1998Legacy outback trans/diff problems

[RussellW]

my car started making a faint grinding noise which sounded like it was coming from the rear of the car,only heard when in first gear,going slow.The car is an automatic.I found the caliper slides on one side stuck.The rotors looked pretty bad as far as rust and cleaned and lubed everything.It still had a faint noise but no problems.I let my wife take it to work one day and she told me when she pulled into work it felt like it lost a gear and didn't want to move.I drove it and I didn't have any problems for a while.I replaced the trans fluid and diff fluids,putting a synthetic blend in diffs.The car has 186000 miles.I drove it for a while and went to back out of a parking space and it didn't want to move,pressing the accelerator,it jumped and stopped,like I had a binding in a differential.I got it home and in my gravel driveway,backing up,my right front tire was locking up.The inner cv boot has been torn for a while on the right front so I figured the joint had failed.I replaced the axle.The problem still exists.I put it on jackstands and ran it.At first it was bound up but became free.I got under it and listened while in drive,reverse and neutral.A noise is coming from the area of the front differential,even in neutral.I cannot find information on possible problems or a transmission manual.I have rebuilt auto transmissions of different makes and I am willing to do this myself but I would like to know what I'm getting into.Any information would be helpful.

[idosubaru]

Odd indeed. Sounds like your front differential is having issues, I have seen that happen before.

 

If that's the case the easiest and cheapest solution is to just find a used transmission. They're reliable enough that the cost of rebuilding is sort of pointless considering how many inexpensive used transmissions there are. $200-$500 probably for a used one.

 

Replacing the front diff is tricky and I've seen new front diffs fail, probably because other stuff was damaged during the first failure?

 

Keep your old transmission or at least the rear extension housing in case you ever have torque bind.

[RussellW]

Can someone explain what torque bind is?Also,what tags and numbers do I need to know when looking for a transmission.I heard that my transmission is specific to 98&99.Thanks in advance.

[Rooster2]

Can someone explain what torque bind is?Also,what tags and numbers do I need to know when looking for a transmission.I heard that my transmission is specific to 98&99.Thanks in advance.

 

I don't think that you are limited to a trany of specific years of 98 & 99, other years should work. I have both a 98 and 99 OB wagons. The tranys may inter change, I am not the one to ask. However, they are not exactly the same. The 99 has an external ATF filter, the 98 does not, and I have heard the bolt up may be different, but still do able.

 

Also, the 99 and 00 model years only, have an inherent sometimes issue of delayed forward engagement when stopped, that can be addressed by putting an additive in with the ATF. Because of that, if it were me, I would shy away from installing a 99 or 00 auto trany.

[idosubaru]

In 1998 the transmissions had a slight change in design - they incorporated a screw on external filter and the bellhousing changed.

 

But - otherwise the earlier transmissions will swap just fine, the bellhousing change still lines up the necessary bolt holes, makes sense once you see it. Nothing special to it.

 

And the 98 (with external filters) are no more reliable than earlier models which are very robust in design so I wouldnt' worry about it having a filter or not. Frankly the additional risk of a punctured filter is probably less then the risk of having a transmission without one.

 

Torque bind is when the 4WD mechanisms fail and cause the transmission to be in "locked" 4WD. notable "binding" around sharp turns, vibrations, jumping, hopping - all things associated with a 4WD vehicle on pavement if you've ever experienced that. It's caused by poor tire rotation, mismatched tires, not changing the transmission fluid, or improperly towing the vehicle.

 

Since these vehicles are 10+ years old and there's no way to verify previous maintenance (unless it's a one owner of course), a spare rear transfer housing is nice to have - it includes the Duty C Solenoid and rear transfer clutches, both of which cause the torque bind issue. And it's an easy enough repair, transmission doesn't even have to come out.

[johnceggleston]

Can someone explain what torque bind is?Also,what tags and numbers do I need to know when looking for a transmission.I heard that my transmission is specific to 98&99.Thanks in advance.

 

the part number on your trans bell housing at the starter is TZ102Z2DBA. the ...DBA was used in 98 outbacks and a very few 99s, not many. the ..CBA was used in 97 outbacks, and the ....ABA was used in 96 outbacks.

 

you can use any auto trans that has the part number on it starting with "TZ102Z2" all of these are the same in the outback, GT and LSi (except the speedo drive gear) . the last 3 charactures in the number indicate what year or version it is and what car it was installed in (AA is legacy, BA is outback and CA is GT. the AA, BA, CA also indacte the speedo drive gear you have, they are all slightly different based on the stock tires).

 

i deally you gae an outback trans, there are lots more of them than the others, but you can use a GT or LSi trans if you find a deal.

 

basically any trans will work 96 - 98 as long as it comes out of a 2.5L car. they had a different final drive than the 2.2L legacy.

 

hope this helps.