it F'n figures!!!

[MilesFox]

would you know it, we finally get some SNOw, and now i CHUNKED a front axle...again. the other side this time. back to RWD..

 

oh well, donuts are still fin. i was going to put the back tires on the front, the front being bald, would have made for some fun 4wd.

 

but wit the broken axle, i will leave the best tires in back(185's) and put some better 175/s on the front, no 4wd

[Warp3]

That leads me to a question I've been wondering about. The PT4WD system simply locks the two axles together, right (unlike the FT4WD and AWD systems which have VLSD center diffs)? So if I were to remove the front axles and shift into 4-Hi, would I simply have RWD? or are the front axles used for locating wheel suspension parts?

 

I've been kinda wonder what my PT4WD RX would feel like in RWD (should be pretty fun with the clutch-type LSD in the back) and if it's that simple, I may give it a shot sometime (not permanently...though it would probably do better at autocross that way than it would in FWD mode (especially with no front LSD)).

 

Oh and sorry to hear the bad news, dude.

[subarweinie]

man that sucks thats like what happend to my S-10 2wd it starded getting good snow then the oil pump went out and seized up my motor. i hope you get it fixed so you can go play hhhuuu wish i could play!!!

:madder: :madder: :madder:

[Subafreak]

Yes, if you take out the front shafts and throw it in 4wd or 4wd lo you get a RWD Subaru. I did this to my BRAT after snaping 3 axles and bending the the front diff axle stub:(

 

The trick is you need to cut off the outter axle shaft stub and put it back in the hub or obviously your rotor will fall off.

 

I have a RWD RX right now, it will burn tire well, and do awsome doughnuts.

[MilesFox]

it broke on the outer end. i just turned the wheel full lock, popped the acle from the stub out with a crowbar, and pulled the doj from the tranny.

 

so now im driving in RWD. i had 185's in back, and 175 in front.

 

so all that waste, it snows and the roads are icy, i slid off the road and bent a rear trailing arm! wheres 4wd when i really needed it???

 

it popped the tire, i had to get a chain and get back on the road, changed the tire, was on my way. car dog-tracked, too scary on the ice. i drove back to butler and pinded out the rear trailing arm besi ti could. so now i have 3 175's, and the odd 185 is on the bent side, to help the car track, drives much straighter, not so scary.

 

what a coincidence, ironic, oxymoron

[Subafreak]

So you you still have one front axle in? Ha, Ha, It seems like RWD Subarus really suck in the snow. When I had my RWD XT a wile back, I had snow tires on the rear and still drove all the way home sideways.

[MilesFox]

RWD aint what its cracked up to be. but i had some fun in the wal martparking lot last night. it would have been more fun with 4wd, so my car wouldnt 180 every time i tried ti turn!

 

tried to get some speed to make some laps, practice my drift, but every turn, round and round she goes> take a turn into a spinout into a donut and keep going!! i'm sure the parked semi drivers were entertained for 20 minutes

[Warp3]

Cool...once winter has passed here, I'm gonna try converting my RX to RWD (and I'll probably keep it that way until next winter).

 

The trick is you need to cut off the outter axle shaft stub and put it back in the hub or obviously your rotor will fall off.

 

So do I need to get two "donor" axles and do this to each side or can I acquire a smaller part than the entire axle for this? I guess I need to call my local Subaru garage and see if he has any broken front axles on hand that will fit an '86 RX...hehe.

 

Thanks guys.

[myossfeece]

You will only need one donor axle for the stub end. remove one axle put the stub in it's place. You can leave the other axle in tact and depending on the year 87 and up the car will behave like a positrac rear-drive. much fun. Not sure if 86 had an lsd or not.! I don't think they had a diff lock. If you do have the diff lock and one axle is removed from FT4WD transmission then you must drive around with the diff locked to achieve the effect of posi rear-drive.

[Warp3]

You will only need one donor axle for the stub end. remove one axle put the stub in it's place. You can leave the other axle in tact...

 

Good point...since the diff is open in the front it will send all the power to the non-existant axle...I'll still probably pull both thought and just hook up two stubs.

 

Not sure if 86 had an lsd or not.! I don't think they had a diff lock. If you do have the diff lock and one axle is removed from FT4WD transmission then you must drive around with the diff locked to achieve the effect of posi rear-drive.

 

Remember: the 85-86 RX models were Part Time 4WD, not Full Time 4WD. If my understanding is correct, PT4WD systems do not have center diffs and shifting to 4WD simply locks the front and rear diffs together acting like the equivalent of a welded center diff. This is why PT4WD is only designed to be used in 4WD mode when offroad or on slippery surfaces.

 

The 1986 Subaru owners manual mentions the rear clutch-type LSD (so it was definitely available that year) and I believe that all the RX models came equipped with them standard.