wally

i'm aware of the outback, and when it began. my point was that the chart, which i believe was linked from somewhere on this site, has some decided inaccuracies. mine is not an outback, via the VIN. just a plain old legacy L wagon awd. thanks for the link that you provided. i should be able to find something via that. wally

ok. not familiar with the specifics of a forester. i guessed that the unit would be the same as the 1st gen legacy, since the forester is a 98, rather than a 2003 or later. my bad.

update: haven't got around to replacing the vcd or the transmission, just driving it in front wheel drive. however, 4th gear is becoming problematic, as it now pops out frequently when letting off the throttle or coasting. in using the "transmission chart", as i read it, my 95 should have a transmission with code TY752VABAA. however, my actual transmission has the code TY752VAAAA. the chart claims this is for a model year 94 outback, but mine is a model year 95 legacy. the diff ratios are different. i thought i had 3.90, but according to the chart, i have 4.11. interesting.

pretty sure that would be the viscous center diff, located in the rear of the transmission. and it has fluid, thus the "viscous" descriptor, although it's sealed.

the vcd has failed. it won't get better, only worse. eventually, it'll be locked even when cold. mine began failing at appx 185K, but i didn't pull the rear d/s until appx 230K (primarily because i didn't correctly diagnose the problem until that point).

95% odds that it IS the viscous center diff. symptoms you describe match what i've already been through with my legacy. i removed the rear half of the rear driveshaft and have been driving the car in fwd for over 8 months now.

sounds just like the symptoms my '95 went through over the last 2 years. replaced the pump, no effect. replaced the rack, no effect. removed the rear driveshaft, and the hard steering disappeared completely. viscous center diff was the culprit. steering became difficult at any position, and the wheel wouldn't return to center while moving. in fact, it wouldn't straighten at all unless forced. i know that sounds unlikely, but i've been there, done that.

especially since 98% of driving involves driving, rather than braking. :-\ i will continue to disagree about four wheel abs in subies for winter driving. it isn't safe. i might buy into it if only the rear wheels were anti-lock, but with all four wheels equipped with the feature, normal winter driving becomes much more risky than when using a non-abs equipped vehicle. 25 years of winter driving without abs has convinced me of this. i didn't disable mine with any fake fuses or a switch. i just unplugged the unit. the light on the dash is lit. i run snow tires in winter (hankooks and now winterforce) and all-season the rest of the year. another reason i dislike the abs is that the driver's side front sensor popped off on a road trip, destroying the axle boot, since the dangling sensor kept hitting it. that didn't further endear the subie abs system to me. for dry pavement, perhaps even wet pavement, the abs is probably better for most drivers. wally

no. i don't drive the abs-equipped subarus any differently than the non-abs equipped cars during the winter. i drive them ALL differently in snow/ice conditions than in dry pavement conditions - slower. speed isn't a factor. the poor design of the abs system is. i don't care about going, as i can virtually always get the vehicle moving. what i care about is stopping, and the subies with abs don't get it done.

are you actually losing fluid? is the level low in the reservoir? i believe, based on what happened to my car, that you are experiencing the early indicator for a failing vcd. your description and checking of things fits what i went through a few years ago, culminating in my removal of the front section of the rear driveshaft earlier this year. back then, the car had approx. 195,000 miles. the clutch was slipping badly, and it was due for a timing belt. so, i did the belt, new clutch, and put in a steering rack. clutch worked (and still works) fine, while the steering issues didn't change at all. for the most part, the clunking/shuddering was intermittent over the next 1.5 to 2 years, until the whole driveline began to exhibit binding whenever i tried to turn sharply on pavement. now that the driveshaft has been removed, the steering issues disappeared. i've put about 10,000 miles on it since removing part of the driveshaft. wally

the subaru abs system, at least in the 1st gen legacys, is garbage. i disconnected it the day i bought it, in 1999. this applies specifically to those who drive in snowy/icy locations. i don't care about dry pavement. if you can't stop on dry pavement, with or without abs, you shouldn't be driving. the two subarus i've driven with abs, my '95 legacy wagon, and my grandfather's '96 legacy wagon, are the only two cars i've ever driven that were virtually impossible to stop under the circumstances/conditions i usually drive in the winter. period. my '75 jeep cj stops better in the snow. my frigging '48 dodge 1.5 ton dump truck (which weighs close to 10,000 lbs) stops better in the snow with drum brakes front and rear, and a single chamber master cylinder. my wife's '97 corolla stops better in the snow. and since i've disconnected the abs in the legacy, it stops better than when it left the factory. my previous '81 subie DL wagon, '84 renault fuego, '67 bug, '84 accord, '87 accord, '85 dodge d-50, '52 dodge pickup all stopped better in snow. it's a flaw.

it'll be easier if i can look for models outside of '95, thus the original question.

specifically the tailshaft coupler on the 5 m/t. it has failed at 235K. not bad from my point of view. failure via binding/locking. difficult to drive when turning, especially when pulling into/leaving a parking space.

need to replace the vcd on my 95 legacy (5 m/t). i'm going salvage yard hunting for a used unit first. my question is what year/models will have a vcd that interchanges directly with mine? thank you for any leads. wally