nipper

Even though we have AAA and have had it for years, mom stopped driving after dad died because she said she couldnt change a flat anymore. She didnt feel she was qualified to drive since she couldnt handle a simple emergency. I belevie that everyone should also take a basic automotive mechanic course to understand how things work. Its amazing how quickly one can get a license to operate up to an 8000 lb machine that can plow through a house, or kill many people, in comparison to pilots license, which is lighter, slower, and can cause the same amount of damage. They need to be on even footing. nipper

but they get annoyed when you get greasy fingerprints on it nipper

HUH? thats just silly that makes no sense. If you want to know if your wad is working, just do what the rest of us do. Find a dirt lot or grass or someplace slick and nail the gas. Either you will take right off, or you should spin a front and rear wheel. The other way is to put in the FWD fuse on a wet road and nail the gas, the front tires should spin. Do it again with out the AWD and you wont spin. The ECU forces 50/50 in 1st and reverse. Also the TCU forces it at wide open throttle. Technically in the auto you always have awd (10/90 split minimum). Also more wheels driving on the ground does not mean an increase in speed, unless the surface is slick (and in this test would have to be ice). As far as engine power, this goes along with the gas mileage theories. Since everything is driven all the time, there is no increase or decrease in engine power. You have to physically dissconnect the rear wheels from the rear cv joints for that to work. And with computers, the engine would adjust anyway so you wouldnt see a differnce. nipper

http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4024270 Yes it will be mandatory. I wonder if they will find out like ABS it can make people over confident. I know when i rent a car with traction control and the weather turns bad i shut it off. with traction control i get no feedback as to how slick the road is. I can see how traction control can make people drive faster and get into serious trouble. Yes the goverment is finding it easier to mandate computers then mandate stricter and national driver training standards, since the enchroches on state rights. I had my drivers training in winter, and i think that was the best thing that could have ever been done. I learned right off the bat how to drive in bad weather, and not the other way around. Stability control i havent decided on yet, but i can see people drioving faster because of it. nipper

Things happen. Most likely cause is a snapped throttle return spring or failed cable. I am glad she is ok, thats most important. People need to be grilled on emergency procedures, and this is one of them. The ignition key should be turned to the off postion (one click) when this happens, and the bought to a controled stop. If a manual same thing and the car put in neutral. I am curious, do they even teach emergency procedures in drivers ed anymore (referencing back to when i got my license in 1979). nipper

You may want the Haynes manual too (even if it just to 1998). It fills in the gaps nicely. Out of curisoty, what are you replacing the engine? nipper

steel wool works too. nipper

i keep forgetting about those things. Too many years owning cars where you just replaced the starter. nipper

Torque like electricity likes the path of least resistance (none of us like to work harder then we need too). If you can get the controller to work, i would suggest a circuit taht unlocks the AWD after 20mph. But either way keep me informed, as i am interested in a more reasonable controller nipper

Ok so it sounds like you understand how things work YEs when one VSS is dead, the other takes over, but you loose AWD. Loose both VSS and the car goes into limp mode. nipper

ild be suspisous of that andyjo, when the parts form the dealer alone was 498.00. And we all know how much we trust tranny shops. nipper

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=65736&highlight=clutchpack http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=41148 nipper

You do know you need more then just clutch discs. there are seals, and as long as you are there a new solenoid, and a housing (depdning upon damage) and clutch plates to name a few. This is NOT something you want to cheap out on parts on. Someplace on here is a list of parts required to fix it from someone. Also when i got mine rebuilt the dealer had to match parts up, and couldnt just order them out of the book. I dont know how true that is, but mine also was the desgn change year of 1997. nipper

There always has to be a difficult child. A little torque bind is like a little pregnant. Eventually it gets more apparent. I am assuming the tires all match and are inflated. When you loose a vss you loose AWD. How old is the fluid. The fatc that your slightly binding and the no power im guessing you have a chewed up clutch disc and the rest are glazed, or something akin to that. If i remeber right there are 5 discs in the clutch. Could als be physical damage to the clutches. nipper

check all your connections, check your altenator. A bad alt can kill a battery, but im guessing its corrosion on the terminals. nipper

no (well there is wlays an exception). You will get a light for a stuck valve (open closed or inbetween), shorted valve, non responsive valve or an open circuit. the only thing to check is to make sure the light works. If you just have the begnings of torque bind and no light, a fluid flush is in order, that usually fixes it, or at least buys you time. nipper

this will get you through inspection, but it is going to royally screw up your AWD. Basically you wont have any. The TCU uses the two speed sensors to determine front and rear axle speeds, and adjusts acordingly. If both sesnors are going at the same speed all the time, you wont get more then 10% of the power sent to the rear. The VSS is a magent that creats a pulse as the signal wheel goes by. There may be no power there to speak of to send a signal. Also be very careful, as things like this is how computers go poof. Also a reed switch sends a very spikey and dirty signal to the ecu, again that can do damage. nipper

my 1997 (186,000 miles) OBW had the same thing, then finally the solenoid surrendered and the AT temp light did its flash dance. 850.00 later at the dealer, the car was as good as new, if not better. They replaced the solenoid, housing and clutches. Parts were around 400-500 dollars if i remeber correctly. I do suggest going to a dealer for this for a few reasons. #1 they know exactly what parts to get (sometimes the parts have to be matched up). #2 they really dont want to sell you a transmission, so if your tranny is good they wont try to sell you one. A tranny shop will most likely tell you you need a tranny. nipper

Hi Folks. OK herer is the deal. If you are getting no CEL light or Tranny temp light, odds are electrically the unit is fine. If you have no Torquebind, then again electrically you are fine. Now the bad news. Your clutch pack is slipping. If you put the car in low or reverse you MIGHT get some rwd, but the clutch pack is glazed, so the clutches arent grabbing. These things happen, as nothing lasts forever. You may want to try a fluid change, but i sort of think its pointless, unless the fluid is really dirty. nipper

How old is your battery. Clean your battery posts, but since its sparadic im betting your battery is on its way out. Have the entire charging system tested just to make sure. nipper

I have that now when i first start Blu in the morning. Its the altenator, but have the entire system tested. nipper

Actually one addition for that .. Set the parking brake since we are not sure if the car is in park or not, or have a freind insdie the car with his foot on the brake, or ideally both. nipper

Have you checked the motor mounts? nipper

why do those words always have go together incredibly expensive (parts) and incredible car nipper

hehehe 1913 ditcionary eh? Thats the other english (british) American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source common word usage has changed a wee bit since then (even my british freinds use the word battery). i think we have figured it out though. Give us enough clues and we figure out the words. nipper