smidogg

WAAAAAAAAY TOOOOO MUCH! I was fortunate enough to score a 1998 Legacy L wagon for 2000 that had torque bind as the only problem. Obviously the fix was a VC. Also the turning in figure 8's only works on an automatic First off you can get the VC from Jason at Auburn Subaru 1 866 528 5282 for about 460 dollars. Be sure to get the extension housing gasket that goes with it for about 2 dollars. The repair is actually fairly simple if you are mechanically inclined. Drain Transmission Pull off Exhaust Pull off Heat Shield Pull off Drive Shaft Disconnect Shift mechanism and Transmission bracket Tilt Transmission down Remove Extension Housing from back of Transmission Replace VC Repeat in Reverse. The VC literally pops right in and in not a complicated thing to do. Luckily you dont have to actually do any transmission work. I was fortunate enough to Have Gnuman from this forum help me out and got the whole thing done for about 700 dollars and now my car turns like a dream. You can ask Gnuman as he is on this f0rum quite a bit if you want more detail. I would remommend getting the part yourself and find a local shop with some soobie knowledge. Should only take about 4 hours labor. Also be sure that the old seal on the extension housing is fully cleaned off before you put the new gasket on. Smitty

The last time I looked at the brakes was about a month and a half ago when I bought the car and they looked almost new. I'm not hearing a clicking noise just sqeaking so I don't think it's a CV boot. It definitely has the sound of a squeaky rubber/ brake noise, very similar to a loose belt sound.

I drive a 98 Legacy L Wagon. Recently I have noticed a rhythmic squeaking noise coming from my front left wheel. However it only happens when I turn the wheel to the right and am going forward. It does not happen when I go straight or turn left, or in reverse. It happens even if I am just slightly turning the wheel right to change lanes etc. It is not a grinding noise and is definitely rhythmic to the speed that I am going. It also happens at all speeds. Now I have been camping several times in the past few weeks so I'm thinking that dirt may be a cause somewhere. I am also aware that this might be indicitave of a bearing or brake problem. What do you all think?

I just called and left you a message. I am very interested in your services. Thanks Smitty

Its funny that you mention that. I just got a quote from Downtown Subaru to do the job for about 850. I'm still looking to get it down to about the 600 dollar range. Anyone know if there are special bushings and seals that come with the VC that I should mention if I start shopping Pick n Pulls?

Ill be sure to research the milling thing a little more. At first I figured it would bolt right on now I will have to make sure.

Rumor has it that there in no need to drop the tranny. All you have to do is disconnect and drop the drive shaft, also the exhaust, then remove the old VC and bolt the new VC back on to the Transmission. (obviously a very brief description of the job) One guy I talked to said there was some milling involved as well. Any truth to that?

Cool I just sent him a PM Since you are in the bay also, do you have any other recommendations on good mechanics?

No It can definitely be removed. Its bolted on to the back of the transmission. It is however not a serviceable part so when it goes, it has to go.

Hello I have determined that I need to replace the Vicious Coupling in my 1998 Subaru Legacy L 5 speed AWD to eliminate my torue bind problem. I have already replaced the tires and flushed out the differentials and this is the final step in the fix. My question is this What should it cost me to have this done. How much is the part (VC) and how much labor does it take. Also would it be worth my while to buy the part used? I have already been quoted 480 dollars for the part and between 7 and 12 hours for labor which would be about 1200 dollars total (way out of my budget). Is this the ballpark that I should be in or can I get it cheaper? Thanks in Advance Smitty:banana:

Yeah not having those symptoms. Im gonna give the VC replacement a try. Thanks Smitty

Thank you so much for the piece of mind on this issue. I know that the timing belt was replaced at 71000 miles so I'm good to go there. So I will go get the VC replaced in a few days and I will give you an update. Also just to know, what are the signs of a bad differential? Thanks again Nipper

Hello There are 117000 miles on the car. I am feeling a pulsing and binding when I make sharp turns at low speeds in forward and reverse. Also when in reverse, the car moves fine until the wheel is turned past a certain point, then it binds. So if I back out of my driveway in a straight line, then there is no noticeable problem. I don't mind replacing the VC as long as that is going to fix the problem. I don't have the money to replace the entire drive train so I want to figure out if this is the last step in eliminating the Torque Bind Demon. Also how would I go about making sure the differential is alright. As I said I have drivin it in the dirt and on windey roads and the AWD functions perfectly. Im assuming that is a good sign.

Hello Everyone Here is My story. After a couple of years of saving I just purchased a 1998 Subaru Legacy L Wagon 5 speed , which is also my first car in 5 years. When I purchased the car (for 2000$ with 117,000 miles) The reason it was so cheap is that it had obvious and severe torque bind. First thing that I did was change the Tires (they were totally bald), this resulted in a substantial (95%) improvement in the binding, but it was still there especially in reverse. Next step was that I flushed out both of the front and rear differentials. This also helped a little bit. So from what I have read on this forum the next step in solving this problem in the MANUAL transmission is to have the Vicious Coupling replaced. So my question is this. What would be the next thing in the drive train to go AFTER the vicious coupling? What I want to be wary of is doing another 500 dollar repair and then still having this problem. Or is the viscious coupling the last place that binding will result from and after replacing it the problem will be gone. Also is it indicitave of another problem that it is worse in reverse? Also it will bind wheather or not the cluch is in, is that normal for this problem? As far as I know the transmission is fine (shifts in and out of all gears, up and down, no problem), I took it on some windey roads and even a little off roading and the AWD seems to function perfectly (couldent get even a squak out of the tires on fast and tight mountain turns and no tire slipping on steep grades on gravel), and there is no whining from the differentials. As far as I can tell the rest of the car is in killer shape! So what is all of your advice. Should the VC replacement fully fix this, thus having me make out with a killer deal on this car. Or should I just sell it again, save more money and get another subie. Thanks in advance