subsince77

Well, we got the differential out, and it really does look good. There is no damage to the bearing or case. I don't know why this happened, maybe the ring clip got worn down and let it slip. At this point the plan is to get two rebuilt axles and new clips and put her back together. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this site and all of your input. I'll let you know what happens when we get it together sometime next week.

I wrote and asked him, no response yet. How would you tell by looking at the differential which one it is?

Thanks, I emailed MWE. I am 3 hours from Denver, over several passes, but that's a great place to have them shipped from. When I say it popped out, it popped loose past the clip and disengaged form the differential. It didn't fall to the ground or anything obviously. But yeah, that is my concern, why did this happen. I maintain my car well, and listen for unusual noises all the time. There was no warning that I could tell. I am inclined to just replace everything, but money is an issue, so if all I need is axles that's what I will do. What should I check on the differential?

It will be out tomorrow. I'm not the one doing the work, but it is a good friend of mine. So far all we could see was a little wear on the outer edge of the carrier, the inside feels fine. We could do any checks that you suggest. I might as well ask at this point what anyone thinks of NAPA Axles. Subaru says they don't reman rear axles only fronts. That means that a NAPA is $66, and a Subaru $414.35. Guess which one I'm leaning toward. Also, if the left axle did seize, would it be prudent to replace both?

Yup. #Ty752VACCA shows 4.11. Maybe I should post this as a separate thread, but after looking at the parts, I can't figure out what happened. I was driving on the interstate at about 72 mph. I went over a very slight rough patch of pavement, no potholes or anything like that, and the rear end started a mild shudder like you would feel from an out of balance rear wheel. I slowed to below 65 and the shudder stopped. I accelerated and it started again. Thinking I might have a tire going flat or something, I pulled over. I yanked on the wheels and did notice a little play, so I thought I had better get off the highway and check it out better. When I would start out in first gear, it felt almost like the clutch was not engaging. I think the transaxle was trying to put all the power to the rear end because the one side was not engaged. Anyway, what had happened was that the left rear axle had pulled out of the differential. We have not disassembled the diff, but even after I drove it quite a ways, there does not appear to be a lot of damage to the carrier. The very end of the axle shaft, beyond the groove for the retaining ring is a bit scarred, but the rest looks fine. The CV’s feel fine. The ring itself was still in place in the diff. So my question is, why would the axle have pulled out like that? I was contemplating just putting it all back together, but I know I wouldn't trust it much. I think I will guy the diff from svxpert, and maybe replace the axle too. Any thoughts on why this would happen? Thanks as always.

Thanks some more to everyone. yes this is a manual transmission, so it sounds like the 4.11 is the one right? I will go over and check the vin# later today.

Thanks for all the info. I didn't know what gear ratio I needed. I'm not sure exactly what happened yet. It won't get torn down until Friday or Monday. I have never purchased anything from this forum. I wouldn't mind buying one from someone here, but how do you verify anything on this site? I will post in the parts wanted area too. Thanks again.

Hi All, The rear differential on my 97 OB seems to have disintegrated. I have not pulled it apart yet, but it went out on the road today. There is much play on the right axel. Anyway, this is a 97 Legacy OB with 194000 miles on it. It has been a great car with no HG issues, or anything else for that matter. It is still running very strong, and I plan to do the 100,000 mile work soon (for the second time) to see how long I can run it. Assuming it is the differential, would I be better off with a junkyard replacement, or a new or remanufactured one? Can anyone point me to a good source for a used or reman diff for this car? I am in Colorado. Thanks

I have a 97 OBW w/ 190,000 on it. I am pretty sure the brakes have never been done, but for sure not since I bought it with 93,000 miles. I pulled the wheels yesterday, and I still have over 1/2 the pad left all the way around. I live in Colorado and do lots of up and down hill driving over big passes, as well as small steep hills around home. This is why i like manual transmissions and subarus.

WOW! That was exciting. I didn't expect that much smoke, and for that long. I went ahead a drove it after the 5 minute soak. It smoked for several minutes. All of the smoke was from grey to mainly white though, no black. That is with 190000 miles on the car. It takes a lot of shorter trips now, but it has had a lot of highway miles. We live in the mountains, and it is a standard, so it gets reved and worked all the time. Climbing passes for 20 minutes at 4000 rpm probably keeps it fairly clean. It did not seem to have much actual carbon build up. Thanks for all the help. This forum is great.

Perfect. Than you. I guess I will also work on my searching skills.

I have searched this forum for instructions on exactly how you put Sea Foam into the intake. I couldn't find anything. Is there a particular vacuum hose that you would use to suck into all four cylinders at once on a 97 OB 2.5? If this has been explained previously, maybe you can point me to a particular post. Thanks.

I have had multiple mechanics tell me this job is impossible without removing the engine - that is bull. I am not great mechanic by any means and I have done it twice on my 97 OB. Its a pain, and it shouldn't be, but it is easily doable per the instructions above with a bit of patience. Besides, i like to gloat about the fact that those guys are SO wrong.