volkswoman

Gnuman............I have heard and seen this a lot in all sorts of VW's. Most recent example was - believe it or not - a weird camper van (early model, not late, and not the standard "Split windshield" type, it was some coachbuilt thing) with the Sube engine. I hadn't ever heard of doing this before seeing this one, but have seen it a lot since then. The Wasser Boxer VW engine is very prone to blowing headgaskets, and that can be a very expensive job to replace! If that isn't a weak point for the Sube, I can see why you'd swap. Now, I've gotta ask: do YOU own a VW??

Ericem: No, I don't think they changed the rear diff fluid, only the one.........wouldn't hurt to do this and make sure. I'll tell my friend. Thanks--

Hi all: Just wanted to post this for my friend and tell you all that he took the Subaru to a dealer here last Saturday for the transmission fluid change. THE TORQUE BIND PROBLEM SEEMS SOLVED! He is delighted, and says to thank you all for your help. There is still a slight bit of residual binding when the wheel is turned hard to the left, but it is very slight and all the rest of the problem is gone. The dealer apparently used a suction device to get the old fluid out. and did not just drain it via a plug. I read somewhere on this site that after such a problem, it might take a little while for the TB to disappear completely after the fluid is changed. Is this true? I'd like to advise him. You guys are the best, you really know your stuff. THANK YOU ALL -- PS: Do you know anything about Volkswagens? haha

Well, yeah, if this has been going on for a year I wondered too. Both of them say it's barely noticeable......we'll see, eh?

OK, just checked with my friend. He now says he can't recall the last time the trans fluid was changed so he is going to proceed with that step ASAP. Also, all four tires are a matched set, so we can cross that off the list. He says you do have to "goose" the car a bit (give it a tad more gas) to get it going when making a tight turn, as in a small U turn or going into a parking space from the wrong side of the aisle. But it is - according to him - a very slight binding, nothing like what sticky brake shoes in a drum (I have old VWs that do this on occasion) would produce. His wife says if you drove the car you might not even notice anything wrong. But it started doing this about a year ago and she doesn't like it because it's not right. I'll get back to you after he has the trans fluid changed. Can't thank you all enough for all your wisdom and help!

Me again---well, guess what. Removing the PS belt didn't affect this problem. It still shudders. Any more ideas, anyone??

Hey guys, thank you much for all the thoughts....my friend is a former engineer himself! Then decided to go to med school.....anyway, I am sure the tranny fluid has been changed regularly. I asked about the CV joints too (had one go bad on my GTi) and he said they checked out fine. Am gonna print all this up and give it to him for reference.....I'll check back in when we have more info.

Hey Nipper, thanks for your answer on this......he says No, he hasn't tried disconnecting the PS and trying it then. He also says he will pay more attention to the tach when it does this and report back. I will get back to you when he does! Thanks again!

I am posting this for a friend and hope someone can help him figure it out. He's got a 1995 Legacy wagon, with 68,000 original miles. It's got power steering, auto trans, no turbo. The problem: the car will shudder and shake in the front end, to the point of nearly killing the engine, when the steering wheel is turned lock to lock. This happens whether you turn left or right, and was first noticed when exiting a parking place. The car has had new engine mounts, and new belts. The alignment checks out OK. Tires and wheels are stock size and type. This man is an ex-engineer (now a physician) who takes exquisite care of his vehicles and this is driving him crazy! Can anyone shed any light on this problem? Has anyone ever had this happen to them? Most importantly, what does he do about it? Many thanks!