SubaruFred

What brand tire is it? I've seen this same wear problem with cheap tires and fixed it with better quality tires. My daughter's Corolla had terrible scalloping on the rear Pep Boys tires so we had the alignment checked and it was in spec. Replacing the Cornell tires with Michelins solved the problem. Not saying that this is your problem but it's one possible cause.

I've known for some time that my duty C is failing and it's time to replace it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't work. What I need first is a parts list and some suggestions on where to buy them. This is for a 93 Legacy LS with 177k miles. I figure I should replace the clutch pack while I have it apart. Anything else I'll need besides the following: clutch pack duty C solenoid rear trans case gasket (or RTV) exhaust manifold gaskets (2) 4 qts ATF Thanks in advance!

It's hard to beat the $25 ebay catch cans for a starting point. Here's what I did for my turbo Scion XB: http://scionlife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=193244&highlight=ghetto+catch

Okay, 2 months later and I feel pretty confident in saying that the failing alternator was a contributing factor but not the root cause of my Suby's torque bind. The binding is back, just not as often. Although for whatever reason it has been more prevalent recently. A failig duty C, dirty ATF, 175k miles of wear all play a part, IMO.

It sounds pretty far-fetched, doesn't it? I won't be at all surprised if the TB re-appears but at least for now it's gone. The only info I can add at this time is that I've felt and heard the duty C fail numerous times and it was always at idle speed when the alt wasn't charging. Perhaps the failure wasn't the duty C but the TCU. Perhaps the weak alt was only one contributing factor in the TB, perhaps not even that. Time will tell.

I still haven't replaced my suspect duty C solenoid but recently my alternator failed. Since replacing the alternator the duty C has been working fine with no more TCU failure codes in almost 2 weeks now. Makes me wonder if the duty C might have been failing under low voltage conditions and once the TCU sees it fail, it defaults to 50/50 torque split mode. FWIW I heard and felt the duty C fail numerous times previously under low-voltage conditions. I knew the alt was weak due to dim lights that grew brighter with rpm but I never thought that the charging system could cause a transmission problem. I'll report back if and when the torque bind re-appears.

If you're going to use 2nd gen rear top hats it's a good idea to run some 1/4" tophat spacers in addition to slotting the strut tower mounting holes since the 2nd gen top hat dome is larger in diameter than the strut tower chassis opening. I used 1/4" spacers from Paranoid Fabrications.

The reason I bumped this old thread is because I was searching all day for info on adjusting my 93 Legacy headlights and couldn't find what I needed. I finally found a useful, albeit incomplete, thread at Legacy Central. On each lamp housing there are 2 beam angle gauges (hor & ver), two 8mm/#2 phillips adjustment screws and the 5mm allen head screw in the horizontal beam gauge. The outboard 8mm screw adjusts the vertical beam and at this point I'm not sure what the allen screw and inboard 8mm screw adjust. Obviously one or both adjust the horizontal beam angle but I haven't confirmed it or found that info anywhere.

Wrong.

Just thought I'd share my new cat-back exhaust fabbed by Greg at Mandrel Bending Solutions in MD. This is nothing fancy but it sounds great and flows better than oem. Greg cut the oem 1.75" pipe just after the first cat and ran 2" 16ga aluminized pipe back to a turbo muffler and polished 304SS tip and removed all the loose heat shields. Not bad for only $200. 409SS and mandrel bends would cost more, of course. BTW, my main purpose in posting this was to plug MBS. If you live anywhere near Pasadena, MD and need custom exhaust work, these guys really do top notch work. They made a sick mandrel bent 409SS exhaust and custom aluminum intake pipe for my turbocharge 08 Scion XB. I highly recommend them and especially Greg.

Don't waste your time, money and a non-renewable resource. ATF, like motor oil, is highly detergent and the discoloration is from the fluid doing it's job and suspending contaminants. You can't judge it's condition by the color alone. You really need a UOA to know for certain. Changing motor oil more often than every 5k or ATF more often that 30k is pointless and a waste.

Thanks. If my car outlasts these Falkens I'll probably go with 27's for the next set. Hopefully 27x8.5x14 will still be available then.

I've seen photos of the MPT housing disassembled but no DIY guide and the only reference I have is a worthless Haynes repair manual. Anything would be appreciated. The more I think about the random, intermittent nature of my TB problem the more I am convinced that the primary culprit has to be the duty C. Any of the other possible causes would result in more consistent TB issue. Thanks again.

I'm so used to having only one car that I often spend a lot of time speculating on needed parts prior to attempting any repair. I have to remind myself that I now have 2 cars and a motorcycle and can afford to have the Soob down for a week or more if necessary. At this point it's time to order a duty c, remove the MPT housing and see if it needs anything more. Thanks again for sharing your experience and knowledge.

FWIW, 98-02 Forester struts also fit. The Forester fronts are identical to 96-98 OBW struts and the rears are 3/8" shorter. The result is that the Forester fronts will be 1.125" longer and the rears will be 2" longer than stock Legacy struts. I recently put 2000 Forester struts on my 93 Legacy wagon and it sits pretty level with a slight rake to the front. But I used Forester top hats, slotted the mounting holes and used 1/4" strut spacers so YMMV a little. My car had a recent alignment and the front camber bolts were set fairly close to max negative camber already so I simply set them to max negative camber and in back I used a floor jack to lift up on the rotor hub to acheive max negative camber and then tightened the bottom strut bolts. I haven't had an alignment done and don't plan to but I've yet to have a problem with too much negative camber on any car (usually too little), the car tracks straight as an arrow and I'm monitoring tire wear. Good luck.

