DAntoniuk

I called a Subaru Manufacturer's rep. on this and was told it would eventually fry out the differential. I'm not sure why they put the fuse holder there. They may have told me this to avoid liability. I towed the car with the front wheels off the ground and the driveshaft disconnected for 120 miles when I first got it. This didn't cause any problems and I did not know that fuse holder was there. What I wanted to do until recent advice to the contrary is simply disconnect the driveshaft at both u-joints, remove the carrier bearing and let the other pieces free-wheel. Most have advised me not to mess with this, so I decided not to. This weekend I plan to run a quart of engine cleaner for 30 minutes at idle and then change the oil to 20W50 as the book recommends for hot climates. I'm hoping to loosen a stuck oil ring.

Thanks for the polite response. Most have recommended I leave the AWD intact. My oil problem may have something to do with fuel mixing with the oil. I will pull the plugs and do a compression test.

I replaced the heads on my 136,000 2.5 Legacy Outback wagon and it runs great and did not consume any oil after the repair. The cylinder walls didn't have any scoring and had the original cross-hatch and looked new. Suddenly, it stared using a quart in 320 miles. The PCV system is functioning well. Any ideas on what I should look at? Also, I live in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, where it is very hot and dry. I will be changing my oil to 20-50 which will eliminate most of the oil consumption, but would like to know if there is a problem beforehand. Also, can I remove the driveshaft to the rear to improve my gas mileage without any side effects on the diff or transfer case? I really don't need AWD in South Texas!