idosubaru

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.

someone on the XT6 boards had theirs improperly towed and as fired up as he got about it, i don't think they agreed to do anything about it. it would be hard to prove it's their fault. then everyone with a pad transmission could just keep parking their car illegally until they got the 18 year old kid towing it wrong and get a new transmission. so yeah - they should be responsible, but good luck and have fun with a situation like that. back to the topic. will towing an AWD manual or automatic ruin the transmission?

yes and no. subaru and nissan driveshafts came from the factory with unserviceable and unreplaceable ujoints. Rockford (check out their website for part numbers) makes ujoints that can be fitted in place of the existing ujoints in your driveshaft. Order the ujoints and give them along with the driveshaft to a machine shop (unless you want to try it yourself) and they'll charge 50-100 dollars. Then you'll have greasable and replacable ujoints, i have them now on my XT6. these guys supply rockford ujoints and have some good information on their website: http://www.staugustinefwd.com/ if you find any cheaper sources, do post where.

i know guys that have done a home style alignment with string and other assorted highly technical equipment, but i don't know the process myself. have you hit anything, do offroading or is the car very old, rusted or in less than perfect shape? on a newer vehicle i'd say don't waste your money on an alignment as the alignment is rarely a problem. i NEVER get alignments and my tires always wear perfectly. a guy i know that works at a tire place and seems reasonably knowledgable said unless something happens it's really a waste of money to always pay for an alignment even if you get new tires. if they old ones wore evenly, the new ones will wear evenly. i even slammed into a curb and trashed my lower control arm on my XT6. replaced it and still never got an alignment...at 200,000 miles it runs straight as an arrow with perfectly even wear patterns. one of my daily drivers XT6's i got at 105,000 miles and it now has 207,000 and i've never gotten an alignment. again - the set of tires on it are past the wear indicators, need a new set, but they are all perfectly even. you car is older and different than mine so maybe others have different experiences. what problem are you having exactly? if the tire wears weird, i'd rotate them and see if the next tire in the same location does the same thing. if you drive aggressively put around 3-6 more psi than recommended from the factory in the tires to mitigate rolling and wearing on the outer edges. if the tires are old that could also be a problem. i think bad ball joints can also cause alignment and tire wear issues.

someone mentioned to me recently that subaru carries steering rack rebuild kits for the XT6 for around 40.00. i've never checked into it myself though. if that is true, it would include any seal you would need to fix that leak.

http://www.carparts.com/ has great prices on corteco head sets. they would include head gaskets and a zillion other seals and gaskets as well. the corteco gaskets appear much nicer than felpro visually. not that looks really means anything i suppose. the corteco kits i've used do not include the cam tower metal clip-on orings, but the felpro sets do.

what do you mean by "handles" them? magnecor is not sold through stores, contact their website you won't see them anywhere else. accel and MSD are widely available on the internet and local parts stores.

don't get caught up thinking about 10 other items, you'll find what you're looking for if you inspect all your ujoints. one thing at a time - check it and let us know how it turns out.

the driveshaft is super easy to check. your best bet is to go check the ujoints in your driveshaft before trying to guess what else it may be. i've had horrible vibration 4 times on my soobs and every time it was the ujoints of the driveshaft. my money is one your ujoints

i haven't read the owners manual in your car, but this could possibly be one of the dumbest moves i've heard. are you SURE he put ATF in the diff? you didn't get confused by what the mechanic told you?

the block can definitely handle more miles without a problem. if you've owned this car for awhile (sounds like you have) and have taken care of it then i'd say the block is good for another round of tires. shop around for tires, www.tirerack.com is awesome. i bought a set of tires for 180 dollars (SHIPPING INCLUDED). mounted them myself...and you know i haven't even balanced them yet and you can hardly tell while driving??? i expected much worse vibration. i'm tempted not to worry about balancing them anytime soon, i don't even notice it while i'm driving...lucky i guess? don't bother replacing the muffler. if you must, find someone to weld up a generic muffler, it'll be much cheaper. don't replace the muffler with a bolt in replacement, they are typically expensive.

you have rear drive line. okay, now i'll go ahead and say that i'm feeling very confident that you have a bad ujoint. wasn't sure if this thing could have been FWD or not. rear diff - maybe, but don't even think about that until you inspect those ujoints like nobody's business. the driveshaft on most soobs comes off REALLY easy so pull it and check if this vibration is really eating you up. the bad ujoint will feel lumpy as you move it and if it's bad enough it will be seized or have obvious signs of failure and breakage on it.