idosubaru

if it's really clogged it'll get noticeably hot, turn red or glow. i've always disconnnected the converter and let it hang there, go for a nice loud spin and see how the car drives. if it noticeably improves then your converter or exhaust upstream of the converter is the problem. if not, bolt it back up and move on to something else. buy an after market converter and weld it on, that's the cheapest route (i think it is, unless OEM converters are really cheap for your car). i bought a highflow converter brand new from a guy for 25 bucks and welded it right up. taking it to a shop and having a bolt in converter put in would have a been a few hundred dollar affair.

i don't recommend messing with the Duty Solenoid C, or other transmission control devices until you're very comfortable with how the system works, how it feels when something isn't working right and have a solid foundation for the transmission and components. if you understand how it works, know how to test it, know what it feels like and what it does if something isn't hooked up right, it's actually very simple. i can lock my transfer clutch and experience excellent 4WD capability. the transmission will bind, buck and hop just like a true 4WD with locked differential. of course you don't want to do that, but it's nice knowing that traction capability is there with the flick of a switch and i control it, not the computer. and even still, i don't think the computer ever goes to full lock-up but i could be wrong. i didn't know much about it and it didn't take long at all to pick it up and roll with it. for instance - if you have a manual trans with DIFF lock you can remove the rear drive shaft and press the DIFF lock button and you'll be in FWD mode because the rear end isn't powering anything, just the front. the rear output shaft is spinning, but it's not connected. BUT - safety concern, if you accidentally press that DIFF lock button and turn it OFF while driving this way, all power goes to the rear output shaft and you won't have any power to the front wheels. that's a serious safety concern that you want to be very careful of as you will basically just start drifting....through and intersection or right in the middle of a turn and you can't get out of the way of oncoming traffic...etc.

jason, yes you can run an automatic in FWD. you would want to disconnect the driveshaft under the car (on older soobs it's only eight 10 mm bolts, very easy to do). they generally have two pieces, you leave the half of the driveshaft that's connected to the transmission because pulling that will allow transfluid to come out. so you pull the rear half of the driveshaft out (asssuming there is one) so as to disconnect the rear drivetrain. then you can install the FWD switch, or even better yet install a switch (like i have) to control the Duty Solenoid C (there are other posts on this subject elsewhere and pictures at www.xt6.net). This Duty cycle controls the lock up of the transfer clutch for your AWD. with the switch you can essentially control it manually, whether it is locked or not. In your case you would probably just cut the wire i think, as that would fully engage Duty Solenoid C. This would lock your transfer clutch, which would give power to your rear wheels at all times, but it wouldn't matter because your driveline is disconnected. in your car probably easier to just install the FWD fuse if you're not familiar with all of that, the FWD fuse won't compromise your transmission if you remove the rear drive shaft because the rear wheels won't be driving it all. if you do remove the rear drive shaft i would put the car in drive WITHOUT the FWD switch in a parking lot, just to see how the car reacts in case the FWD fuse ever blew or got corroded. i would want to know what the car feels like so i can identify it later on if anything like that happened. and yes you can make the car rear wheel drive too, people have done. just pull the front axles and again lock the transfer clutch. i wouldn't recommend it, because i'm not sure how much those rear transfer clutches can take if the car is completely driven through them, but i really have no idea. i don't think you'd notice the gas mileage as you're still driving all the intenals inside the transmission. the rear wheel bearing and diff drag is still present, you'd only be reducing the drag by small amounts, doubt it's noticable. probably save more gas by buying light shoes or cleaning your car out, or removing some needless bolts to save weight.

so now i think i just need to install my own manual electronic controls for this thing. anyone done that? i'll dig into the FSM tonight.

DEFINITELY replace all those items. fuel filter, air filter, PCV valve, and O2 sensor as well. sounds like a long list, but do it all at once and it won't take that long, very simple items to replace. i'd be very surprised if you did all of this and didn't notice any difference. check the timing to.

the rims should be cleaned before installing new tires. were the valve stems replaced with the tires? they can leak as well. bead or valve stem, that's where you loose air. did it just happen once or more often? if they filled it with warm air and you drove the car outside where it's 15 degrees, the air will become more dense and less pressure. remember that PV=nRT jazz. it Temperature goes down, the pressure must go down for constant volume. if it happened more than once, then you have a leak.

if a timing belt snapped due to something getting in the teeth, how would you know after the fact?

done from the top. 475 sounds about right for seals, water pump and timing belts. could be found cheaper, but that's not terrible. make sure he reseals the oil pump properly. there's one gasket and one seal on the oil pump shaft. a nonsubaru specialist could easily miss doing that right. same goes for the cam shaft, behind the seal holder of the cam shaft is an oring that also should be replaced. it comes in a camshaft seal *kit* which includes the seal and oring.

