt.   Calling more boneyards this afternoon and getting more prices and crossing my fingers.....

 

Mark

[1 Lucky Texan]

make darn certain someone hasn't used the wrong fluid in the diff.

[idosubaru]

generally best to use SUbaru axles - but it would be really odd to install multiple axles without a chance in symptoms so if you already have that's probably not the issue.

 

for used Subaru axles (green inner cups):

www.car-part.com

 

buy an OEM used Subaru axle and reboot it - they'll last 100,000 miles and 10 years every time, aftermarkets no way.

Edited January 26, 2015 by grossgary

[Fairtax4me]

What about rear axles?

If you put the FWD fuse in does it change the noise?

[johnceggleston]

 

It was a new axle also, not a rebuilt.

 

this may be a misunderstanding.

 

if i install a used axle , i mibht refer to it as a ''new one'', since it is new to the car.

like wise a re-man axle COULD also referred to as a ''new one''.

 

plus, i had merchants auto replace an axle for me one time,

(i was in a hurry, it was my son's car)

i checked the box for ''return all parts''

and the final bill said NEW cv half shaft (napa).

i went into the shop and grabbed the old axle after paying the bill,

and i went home.

 

the shop manager called me 30 minutes later saying i had to return the old axle.

i told him i would, but i would then also call his regional manager and the BBB if i did.

he said keep the old part.

 

misunderstandings happen.

 

it is way more likely that the axle, left, right, or both, is bad

than the front diff is bad.

plus, i can't think of a bad diff situation that would cause a clicking sound.

usually a whirring sound.

if the diff has gear oil in it,

i would bet on an axle,

or maybe a backing plate on the wheel rubbing on the rotor.

they are easy to bump and bend when working in the area..

Edited January 26, 2015 by johnceggleston

[foxgap]

I was just out in the snow with the car, pulled out of the drive and the right axle spun just a bit and then took hold, made that clicking noise with the wheels turned to the left.  The sound seems like it is coming from where the axle meets the dif/trans.  Maybe what I ought to do is pull that axle again and get another new one and see what happens.

 

I found a dif and trans at a local yard for a real good price but I am told by my mechanic that it will not work in my 95.   It is a 98 2.2 auto trans.  I do not know what model it came from, but the guy behind the desk says it will fit from his info.   My mechanic says only a 95 or early 96 will fit in my Legacy LS 2.2.   I am totally confused now, who is right?  You guys, the junkyard or my mechanic that all he works on is Subaru. 

 

Thanks for your help as always,   Mark

 

 

[johnceggleston]

 

  It is a 98 2.2 auto trans.  I do not know what model it came from, but

the guy behind the desk says it will fit from his info.

this is accurate, it will work.

 

the 95 ej22 lego has a 4.11 ratio.

you can use an auto trans from any

ej22 legacy, 95 - 98

ej22 impreza 95 - 98

ej18 impreza 93 - 97

 

you can NOT use an auto trans from an ej25 car.

Edited January 27, 2015 by johnceggleston

[Fairtax4me]

Did you try the FWD fuse?

[foxgap]

Fairtax,   did not try the FWD fuse yet.  I am waiting till this storm gets thru here on Wed. before I do that project. 

[idosubaru]

aftermarket axles suck -  new, used, lifetime warranty, etc are all but meaningless marketing jargon.  aftermarket axles have high rates of failures.

that said - if the symptom did not change at all after swapping axles then it's likely not the axle causing it. 

if you swapped it and you went from a clicking to a vibration...i'd say you got another bad axle, but to have identical symptoms would be odd.

 

axles are the same left to right so you can also swap axle left to right and see if the symptom/issue moves with it.

 

but it sounds like your mechanic knows what he's doing and swapping only to have the same symptoms suggests (though doesn't verify) the axles are not the issue.

 

yes a 98 4.11 will install into yours. 

i think some 98's are 8 bolt bell housing instead of 4 like yours - not an issue as they'll still bolt up but something to be aware of during install.

