subyworkshard

I have a bad vibration and knocking from the rear or centre of the car when accelerating. Through my process of elimination and visual inspections and pry testing I think the centre drive shaft support bearing is causing the bad vibration/knocking. I cannot find a drive shaft Intermediate support bearing, or an affordable drive shaft. So, I tried to switch my AWD to FWD only, but it appears the 'transfer duty solenoid' is not functioning. When I install the fuse to hold the solenoid switch in place the dash light says FWD but I still get acceleration power to the rear wheels/driveshaft. There is no vibration / knocking when coasting at any speed. So, I think, if I can it in FWD only my problem would be resolved, for a while at least. I cannot find a new replacement solenoid, so can anyone suggest where I can find or what I can do to run it in FWD only? And could someone tell me where the 'duty transfer solenoid' is located and is it easy enough for a mechanically minded DIY'r to replace?

Thanks for the responses. I think it's probably the centre bearing on the two section drive shaft, or the transfer box to the rear wheels. If I could find a replacement for that centre bearing and rubber bushing I would replace but I have not succeeded in finding one. So if I could find a replacement for the power transfer solinoid and if i could replace it easily I would do that so I could drive it FWD only. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

Thanks for your response. It feels like a wobble from the rear wheels but it could be a strong vibration. I can't see any wobble when I ride my bicycle beside or behind the car. It starts wobbling at bicycle speed and continues getting worst as I continue to slowly accelerate and stops as soon as I take my foot of the accelerator. After my process of elimination I have concluded it's either centre drive shaft rubber bushing, the transfer box, or the transmission. As there is no vibration coming from the front wheels and the auto transmission seems to functioning fine in all respect, good fluid, no leaks, and changes gears nicely, I tend to think its the drive shaft. I can not fine a new replacement for the centre bushing/bearing so I would have to buy a new shaft to eliminate that possibility, and the work to re & re. I was hoping I could easily and cheaply turn it into a FWD vehicle only. BUT, I also can't locate a new power transfer solenoid to re & re and not sure of what can of worms I may be opening up to replace it. The car has low mileage and motor runs well but it's been used like a work horse and has been beat up other wise, kind of like me at my old age and abused by hard physical work, so I'm hoping to get some more use to enable a big clean out of the salvaged construction materials around my home so my kids won't have to deal with my junk. So I'm looking for a simple, cheap fix to get a little more life and abuse out of it. Any future suggestions would be very much appreciated. My car has been a good work horse so I hate to put it out to the pasture yet while I still have a need for a beater. Thanks again.

I am a new forum participant with a serious problem. My 1996 Subaru Legacy has a bad wobble from the rear wheels when accelerating (not when coasting). The car has low mileage (156,000 km) and the engine runs well and I need the vehicle but can't afford an expensive fix. I typically do my own mechanical repairs and maintenance. I tried to switch to front wheel drive only but it appears the power control solenoid is malfunctioning. When the correct fuse is installed the dash indicator FWD light comes on but the rear wheels still get power to them and so the wobble continues. Is there anything I can do to disengage the rear power to the rear wheels? I can't find a correct power solenoid for such an old vehicle. Is there some ghetto-rigging I can do that would enable more car use without quickly damaging the transmission or other essential component? Is there any way of resolving my problem short of replacing the rear drive train components by the trial and error method?