AWD XT6 (this one is not crazyhorses old car, different one) that a guy installed a new clutch in just before i got it. he said the DIFF lock worked but not after he installed the clutch. all the vacuum lines appear connected. i push the button and nothing happens. if i give those little solenoids 12 volts should they click? haven't tried it yet, wasn't sure if that was a good idea. any ideas?

someone just posted a newer soob with 400,000+ on it in the new generations forum. like a day or two ago.

also seen mismatched tires cause problems with AWD or 4WD.

yes, i picked up crazyhorse's XT6. drove it around yesterday, runs great. how did you know? i know of XT6's that have been towed improperly for some distance most likely over 35 and have yet to experience any problems, that's why i ask. one guy even took it to a trans shop and they said all looked well, but of course what can they really check without removing anything? (that was a MT).

i don't think you can properly diagnose the ujoints without removing the driveshaft, if you're really good and have seen enough of them, maybe. looking for play works sometimes, looking for visible signs of wear or ujoint failure sometimes work, but i've also seen ujoints that are entirely locked up...won't move at all, completely seized. they would not have any play in them and appeared good when installed, but are equally bad. at the point in rotation where the ujoint needs to *give* it doesnt and that causes vibration.

i wouldn't use the term *rebuild* so fast. forget that idea unless you like spending lots of money, then tear it up. if it has a Duty solenoid C then it's an AWD transmission. was it towed improperly (call the previous owners and ask) and do the tires match? if the tires don't match, make them match ASAP. mismatching tires don't do good things to AWD transmissions. it shouldn't set a TCU code though, but get this straight anyway you'll want the tires matching for the future. i've seen AWD subaru's towed on tow dolly's and suffer no damage (though everyone claims it's dreadful) but i have seen mismatching tires on more than one occassion cause strange problems with shifting and locking of the transfer clutch (operated by Duty solenoid C). putting a new set of matching tires on fixed the problems in those cases. after the tires are sorted out, i'd install an aftermarket transmission cooler immediately. i wouldn't expect this to fix your problem, but they are wise investments anyway. it's almost irresponsible not to pay 30 dollars for one in my oppinion. unless you like higher risks just to save 30 dollars. i would guess this thing has major problems, auto trans generally don't get better, though sometimes you get lucky like the tire change fixes mentioned earlier. here are some things to check: first - check the fluid. how is it? have it flushed or at least drain it yourself. install some high quality fluid. i'll let you debate what that is with everyone else on another thread. just get the old stuff out and get some good stuff in. second - check the transmission pan and make sure the pan is not dented in such a way that it could restrict fluid flow to the filter. the intake side of the filters on some soobs are very close to the bottom of the pan, if the pan gets dented and pushed up, this reduces that clearance substantially and create transmission problems. third - how old is this thing? replace the filter. new filter comes with new oring and gasket. the transmission is very sensitive to line pressure, a clogged filter or bad oring can cause bad line pressure. same problem a dented pan will cause - poor line pressure. i think Duty solenoid C controls the lock-up of the transfer clutch. i have a wire spliced into the wire for Duty Solenoid C so i can manually control the lock up of the transfer clutch in my 4EAT. doubt you want to do it, but you could try manually controlling this solenoid to see what it does. all you can do basically is have it on or *connected* which operates like stock or off, *unconnected* which locks up the transfer clutch for 4WD operation. i think all this is pointless for you though so i'll end there. here's one more useful piece of information. forget a rebuild, i'd buy a used transmission. i can buy or find half a dozen used transmissions for the price of a rebuild and these 4EAT's are very relialbe for an auto trans. local place here installs YOUR transmission with a new filter for 200 dollars at the most. i've never used them because i do it myself, but that's not bad. find a used trans for a couple hundred, have someone install it in a day for 200 dollars and you're done. don't forget to replace the rear main seal, torque conveter seal and some 4EAT's have a ring seal on the torque converter shaft - replace that as well. if you're installing it yourself, transmissions are actually easy to install. having the torque converter line up and set properly is tricky but a little patience and it takes 5 or 10 minutes and you're done. biggest problem is they are very bulky, heavy and hard to move around. other than that, not really many bolts to replace one. that's why a shop will only charge 200 for it, they can do it quick. i'd start sourcing a used unit just in case.