[foxgap]

some news,

I put the FWD fuse in like Fairtax suggested.  The book says use the spare fuse, mine is gone so I do not know what the voltage should be.  I started out with a 10 amp and worked up to a 20 and the FWD light on the dash never came on.  Took the car for a ride and the noise is still there.  So I am thinking the car never went into FWD? 

Checked out the 98 Diff and trans at the boneyard  and the code tag for diff is gone.  I trust these guys so the trans is a backup in case I do not find anything else.

Next thing I am going to have the mechanic do is change the right axle again, the noise still seems to be coming from that side. At this point anything is possible.

[Fairtax4me]

Amperage of the fuse doesn't matter. It's just a signal ground for the TCU that tells it to relieve fluid pressure on the AWD clutch pack.

If the light didn't come on, possibly the bulb is burned out.

The easy way to tell that is find some gravel/dirt and stop, then stomp on the skinny pedal and see if the front wheels spin.

 

If it's still in AWD the wheels may spin just a bit then the rears will kick in and the car takes off. If its in FWD the fronts will just keep spinning.

 

If it doesn't go to Fwd with the fuse in there could be a wiring issue between the TCU and the fuse holder.

[1 Lucky Texan]

AWD right? weren't there some FWD 95s ?

Edited January 28, 2015 by 1 Lucky Texan

[foxgap]

Just took the car out again in the snow with the FWD fuse in, the light must be burned out cause I spun the wheels on the ice just fine without the back hooking up.  Clicking noise still there.  Got a new OEM axle coming for Friday and am going to have it installed.  More news then.

[johnceggleston]

 

Clicking noise still there.  Got a new OEM axle coming for Friday and am going to have it installed.  More news then.

 

suggestion:

to identify which side the axle is bad,try driving in circles first one way and then the other,

while someone stands in the middles of the circle.

which ever direction has louder ''clicking'' ,

that is the side with the bad axle.

 

i recently replaced a really bad clicking axle,

only to discover the other was clicking as well, damn the re-man axles.

so i replaced the other one too.

 

don't waste your ''axle install'' by replacing the wrong one.

Edited January 29, 2015 by johnceggleston

[foxgap]

Ok,  an update for you all. 

I had a new OEM axle installed in the car on Friday and the noise got WORSE. So it looks like the diff is definetly done in.  I picked up a diff and trans from  98 2.2  car on Saturday and it is here in my garage.  Thing is, is does not look like my 95 diff and trans but that is to be expected.  I guess the speed sensor that is on my trans is now internal cause I do not see one on the 98.  I gather this setup is a Plug and Play?  No wireing to be done?  Everything just plugs in and attaches?   Please tell me yes cause this job has been a good headache that I would really like to get rid of.

 

Is there anything that should be done to the trans before it is put in?  Seals? Sensors?  I remember reading about a selinoid in the tail housing of the trans?

 

Thanks again everyone,   Mark

[Gloyale]

98 is a phase II trans.

 

Won't work.  Diffferent TCU entirely.

 

I am skeptical that it's the diff.  Was there any sign of metal in the diff fluid?  Never ever heard one "Clicking" while turning.  That is a CV joint issue.

 

Let me ask....do you have any lift on the car?  Outback or Forrester struts? Spacers?  That can sometimes make axles click prematurely.

[Fairtax4me]

Uhh... If it doesn't look Ike yours its probably not the right one.

 

Speed sensor is toward the front of the trans on the right side (passenger) near the dipstick for the front diff.

Sometimes on a junkyard trans the speed sensors are broken off and you have to remove the broken portion from the hole in the case and put your old sensor in it.

 

I'm also kind of wondering about the "diff and trans" part. The differential case housing is part of the trans and isn't normally removed. Can you post a pic of what you bought?

[foxgap]

There are 2007 Forester struts under it the previous owner had installed.  He is mechanic on the car and I had asked about the angle of the axles when the first one went bad.  He states he has not had a problem doing this swap.  I don't know......

[foxgap]

Ok ,  gonna try to send 2 pics....

[foxgap]