xMalonex Posted November 20, 2015 Share Posted November 20, 2015 Hey everyone, just bought my first Subaru. Didnt really know a lot about them before i bought it. Found out a couple days after i bought it that the FWD fuse was in so i took it out after seeing it in a hanyes manual, immeddiately noticed torque bind/shuddering at low speed turns. Me not knowing alot about subarus thought it could be timing belt/ power steering issues. looked online for info found a well renowned shop near seattle, took it there and had them take a look at it. Was told its was the transfer clutch and the duty solenoid that were causing the problems. My question is, Is there any one that can recommend a place to get the parts, i dont have 800 bucks that shop wanted for doing it, im pretty sure i could do it myself if any one could point me in the right direction that would be great. As in what i would need and general guidance on the procedure. Thanks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtdash Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 (edited) Hi, Welcome the USMB. Since the FWD ELIMINATED the torque bind (TB) your fix is mechanical not electronic (Duty C)...your Duty C is working and doesn't need replaced...but you might want to anyway while you're in there. HOWEVER...unless the previous owner told you (doesn't sound like they told you much!), try changing ALL the ATF before anything else. Buy 3 gallons of ATF Dexron III-compatible fluid. Drain the pan, Fill it to the proper level (this can be a PITA), Drive it a few miles/minutes, and repeat 2 more times. Drain, Refill, Drive, Repeat. This refreshes 90+% of the fluid out of the transmission AND the Torque Converter. If you've still got TB......keep reading. search on here for Torque Bind and you'll find lots of threads and pics to show you what needs done. Basically the rear transfer clutches need to be replaced or fixed....I fixed mine and it worked great. Edited November 21, 2015 by wtdash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 what dash said. change the fluid. tip: reading trhe dip stick can be difficult. if you measure the fluid you remopve and add that much back with each frain and fill, you will not have to depend on the dip stick . also, be sure you KNOW the location of the AT dip stick and the front diff dip stick. good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xMalonex Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 Thank Guys iil try the drain and flush, i get back to you if it helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyhorse001 Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 First things first... Look at your tires! If they are mismatched, or not worn evenly even a new duty c and transfer clutch wont fix the binding. For the time being, you can run in fwd mode with the fuse. Always start simple! If it turns out you need to rebuild the clutch, is fairly straightforward, and doesnt require removing the trans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtdash Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 (edited) just to be clear, I don't advocate power or chemical FLUSHING of any Subaru trans after 100K - just drain, refill, drive, repeat x 3 . Too many times i've seen it cause other issues....due to the seals in the trans failing, etc. TD Edited November 22, 2015 by wtdash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xMalonex Posted November 24, 2015 Author Share Posted November 24, 2015 Thanks wtDash, John I'm not going to be able to start any kind of work on the car for a bit, trouble with the fam. And crazy horse the tires were all same brand/size all same pressure when I got the car from the gentleman who sold it to me, although there's no telling what was one the car previously Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xMalonex Posted December 12, 2015 Author Share Posted December 12, 2015 Alright guys, ive tried the drain and fill. still the same. also i tried putting my fwd fuse back in and now the light in the dash doesnt come on at all and i still feel the binding Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgambino Posted December 12, 2015 Share Posted December 12, 2015 That's weird....check the connection and test that fuse The other guys have more experience with T bind than me but let me tell you my experience with it I bought a 95 legacy knowing it had TB. Of course I had hoped the draining and refilling of trans fluid would miraculously solve the problem (along with 4 new tires) It didn't So, I just kept the fuse in and drove it in FWD----when I needed AWD (if it snowed for a day) I just pulled the fuse.....yes, kind of a PIA....but keep reading So all this spring/summer I kept the fuse in and would occasionally do another drain and refill now and then About 2 months ago I decided to put a toggle switch on the lower dash---running 2 wires to the fuse holder in the eng compartment In this way I can toggle in and out of AWD from the drivers seat....wooohooo I hate the TB on dry pavement----always makes me feel like I am doing more damage By using it only when it's slippery out......there is nothing harmful happening..... So I expected to use this for the coming winter......but.....After installing it, I flipped it into AWD and lo and behold the TB was totally gone The lesson here is......it took AWHILE for my clean fluid to do whatever it needed to do.... So unless you really love the idea of dropping the rear ham part of the tranny and going thru all that work......you could try this idea and see what happens in 6 months Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xMalonex Posted January 2, 2016 Author Share Posted January 2, 2016 Im Young i have the patience of a squirrel who cant find that nut he hid last winter, ive done the drain and flush twice on the second attempt i went in search of a mr miyogy at a local subie dealership he advised i should invest in a mopar lsd fluid ( some kind of dodge magic tranny fluid) told me to put that in and ride it out. should help. Unless the inevitable is in fact inevitable, i think im going to have to face the music and replace the solenoid and clutch pack Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogchild Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Hey all, I have a 1998 forester with AT. My at oil temp lite came on so giving me torq bind as well. I read some posts and changed the filter and fluid but nothing changed, It drives fine for a while then the lite comes on and I get TB. All my tires match but when i