I've read other mentions of this case wear problem at Legacy Central but this is my primary source: http://www.legacycentral.org/library/torquebind.htm I've also noted that Rock Auto sells a "extension housing repair sleeve" for 93 Legacys. I readily admit that I'm finding a lot of this random www info to be confusing. The author states that pre-95 soobs are not affected by this case wear issue but also that the case wasn't sleeved until 97+. So does this issue only affect 95-96 AWD 4EATs and if so, why are 92-94 4EATs without sleeved cases immune? Thanks for your help.

I'm convinced. Thank you for the info on the EJ engine family.

I didn't realize that this swap could be accomplished utilizing all of the original OBDII sensors, intake, MAF sensor, injectors, etc. In that case the only change will be the ECU seeing reduced load due to the reduced MAF to the smaller engine. In theory this could affect the ignition timing a little or cause AT shifting issues since the ECU is calibrated for the larger engine's MAF. The knock sensor will still offer protection against spark knock should the ECU advance the timing too much. I don't even know if the Soob ECU handles TCU functions as it does on my Scion. Anyway, I actually know a great deal about Toyota/Scion OBDII engine management systems but very little about Subarus so I'll just watch and learn. As long as you can keep all of your original sensors, I suppose it should work. I assumed that the intake, throttle body and possibly the fuel injectors might be different but it sounds like you have that covered. "SFJ2.2VJGFEK" is a partial VIN (engine family) I got from a list of OBDII compliant 1995 autos. I posted a link to it at the bottom of my post but here it is again. It may be incomplete. http://www.obdii.com/connector.html Good luck with the engine swap.

You mention "boost", are you turbo-charged? If so check your wastegate and blow-off valve.

I know but it's also the best thread I've found thus far on the subject and I have a necessary interest in it. Hoping to Frankenstein the thread...

AFAIK the only OBDII compliant Subaru in 1995 was the SFJ2.2VJGFEK Legacy with AT. Since the difference between OBDI and II is primarily the ECU, wiring harness and diagnostic interface I can't see how a OBDI engine could work with a OBDII ECU without changing the ECU and wiring harness. http://www.obdii.com/connector.html

Thanks yet again Grossgary, you continue to provide very useful insight and advice. I was thinking along similar lines but with very little soob experience or even high-mileage auto experience, it really helps to hear opinions from someone with more experience. At this point with the weather getting better and my bad-weather/dump-run car needed less and less I suppose I can afford to remove the MPT assy and ascertain it's condition first-hand. I know I need a new duty C but if I end up needing more I could have the car down for a few weeks while I acquire parts. Replacing only what I really need to makes good sense at this point. It might be a few weeks but I'll post back with my findings and photos after disassembling the MPT assy. Thanks Jack. I'm pretty sure that my duty C is failing but what is the purge valve you mention? To all: I've read that early 4EATs had a design flaw that contributes to torque bind. This flaw being an un-sleeved shaft support in the MPT housing that requires a steel repair sleeve after so many miles. One source even stated that this flaw was the cause of most early model torque bind by allowing hydraulic pressure to develop on the MPT clutch pack after bleeding through the worn case shaft support area. Any truth to this?

Watching... bump

A few months back I bought a 93 Legacy LS wagon with 170k miles on it. The transmission works fine except for intermittent torque bind. With the FWD fuse installed, TB is minimized but still appears randomly. It appears to me that the duty C is failing or that other wear is allowing line pressure to develop on the transfer clutch pack. So far I've added 8 oz of GM LSD additive - no change Drained and re-filled 5 qts of ATF - no change Added 15 oz of Trans-X to possibly free-up the duty C - no change Given the high mileage I suspect that this is not a case where subsequent ATF changing will help but I could be wrong. The old ATF looked and smelled great with no discoloration or burnt smell. I'd like to fix the TB as economically as possible but would rather spend more to do it once than risk an unknown used MPT assembly from a bone yard. I'm considering the following options but am wide open to suggestions: 1) R&R transmission with a lower mileage used unit 2) R&R MPT assy with a trusted used or rebuilt unit 3) Re-build MPT assy with new duty C, clutches and repair sleeve the case 4) Keep changing ATF and hope that it helps 5) ??? I was going to re-wire the FWD circuit to a switch as others suggested but now that the TB is appearing intermittently even in FWD mode, I've shelved that idea. So what do you guys recommend? I'm especially interested in buying a known-good used or rebuilt MPT assy, suggestions on where to buy a rebuild kit or parts and any info on installing a repair sleeve into this old style housing. Will a later model MPT assy work? I'm a bit concerned about the condition of my clutch hub having seen many photos of badly grooved hubs as a result of TB. I'd hate to have a rebuild kit in hand only to open it up and find that I also need a new hub assy. TIA.

Thanks! Would you recommend the Fuji-bond over Permatex hi-temp copper and the right stuff (black epdm)? The right stuff worked beautifully on my Scion's oil pan and I've been using Permatex hi and ultra-hi temp copper for years now with good results. Also, if I may ask your ex-Suby-tech opinion: Is it worth spending $300 to re-build only the awd transfer part of a 18 year old 173k mile 4EAT or should I consider other options like a used tranny?