forgot to mention - you should be able to pick up a used unit for under 100 dollars and they are super duper easy to install on the older subaru's, i can't imagine the new ones being any different. couple bolts and that's it. my fiance is driving my OBS in another state so i don't have it to look at.

DRIVESHAFT UJOINT. it will fail and it won't last many miles. the ujoint will completely blow out and the shaft will be free to swing around and hit anything it wants to - brake line, fuel line, suspension, floor board of the car most likely and the exhaust. if it's vibrating that badly, check it immediately. before it fails completely the car will shake like nothing you can imagine, to the point you can't see out your rear view mirror. it could be other things, but you need to check the driveshaft first. for instance there's a very slim chance it could be a bad cv joint, but unlikely. pull the driveshaft off and it will be very obvious which ujoint is bad. it will be either seized, stiff or feel VERY lumpy as you move it. i have older subarus and a 97 outback as well, but i just got the OBS and have only changed the oil in it and adjusted the drive belts. on older subarus they will tell you the ujoints are not replaceable and you have a buy a new driveshaft for alot of money or a used unit that might not last long. but they can be replaced with regreasable and replaceable rockford ujoints. unfortunately i don't see a listing for a 97 outback. latest subaru listing i found was 1996 subaru SVX, maybe they don't supply them for newer subaru's or maybe the newer ones have replaceable units. someone on here probably knows.

looks about right to me, though you can get cheaper if you shop around or keep your eyes open on ebay, the pull it yourself yards (that's where the cheap parts come from) and the boards here. driveshaft and diff seem a little high, they should go for 75.00. you can always offer less, they'll just say no or be glad to finally sell a soob part.

"expected reliability", i thought that was amusing as well. talk to anyone that works on cars for other people, they don't see many honda's, toyota's or subaru's. i work on them all, GM, Dodge and Ford's suck because they create more work for me when my friends cars break down. toyota's and honda's are great and i have seen some uncanny mileages on these things with no maintenance. subaru's also great, obviously i've owned like 10 of them, but i don't have much experience with newer ones.

the car isn't in the air is it? (like on jackstands). when an XT6 is off the ground, it looks as if the bottom of the wheels are pointed somewhat *in* more than the top of the wheels. but once the car is on the ground and the suspension is loaded it sets fine. i figure you're driving it, but just wanted to make sure. someone on www.xt6.net just had a similar problem with their rear wheels on a subaru XT (4 cylider) being pigeon toed, turned out to be a rusted out rear cross member causing the problem.

with all the emphasis on towing an AWD properly, i'm surprised at the lack of anyone who's actually had a problem with this.

i've towed 3 subaru's, i know to disconnect the driveshaft and you should use a flat bed...blah blah blah, i'm not asking any of that. what would actually happen if an AWD manual or automatic were towed with the back wheels on the ground and the front wheels secured? will something definitely break? maybe break? should break? sometimes? all the time? immediately? new transmission will be needed right away, eventually? anyone ever actually ruined a transmission by doing this? i haven't actually ever heard from someone who had to replace a transmission because of this.

that's 355,000 km right? that would be 220,000 miles.

ah, the cap just has a groove to hold the c-clip which rests behind the yoke! nice, this is easy! sawz-all to cut the old yoke out, grind the inside of the yoke smooth and install. BE CAREFUL installing the caps of the unjoints the bearings inside the caps need to remain as they are, don't allow them to fall out or move around. thanks Craven!

after you grind the metal out of the way is there anything else to it? does a groove not need to be cut inside for the new clip to sit behind? what holds the new end caps in place? i have an extra XT6 driveshaft i'd like to try this on myself.

suspension bushings, balls joints, struts. if you go to have it aligned they may not be able to align it and they might tell you why.