DaveSluder Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 I read the thread on TB in the archives but it said problem was corrected in 97 1/2. My car is a 98 and is displaying TB symptoms. Any suggs. on what to do? How does this condition go terminal? How long can I let the wife drive it? Thanks Dave:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 I read the thread on TB in the archives but it said problem was corrected in 97 1/2. My car is a 98 and is displaying TB symptoms. Any suggs. on what to do? How does this condition go terminal? How long can I let the wife drive it? Thanks Dave:) the problem fixed in 97 1/2 is just one possible cause of TB. it could be dirty fliud / gummed up valve. or bad duty c or bad clutch discs do you have a blinking "AT Temp" light at start up? if you are going to continue driving it put in the FWD fuse under the hood. this may eliminate the problem and buy you some time. if problem goes away when you put in the fuse then the duty c is probably good. change the fluid, it can't hurt and may help. this is a 1000$ fix at the dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveSluder Posted February 9, 2010 Author Share Posted February 9, 2010 No blinking light at startup, would that indicate trouble codes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 (edited) No blinking light at startup, would that indicate trouble codes? yes, a bad duty c will usually give you a blinking light/trouble code. try the fuse, any size will do, in the FWD holder under the hood, passenger side near the fire wall. you can drive with this in while figuring out cause and solution. unless it is snowing, then leave it out and try not to make a lot of tight turns. the fuse makes it front wheel drive. when was the last time the fluid was changed? how many miles ago? how many miles on the car now? Edited February 9, 2010 by johnceggleston Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Brian Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 You read """THE" thread"""" on TB????????? Read the rest of them! One of them was started by me. Your AT fluid may never have been changed. Insert the fuse, no more TB means Duty C is good. Change AT fluid, drive car a day or two, change it again, drive it a week or two, change it again and you should be good to go. If putting the fuse in does not stop the TB then find a Subi specialist, not a dealer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94Loyale Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 (edited) He was referring to the thread in the tech archives on here. You could try changing the fluid and filter, but I have never have it fix the problem. Changing the fluid 3 times is just redundant and a waste of money. If it's torque binding, it's most likely the solenoid or the clutch pack. If you plan on keeping the car for a while, I would replace them both. The price of replacing both parts now is a lot cheaper than the labor to go back in and do it all again. I do these pretty often, and I don't know about everyone else, but I hate doing a job twice. Just my two cents.. Edited February 9, 2010 by 94Loyale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 The fluid changes are only for cars that the TB goes away with the FWD fuse installed. If the TB is still there, no amount of fluid will fix that. The fluid has a fresh additive package, which changes how the clutch friction disks grab the steels in the transfer clutch. You get smooth slipping instead of grab, release, grab, release, which is the vibration felt in the car during tight turns. In my personal experience with my mom's 98 outback, 3 drains and fills has fixed the car from bad TB when we got it to being fine for the last 3 years. The AWD gets used in that car too- we have a 1/2 mile long dirt driveway back in the woods and we only plow when it gets really deep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted February 9, 2010 Share Posted February 9, 2010 No blinking light at startup, would that indicate trouble codes? Yes, if the AT Oil Temp light is blinking, that indicates an electrically-related problem that the TCU has detected, and it should be possible to extract one or more trouble codes. While a bad "C" duty solenoid can commonly cause torque bind (which in Subaru literature is usually referred to as "tight corner braking"), it isn't the only cause. Another possibility is a defective VSS2, although you'd typically expect the AT light to blink, and be able to get the code. Even problems with the throttle position sensor (TPS) can sometimes cause torque bind, since the ECU shares certain data with the TCU -- a "confused" TCU can misdirect things. Are there currently any drivability problems other than TB (which could suggest looking somewhere besides the usual culprits)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveSluder Posted February 10, 2010 Author Share Posted February 10, 2010 I have noticed that I do not have TB symptoms when cold, like pulling out of the driveway first thing in the morning. And to answer a previous question, it has been a long time since I changed the ATF. So, A filter and fluid will be in order very soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 Your '98 should have a phase-1 4EAT, which didn't have the external spin-on filter that was used on the '99 and later phase-2 . The internal filter is coarse in comparison, so it doesn't tend to need much attention. I'd suggest just trying a few changes of fluid, especially since it's been a while since the last change, and see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrtoyou7747 Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 I had it. If it goes away with the fuse it is the C solenoid. (Use a 10 Amp fuse) Change the front and rear diff fluid with synthetic It gave me over a year before I had to bit the big one and change out the solenoid. Also when I got into the tranny I found some burned fluid on the output shaft near the solenoid. Turns out the lines to the radiator were clogged. check them out. I also installed an external filter from an older legacy. (mount on the inner fender.) No problems since then (80K miles) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bad Brian Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 (edited) You read """THE" thread"""" on TB????????? Read the rest of them! One of them was started by me. Your AT fluid may never have been changed. Insert the fuse, no more TB means Duty C is good. Change AT fluid, drive car a day or two, change it again, drive it a week or two, change it again and you should be good to go. If putting the fuse in does not stop the TB then find a Subi specialist, not a dealer. If the putting the fuse in eliminates the TB then definitely try the fluid changes. It can work! It may work for you. It has worked for me and plenty of others! Look up my post regarding it. It costs about $30!!!!!! Also make sure that your tires are matching and inflated to the same PSI. A smaller circumference on the tire will cause that tire to have to rotate faster and the car will believe AWD is needed when it is not. Edited February 10, 2010 by Bad Brian update Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STSERVICE Posted February 10, 2010 Share Posted February 10, 2010 I have had great success adding trans-x friction modifier to the atf fluid, go out and do some power turns and you will feel the clutches free up, it usualy takes about 1/2 a tube which you can get at your local part store, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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