I noticed after driving for a short distance the rear of the car does not follow. Esspecially when trying to turn or get into a parking space. this only happens after driving for a distance and now the distance is less. Seems once its warmed up the rear end wont follow the rest of the car.

Do you mean it seems like it is binding or feeling as if the brakes are applied when making turns?

Yes it kind of does. It feels like it's forcing itself to make the turn. Someone said it was possibly the differential.

Is that an auto trans or a manual trans? Either way it sounds like it could be what is commonly called 'torque bind'. Are all the tires the same make/model/treadwear?

manual trans

all 4 new tires

What does that mean to have a torque bind? what needs to be replaced or fixed? So does that mean it may not be the rear differential? Sorry for the questions but I have just been raked over the coals with this car and mechanics taking advantage.

Edited October 18, 201114 yr by ladyhmgbrd

When turning the front and rear wheels have to spin at different speeds. The difference is "absorbed" by the center differential so that you can turn. If the center differential fails, it basically locks and the car is stuck in AWD similar to a 4WD truck. Though the effects are not as pronounced in a small car, the end result is the same. The front and rear wheels are not able to spin at the spin at the different speeds that they need to spin which generally causes them to slip. The car will lurch and jump as the stress on the drivetrain builds and releases repeatedly.

 

The reason for this is the center differential has a limited slip unit built in. This is to balance power output between front and rear wheels, and to allow the car to turn normally. Occasionally the limited slip unit fails, generally due to mismatched tire sizes, improper tire inflation, or the use of a spare tire for long periods of time.

Eventually the center diff unit will just wear out on it's own, but it can vary depending on driving style and terrain. Generally it will last for the better part of the life of the car, which is about 250-300k miles for these Subarus.

 

Replacement is not that difficult and can be done with the transmission in the car in a few hours. The center diff is pricey to buy new, but due to low failure rate, the chances of getting a good one cheap from a junkyard are pretty good.

Thanks for your explaination. I had a mechanic look at it and he said it was the center differential and it also needs a new clutch for it slips while driving. He estimated it at from $500-$800 to fix both if he can find a differential. Could this have been caused by the front end going out and rear axle bushings having to be replaced?

Depends on what you mean by "front end". Rear bushings would not cause this.

What other work has been done on the car recently?

front axle replacement, R cv boot, struts, 4 new tires this is just the recent work.

I have 2001 Forester 5MT. I thought I had center diff torque bind at 109k miles, but it was really front diff bind. People usually report rear wheel bind, as you are. But my car felt more like it was the front wheels that were binding. So, just for kicks, I replaced my front diff oil....and the bind disappeared completely.

You might as well try it, but it sounds like your REAR tires are binding, so you might not get off easy like I did.

Hm, well that is a really weird result, but glad it fixed it for you!

the mech said the rear problem may correct when the front axle was fixed, but it did not. Just rattling in front went away but the rear still does not follow a turn