dmcdlrn Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 Ok, so I have searched on here and can't seem to find the answer to these questions. Will bad things happen if I accidentally press that 4wd button on my shifter while I'm doing say 30 or 50? Is there a saftey and at what speed does it kick in? Can I drive on tar with it in 4wd or is that hard on it like it is with trucks and stuff? And, I see that my car has a light for LOW in the middle of the car on the gauges but yet I have no method for placing it in "low." Is this an option not included in my year or model... or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samo Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 It'll be fine. The pushbutton 4WD system will shift on the fly just fine. Don't drive it in 4WD on dry pavement. You'll bind up real bad - not sweet. You haven't got low range, just high. You can swap in a dual-range transmission, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 Low is only available on dual range trannys. You shouldn't run on dry pavement for very long in 4wd. You can pretty much shift at any speed as long as you're going straight and your wheels aren't slipping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 BTW, dual range trannys have a lever that's separate from the shifter, rather than a pushbutton on the shifter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EYE_WHY Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 Where in Maine are you? Maybe we could go wheelin' sometime! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 Just for information purposes, the reason you don't run on dry pavement in 4wd is that there's no center differential, which means that the front and rear tires theoretically have to run at the same speed. You'll notice if you turn while you've got it in 4wd that the rear wheels tend to push the front, because the fronts are turning at a different rate- a shorter turning radius for the fronts means fewer revolutions over a given distance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorrro Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 My father bought a brand new 4wd Justy in '91. During the test drive he pushed the button doing 50 mph on a very sharp freeway on ramp. That was a bad idea! The car locked up and slid until he managed to click-it again. The salesman said, "That wasn't a good idea........"? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmcdlrn Posted November 23, 2005 Author Share Posted November 23, 2005 Ya, ok, thats basically what I thought on all accounts. I don't need the dual range tranny... not worth the work for certain.. this is just a winter car for me. I hate snow, and I drive a convertible during the summer so I picked this up as a nice alternative to beating my good car. By the way.. I live in Bangor, ME for whoever asked. Thanks guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 I picked this up as a nice alternative to beating my good car. My wife keeps telling me I deserve a nicer car. I tell her this IS my nicer car. I just need to install the turbo and paint it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmcdlrn Posted November 23, 2005 Author Share Posted November 23, 2005 Nice, I like that! Its a good car. After I'm done with it my dad is allready trying to get me to give it to him. Something really nice about a wagon with 4wd... i'm used to a 2 door convertible with NO trunk space and limited passenger space either. Oh, also, I know that 4wd typically has problems on tar due to the turning and fighting between front and rear, but whats the difference between the all time 4wd and my selectable 4wd? Just removes the actuator and welds it shut? This makes it sturdier or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredrogers Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 Part time 4wd dose not have a center diff. This means that when you are in 4wd an equal amount of power is going to both axles. In a Full time 4wd there is a center diff. that lets the axles get different amounts of power. This is why in a full time 4wd on pavement the front and back wheels do not fight each other. But for off-road, the part time is better and this is why some full time 4wd have a center diff. lock. On semi-icy roads the full time is nice because you don't have to think about it as much. -=fred=- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 Full-time 4wd and all-wheel drive have a differential or viscous coupling between the front and rear, so that all the wheels are able to turn at different speeds. Your selectable 4WD doesn't have a center differential. You can't weld anything to make it work as a full time 4wd. You could swap in a drivetrain from a car that has full-time 4wd, but you really don't need to. The Subaru handles fine with 2wd on dry roads, and it's a blast with 4wd in snow or off-road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmcdlrn Posted November 23, 2005 Author Share Posted November 23, 2005 Oh, ya, I didn't litterally mean weld them together, I was making a generalization like it was a solid shaft... I hadn't thought about the differential, but thats obvious now. I have no desire to make it full time.. I was just curious. I'm assuming that these bad boys are really only going to drive one rear and one front wheel if it gets stuck right? Or does it have a limited slip of some sort? