PsyFan

Sorry, I should have mentioned before but I had done the tranny drain fill thing actually four times and it really didn't fix the problem. It operated well until the first road trip and then the light began flashing again. All of the tires are matching, same size, same inflation and near new. It wasn't until a week after the diff fluid change that it went into front wheel drive and has stayed consistently there. I do hear some noise when turning right which leads me to believe the right front cv shaft needs replaced. Would that cause this problem? I understand that it could cause the torque bind like symptoms but would it cause the tranny light to flash? Maybe I should take the fuse out and just see what happens?

My '97 Outback was experiencing torque bind symtoms after long trips with the tranny flashing multiple times. I put a fuse in fwd and did not go into fwd which was explained to me that meant the duty C solenoid was shot. I changed the front diff fluid and it continued to act up for about a week and now it has been running in fwd for over a week consistently(I lef the fuse in there accidentally because it wasn't doing anything anyway). What does this mean now? If I take out the fuse will the awd system function now? The old diff fluid was low and really dirty, could it be possible that the new fluid just needed awhile to clean stuff up in there for it to start working correctly?Thanks for any help or advice!

Yep. It didn't always do it when I first bought the car but the last road trip put it over the edge so now it does it every time. I got a quote from a local tranny shop for $900...the dealership wanted $1600-$2100 for the same thing!

Would you also recommend replacing the clutches at the same time then? Is that a neccessesity while doing the solenoid? The diff oil was dirty but did not exhibit the metalic flakey residue.

$800 isn't nearly as bad as I had feared. Thanks everyone!

I will definately have to go to a shop. I've just moved to Minneapolis and don't have a garage right now. Anyone in the Twin Cities know of a good shop I could go to?

Wow! That sounds really cheap! What kind of shop did you go to?

Thanks for the info. How much on average should i expect that repair to cost?

My 1997 Outback is experiencing what sounds like torque bind. I did the drain/fill 3 times on the tranny and that seemed to help but I was doing mostly short local drives. After my first longer drive, the symptoms returned so I then changed the front diff fluid. The symptoms are less severe but still bad. The tranny does shift much better now, though. All tires are the same brand, size and inflation. I then put a 20a fuse in the fwd holder and the car did not recognize it. After a couple of days the car did finally start and indicate fwd on the display panel. All symptoms were gone in fwd mode. However, the next day the car doesn't recognize the fuse anylonger and it hasn't since (about a week). The fuse is still good so I'm not sure what this means for my car. Also, can the rear or center diff be the cause of this binding? I haven't changed the fluid in those (or is there just a center?) but I will gladly if they could also be the problem. My trans light flashes repeatedly on startup and now the binding is present even when cold. Thanks for your help.