Hello I have a 1989 Subaru 4wd Stationwagon 1.8 engine. Last winter the automatic transmission messed up on this car. SO over the summer I decided to change it over to a Manual Transmission 5 speed transmission.

 

So since winter is close to being here I decided I better drive it to work for a couple days before it snows to see how it does....

 

as long as you do not use 4wd high or low it does fine turning..... I noticed yesterday driving it when deciding to test 4wd high and low that you can hardly turn around are make sharp turns when 4wd is engaged if not in 4wd then no problem turning in sharp curves or turning around.

 

I had to also switch the driveshaft that goes from the transmission to the rear end I had to put the manual one in since the automatic driveshaft was now to short.

 

I did leave the automatic rear end in the back so Now after that experience I am wondering rather the driveshaft is bad or if the automatic rear end needs to be switched over to the manual one?

 

Any advice on this would b appreciated thank you...

Yes, you need a 3.9 rear diff to match the 3.9 MT you have now.

if your car was non turbo, and the 5mt you used is not turbo, then the rear gear should be 3.9 and match anyway.

 

the problem you are having is operator error- you should not use 4wd on dry pavement, and not engege/disengage it while turning.

 

This is due to the fact that there is no real transfer case, and no center differential.

 

All of this is normal.

 

everything will be fine and nothing is broken as long as you dont break th e rules about 4wd

 

however, in anything that is not dry pavement, you can shift into 4wd on the fly, and into low range under 45mph while clutching.

 

there is no speed limit on 4wd. you can go 80 mph on the highway in a rainstorm if you like.

the rear differential should be clearly marked with a label that will show the final drive gear.

Thank you all so very much this is a strong releif for sure, I will still check out to be sure about the rear differental being what was said.

 

Thanks again really sure do appreciate the assistance and advice.

Please let us know what you find out