torque binding issue

[nosajh9]

i just bought a 95 impreza l 1.8 with an automatic transmission. the car has 98,000 miles on it and was very well maintained. i bought it for $2300 (they wanted $3200) from a subaru dealer in cleveland. anyway, that stuttering in tight turns was the only thing that made me kind of hesitate to buy the car. i asked the dealer why it does that, and he claimed that most older subarus do that, and that it is "normal" in an AWD car. i decided to wait on buying the car so i could ask some people if this statement was true, and if AWD cars do this. a friend of mines dad has always owned subaru cars and said that his have all done this and that it shouldnt be a problem. he said that when he asked his dealer mechanic, that they told him to change the transmission fluid and do figure eights in a parking lot to help "seat" some bull************. another friend of mine has a 96 impreza and said that hers does the same thing. a guy i work with has an audi quttro, and said he gets the same stuttering effect in his AWD. i bought the car after i felt comfortable with what everybody said. i figured it was normal, never have driven AWD before. anway, the car has been great, runs real good, and is very clean inside and out. this stutter on the tight turns is a little bothersome though, because im still not sure if this is normal, or if every tight turn i make, im slowly destroying my tranny. ive read alot on the boards, and it sounds like this torque binding thing. from the other posts ive read, some people say this really isnt a huge issue, while others say it is destroying the transmission. also, some say to just change the tranny fluid and add some additive to solve the problem. others have said that it is a $800 job and you might as well go get a new tranny and put it in. im confused! btw ,the car shifts fine and its only a slight stutter on sharp turns at slow speeds. anyway, heres a few simplified questions:

 

1) is this a huge problem that i need to immediately have checked out. is my transmission about to go? is it safe to drive the car?

 

2) when changing the fluid, do you have any recommendations, like fluid to use (weight etc..,) and how to flush. i have read some say that power flushing is bad. also, whats the additive to use (name,brand etc..) that other posts have mentioned. is it worth changing the fluid? mine looks very clean as is.

 

3) i have read that the clutch packs going bad are what create torque binding, how big of a job would it be to replace these myself?

 

4) when i bought the car, i wasnt planning on doing mods or upgrades, just change the oil and drive daily 15 miles to work. is this torque bind something that i may be able to deal with through the life of the car, or is it something that will progressively get worse over time? i really dont want to dump money into it if its not really a big issue. like i said, the transmission shifts smooth , and the car drives and runs very good.

 

if you have read this far, i gotta give you props!! :disco:

 

if you could help me out by passing on some advice, that would be greatly appreciated. links, advice, pics, anything! thanks alot, jason. nosajh9@aol.com

 

 

[All_talk]

Try a search for "torque bind", If you dont find what you need I'm sure we can fill in the blanks.

 

Gary

[Midwst]

The tranny, if an automatic uses only Dexron ATF III.

I personally recommend drain/refil thre trans fluid repeatedly every few days for a total of 3-5 times...rather than a power flush. Others would disagree.

Rest of info you need can be found under "torque bind" search.

It may be cheap and easy to fix...but absolutely you need to try and fix it, otherwise you will damage the tranny. Try tire and fluid fixes first...more info under "torque bind"

Sorry you were given such poor information elsewhere.