had someone else roll the car forward i saw that my rear passenger rim was slightly bent, i imagine that is where the problem originated from. I bought the car about 8k miles ago and it must have happened prior to me owning it. New rim and transfer duty solenoid and clutch plates right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 Hey all, I have a 1998 forester with AT. My at oil temp lite came on so giving me torq bind as well. I read some posts and changed the filter and fluid but nothing changed, It drives fine for a while then the lite comes on and I get TB. All my tires match but when i had someone else roll the car forward i saw that my rear passenger rim was slightly bent, i imagine that is where the problem originated from. I bought the car about 8k miles ago and it must have happened prior to me owning it. New rim and transfer duty solenoid and clutch plates right? Rim doesn't have anything to do with it. You drove 8,000 miles so far, as far as the car is concerned that rim isn't that bent. Is the car otherwise shifting and driving normal? Read the transmission codes. There's a secret handshake you can do to get it to flash the codes for you. look that up. With the light coming on on it's own I'd guess the Duty C is failing. But best to diagnose. Does the FWD fuse work and alleviate the symptoms? If it doesn't work then the Duty C is failing - the flashing AT light likely suggests it's the Duty solenoid. If it does work then the Duty C is good and I'd definitely want to read those codes before proceeding. Otherwise Normally torque bind when the FWD fuse works means the clutches are sticking. Change the fluid more than once. One drain and refill only gets about 1/3 of the fluid out of an automatic transmission. This won't help a failing Duty C though, so ideally you read the code first. All the tire sizes, tread depth, and pressure match/are correct? make sure there's no funny wiring, dented transmission pan. The bent wheel suggests something may have happened and torque bind showing up a little while after driving at the same time as the AT light flashing isn't the most typical presentation of torque bind. Otherwise yes replace the clutches or Duty C, or both. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
analogchild Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 All tires & rims match across the board. I'll run diag & get back. Thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aztropic Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 I'm in the same boat but duty solenoid C appears to have failed as it had a fuse in FWD when I bought it and upon turning the key on recently ,I got the 16 flashes of death for the first time and immediate torque bind. My question... Since I live in Arizona and have no need for all wheel drive,would it be a good "fix" to just remove the rear half of the driveshaft and use it as a FWD car only? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 I'm in the same boat but duty solenoid C appears to have failed as it had a fuse in FWD when I bought it and upon turning the key on recently ,I got the 16 flashes of death for the first time and immediate torque bind. My question... Since I live in Arizona and have no need for all wheel drive,would it be a good "fix" to just remove the rear half of the driveshaft and use it as a FWD car only? Sure you can do that. There's no need to remove the driveshaft. If you do remove it you'll have to find a way to cap the rear output otherwise all your ATF dumps out on the ground. Keep in mind (your, shops, or other drivers) if the fuse blows or that circuit is otherwise compromised, it won't drive or it'll be ugly if it does move. I would install a switch for the FWD fuse so you can select FWD or "locked" 4WD for grass, mud, snow, etc. it's nice to have that traction sometimes even if you don't go off road or in the snow. be sure to rotate your tires frequently if you see the tires wearing faster. i've noticed i wear tires much faster on the front driven tire when running a SUbaru in FWD for extended periods. but i'm in the mountains and frequently stopped on a steep grade while turning so the tires are very prone to slipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtdash Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 (edited) IDO...it looks like the '98 is a 2-piece driveline (unlike the earlier(?)) all-in-ones. So removing the rear section should work? And the front section keeps the fluid 'contained'? Edited February 5, 2018 by wtdash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 5, 2018 Share Posted February 5, 2018 IDO...it looks like the '98 is a 2-piece driveline (unlike the earlier(?)) all-in-ones. So removing the rear section should work? And the front section keeps the fluid 'contained'?Oh yeah if it’s two piece that would be the easy way, as you said leave the front half in place for fluid containment. 2000+ are one piece so I guess 99 and earlier are two piece and 2000+ are one. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aztropic Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Did some reading yesterday and this is definitely a good fix for the automatic transmission cars with the 2 piece driveshaft.Just remove the back half of the driveshaft and drive it forever as a FWD.(no FWD fuse needed) Now a new twist that nobody seems too sure of an answer. If this was a manual trans car,and you removed the back half of the 2 piece driveshaft,what would happen? Since the manual trans transfers power through a sealed viscous coupling instead of clutch pak,would it even be possible to drive the car? From what I've read,it sounds like the viscous coupling would try to transfer more power to the rear and destroy itself in the process. Anyone know for sure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 6, 2018 Share Posted February 6, 2018 Yes as already stated here you can remove the driveshaft. 99 and earlier are two piece, it’s only 2000+ that are one piece and more of a pain to cap the rear output shaft. It’s nearly pointless to do so. You can also remove the rear diff and axles. Knock the outer cups of the axles off to install in the rear hubs. I’ve done all that before as well. With an MT center diff that has torque bind you can also remove the rear driveshaft and it’ll function as FWD. or remove the front axles for RWD. As to doing it to a properly working MT I don’t know that wouldn’t make any sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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