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 A limited slip was an option in the rear differential. It's found mostly on the turbo cars, which have a different gear ratio (3.7:1 as opposed to 3.9:1 in non-turbo) but you can change out the ring gear. Some guys have welded their ring gears to make a locked differential, but then you have to remove one of the axle shafts to drive it on the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted November 23, 2005 Share Posted November 23, 2005 By the way, it's really hard to get a Subaru stuck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmcdlrn Posted November 24, 2005 Author Share Posted November 24, 2005 Good! I figure I will, so I hope your right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subie94 Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 By the way, it's really hard to get a Subaru stuck. what about high centering it? that's why you don't slow down,just gas it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballitch Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 ive almost got stuck on many occassions, no i dont have an LSD or a welded rear diff, a lot of driving offroad and in slippery conditions is car placement, if you purposely drive into deep snow or mud, your probably going to get stuck. a major factor is tires. these cars dont have a lot of ground clearance under the body, 6-8 inches sounds like SUV numbers, but its not, these cars are also light, which makes them stay on top of terrain rather than sink through it. that can be both beneficial and detrimental. practice makes better, cause no one is perfect. so get out there and enjoy your 4wd car. ~Josh~ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Funny story time. I spotted a large puddle where a ditch had once been by my house several years ago. It was like 100 feet long and too hard to resist. I knew they had put in drainage pipe, so I figured I'd have some fun. I took one high-speed run through, with huge rooster tails. I would have been fine if I had turned left at the end. Turning right took me right into a part of the ditch that hadn't been filled in (which I couldn't see because it was under water). I ended up walking home and borrowing my wife's van to pull it out. So I wouldn't say it's impossible to get them stuck - just hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Roberts Posted November 24, 2005 Share Posted November 24, 2005 Problem: rear differential (88 GL 4wd 5-speed wagon) got noisy recently, rumbling. This is the wagon on which a previous mechanic (now fired) mistakenly put in a used transmission that had the wrong ratio -- which wasn't apparent til we put it in 4wd, for ten or fifteen miles on a muddly mountain road in a rainstorm, with the rear end slipping sideways a lot (sigh) before the driver realized something was very wrong. Tore up the two rear tires, and the binding also made it almost impossible to get back out of 4wd, she had to bring it to me to grunt on the lever til it banged out of 4wd. Lot of pressure on something in there, twisting because of mismatched front and rear. Just lucky it was wet mud and gravel so it could slip there a lot. I changed mechanics to one recommended by the folks who rebuilt my original transmission -- which is back in place now. The new mechanic has adjusted the transmission, fixed a broken axle boot -- and heard the rear diff start to rumble while testing the car -- even when in 2WD -- grumbling loudly, he's sure it's the rear diff, not the axles -- and says it needs to be replaced. I don't know Subarus. I assume something's turning in the rear diff even in 2wd and damaged. What's the worst that can happen if I use this car only in 2wd? What's the worst that can happen if I use it in 4wd on dirt/gravel, sounding like this? Where I go camping, the only 4wd tow truck charges about $600 (at $125/hour) to pull a vehicle out -- it's a long way to the closest paved road/ gas station mechanic. So the downside of guessing wrong is worse than doing most repairs preventively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushbasher Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 My father bought a brand new 4wd Justy in '91. During the test drive he pushed the button doing 50 mph on a very sharp freeway on ramp. That was a bad idea! The car locked up and slid until he managed to click-it again. The salesman said, "That wasn't a good idea........"? I drive my justy around in 4wd on dry pavement. Hitting 4wd in a hard corner would definitely upset the balance of the car, but it can handle being driven in 4wd. At low speeds it tends to understeer when Im on the gas (letting up will bring the tail around), but once I get up to speed it feels just like AWD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 Hank, you asked what's the worst that could happen. The gears could shear some teeth, which could then get jammed in the diff and lock it up tight. If you're going down the road, that could be a problem. If you're miles from anywhere, it could also be a problem. And yes, the rear diff is turning even when you're in 2wd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zefy Posted November 25, 2005 Share Posted November 25, 2005 if i were you, i'd take out both the rear axles for now... just run it in 2wd... so you can get to a j/y and get yourself a nice used diff... pop the new one in, put the axle back on, and drive to your hearts content... having the rear diff lock up mid voyage would be a problem... i'd avoid it as much as possible... Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmcdlrn Posted November 25, 2005 Author Share Posted November 25, 2005 Where I go camping, the only 4wd tow truck charges about $600 (at $125/hour) to pull a vehicle out -- Dang, I say you start your own tow business and rake in that dough! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Roberts Posted November 27, 2005 Share Posted November 27, 2005 (chuckle) It's in the shop, til fixed --I've had bad carpal tunnel, waited too late and the surgery failed to help, and can't reliably hang onto tools these days; the mechanic should have a differential in by this coming week. Thanks for confirming the worst case was indeed not worth risking. I spent the long weekend caulking leaks in my _other_ camping vehicle, the 1969 Dodge Sportsman poptop camper van. Next, IT goes into a shop to find out if the clunk-per-bump in the right front is a ball joint getting ready to go. That one, I _know_ not to risk driving on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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