nalsalam

I took the car to Jiffy Lube and got a "automatic transmission fluid exchange" for $99, took the FWD fuse out, and the problem is GONE! Tight turns are smmmooooth. Thank you very much. This forum is great.

Thanks, Nipper! Yes, putting the fuse into FWD made the problem go away. So, I have "torque bind". To confirm I took the fuse out and had a friend drive slowly in circles while I watched the rear wheels. I could actually see the shutter in them. I also put a little speed on the car and threw it into neutral while doing the circles. No grumbling when I did. The tires are identical size/brand and have relatively little wear. I'll have to check the inflation. I'll make an appointment to get the transmission fluid flushed. Am I right in assuming that the center differential is in the transmission and that's why I should get the its fluid flushed? Thanks again for your help. It feels good to know what the problem is.

My 1998 Subaru Outback with automatic and 86,000 miles "grumbles" during very tight left and right turns, that is, with the wheel turned to its limits. This usually happens when I'm parking the car. If I avoid the extreme turns, things smooth out and "feels" normal. Any idea what this might be? If so, what kind of bucks am I looking at to get it repaired? Is avoiding tight turns and not getting it fixed a bad idea?