notnowles

I definitely could feel the stripped speedo gears trying to connect when I had the screwdriver inserted into the key slot in the top of the gear in the trans. My FWD light did come on when I put in the fuse. I suppose I could have another problem, but I am skeptical, because the 16 flashes did not occur until the speedo quit. While I suppose a solenoid issue could have been cooincidental with the speedo gear's demise, it doesn't seem that even my luck could have been that bad! Moreover, when I drove it today on errands, the speedo needle would occassionaly flicker to life momentarily, then drop to zero. (Those stripped gear teeth making contact occassionally, no doubt) On the runs when that happened, the next start up I would not get the 16 flashes. Most of the runs, there was no speedo activity, and sure enough, the 16 flashes would return upon the next start up. So, any signal from the VSS, even if it's momentary, seems to eliminate the 16 flashes on the next start up. Probably put about 100 miles on it today, city and highway, and felt no ill effects from the AWD. Car shifted perfectly, ran smoothly, and with my GPS, I was able to gauge my speed. I will think about doing the repair, but am still leaning toward looking for a better example of a similar vintage. For those who have done it, is it a huge amount of work to get into the gears once the tranny is on the floor? Like I said, I have done an AWD Audi A6, but not a Soobie. Also, someone told me that I should buy a car no newer than 91 if I want my engine, etc. to be potential spares for the new car. Does this sound right? Thanks again to all for your help, encouragement, and words of experience!

I did just confirm that FWD fuse installation does not eliminate power to the rear wheels, but it was a nice try, and thanks for the suggestion.

Okay, thanks!

Okay, thanks. When I install the fuse, I'll jack it up and see if all wheels turn, or just the front ones. What you say makes sense, though, because the TCU isn't really controlling things at this point. I can't find anything in the owner's manual as to what fuse to install. Any idea as to what amp fuse I should try? Thanks again.

Thank you both for the explanation, and the suggestion on the fuse installation! Actually, the fuse installation might well be the ticket for the time being, until I figure out what I am going to do. If the body were better on this car, I wouldn't hesitate to do the fix, but it's rough (the car was supposed to be my winter beater) but I have already spent a lot of time and a fair amount of $ fixing this, that, and the other thing, and at some point, you have to back off, and that trans tear down is big. I don't know how difficult a job it is to R & R the trans on this car. I have done it on an AWD Audi, but not a Soobie. Meanwhile, I will probably watch for a better example and plan to use my car for parts. Any ideas as to what years most mechanical things on my car would fit, i.e., how new a model would my components fit? Thanks again for the information already supplied!

Thanks for the info that I would not damage the car by driving it. Someone said that the car might get into a torque bind situation (not sure what that is, actually) because the car would be in a 50/50 mode all the time w/o the speed sensor input. To be sure, I had power to front and back wheels when I had it jacked up today and was checking the speedo gear for operation. I have no idea, though, what the power distribution was. So, you are saying I'm not going to hurt the car by driving it as is. That's good to know. I'm not clear on what changes the bias from FWD to AWD and how much the trans computer has to do with it. Thanks again for the helpful information.

Just thought I would post a follow up to say that I have checked the speedometer gear in the trans on my 90 Legacy, and the gear is, indeed, stripped. It had me fooled because it would turn a little bit when I moved the car back and forth, i.e., I would note the position of the gear, move the car, and look again, and invariably, the gear position had changed. However, with wheels off the ground, the gear only turns a little bit, then stops, and when I do it with a screwdriver, and hold the handle, I can feel the stripped teeth trying to engage. So, the moral to the story is, I think, if you have a car with a speedometer cable, you would do well to remove the intermediate drive unit and inspect it to be sure that it is not on the verge of seizing up and shearing off, because in my car's case, the intermediate drive not only broke, but the gear(s) stripped in the transmission, too. The little unit is easy to dismantle, clean, and lubricate, as I did with the used one that I bought in a parts yard. I cleaned and lubed with moly grease and a drop of oil, and had it turning smoothly and sweetly, but to no avail, as the transmission now has an internal problem. I have no doubt that the seizure and breakage of the drive unit is what caused the gear teeth in the trans to strip. I am uneasy about using the car very much, lest I totally ruin the trans,(so you're probably thinking: so what if you ruin it at this point?) given that the AWD bias is different w/o the speedometer cable information being available to the computer and transmission. In my car's case, it will go to "winter standby status" for use when it snows and the AWD is useful, as the body on it is not good enough to warrant the time involved in fixing the trans problem. And, I will keep my eyes open for a similar vintage example, in better shape, so that I can ultimately scrap my car and use it as a source of parts. If I do get one of similar age, though, the first thing I am going to do is service that speedometer drive before it seizes! Thanks to all for the help and advice. You're a great group of people!

Thank you both for the helpful suggestions. It's interesting that the bias is toward AWD now. Somewhere I read that the AWD would not be engaged if the speed sensor wasn't working. So, good to know about the danger of driving on dry pavement. I will get a front and back wheel on one side off the ground and look at the gear inside with the trans engaged to see if the speedo driven gear is turning. Someone else suggested that I didn't need to have all 4 wheels off the ground, just 2, which I presume is because my car is too old to have limited slip. It's an unusual set up with the speedo driven gear secured from the inside. I have replaced that gear on other cars from the outside, and have found that it is usually held in with a snap ring or set screw. And with both the driving and driven gears being nylon/plastic, I suppose either/both could be stripped. I'm sure Subaru had their reasons for doing it the way they did. The photos are cool. Now I know what the gears look like! Thanks again!

Hi, I'm new here, and a relatively new owner of a pretty old Legacy that I acquired from a friend/original owner. I have posted my problem on another board, so if this is redundant for you, I apologize for that! The "intermediate" speedometer drive unit that screws into the top of the transmission case seized and snapped. I replaced it, pulled, lubed and reinstalled the cable, but have no speedometer function with everything reconnected. I tried the cordless drill attached to the speedometer cable, and sure enough, the speedometer works fine. Someone kindly suggested that I jack up front and rear on one side, run it, and see if the gear in the case turns, which I will do. I rather suspect that there is a problem with the gear inside the trans, though, and I have not been able to pull the vertical gear up and out of the trans. I see a small steel plug pressed into the side of the differential housing in line with the vertical gear, and I am wondering if there is a setscrew behind it which retains the vertical gear. Maybe the trans has to be pulled and dismantled to remove the gear? I realize it could be either the vertical gear, or the big one that is on the differential. I am also getting 16 flashes of the "Power" light on start up, which is new. I read here that the speed sensor for the trans is in the speedo head, so perhaps that explains the 16 flashes. What does the 16 flashes indicate? No AWD, or weird shifting pattern? It seems to drive okay from what I can tell, though I have not driven it a lot since the speedometer quit. I know this is a long post. Thank you for reading so patiently! Les