Just bought a 1995 Legacy yesterday that has the same problem. Glad to find this post.

Where is the front VSS located on the car? I have been looking for diagrams online but no such luck so far.

Where is the front VSS located on the car? I have been looking for diagrams online but no such luck so far.

On the passenger side of the tranny right behind the bellhousing.

 

Pictures here.

http://autorepair.about.com/library/faqs/bl833h.htm

 

I jacked up the drivers side of the car, unplugged the TCU, started the car and put it in neutral.

this is in fact the way you test to see if the front and rear diffs are matching.

with the TCU unplugged, the front and rear wheels should be locked together.

so turning one by hand should turn the other.

(and if the diffs match they shaould turn the exact same number of times.)

 

so it sounds like a transfer clutch issue.

 

the basics:

no fluid pressure = no power to the rear wheels

this is why you can jack up the rear and spin the by hand with the engine off.

putting the FWD fuse in ''dumps'', redirects?, all the fluid pressure.

 

full fluid pressure = Torque Bind, front and rear locked together.

trans fluid is operating the transfer clutch at full pressure, not regulated by the duty C.

TCU disconnected or bad duty C.

 

fluid pressure regulated by the duty C and the TCU = AWD, power to both the front and rear.

the power split weighted more for the front, ~80 /20, but in certain situations it will approach 50/50.

it never gets to 50/50, and it always allows for some slip between the front and rear.

this avoids TB.

 

i hate to see you give up,

but i certainly understand.

 

i don't think you need a trans, but probably a good working rear extension housing .

the clutch disks may be worn out.

this is in fact the way you test to see if the front and rear diffs are matching.

with the TCU unplugged, the front and rear wheels should be locked together.

so turning one by hand should turn the other.

(and if the diffs match they shaould turn the exact same number of times.)

 

so it sounds like a transfer clutch issue.

 

the basics:

no fluid pressure = no power to the rear wheels

this is why you can jack up the rear and spin the by hand with the engine off.

putting the FWD fuse in ''dumps'', redirects?, all the fluid pressure.

 

full fluid pressure = Torque Bind, front and rear locked together.

trans fluid is operating the transfer clutch at full pressure, not regulated by the duty C.

TCU disconnected or bad duty C.

 

fluid pressure regulated by the duty C and the TCU = AWD, power to both the front and rear.

the power split weighted more for the front, ~80 /20, but in certain situations it will approach 50/50.

it never gets to 50/50, and it always allows for some slip between the front and rear.

this avoids TB.

 

i hate to see you give up,

but i certainly understand.

 

i don't think you need a trans, but probably a good working rear extension housing .

the clutch disks may be worn out.

That would be handy. I'll see if I can put together a decent Ext housing and maybe try that first. The tranny does have some other signs that make me wonder though. Shifts have been a little rough when it's cold and it takes awhile before it will shift from 3rd to 4th as it warms up. I did have to reseal the tranny pan recently...maybe it's leaking again and the fluid is getting low.

Before I go the route of just replacing the rear ext there's one question that's been nagging at me. I've read a few posts about the tube that sends fluid to the rear ext housing coming loose. I'm not clear on that one. Does it come loose inside the tranny or the rear ext? I'm hesitant to take the chance of putting together a good ext housing and then find out that the problem is inside the main part of the tranny.

 

this is in fact the way you test to see if the front and rear diffs are matching.

with the TCU unplugged, the front and rear wheels should be locked together.

so turning one by hand should turn the other.

(and if the diffs match they shaould turn the exact same number of times.)

 

so it sounds like a transfer clutch issue.

 

the basics:

no fluid pressure = no power to the rear wheels

this is why you can jack up the rear and spin the by hand with the engine off.

putting the FWD fuse in ''dumps'', redirects?, all the fluid pressure.

 

full fluid pressure = Torque Bind, front and rear locked together.

trans fluid is operating the transfer clutch at full pressure, not regulated by the duty C.

TCU disconnected or bad duty C.

 

fluid pressure regulated by the duty C and the TCU = AWD, power to both the front and rear.

the power split weighted more for the front, ~80 /20, but in certain situations it will approach 50/50.

it never gets to 50/50, and it always allows for some slip between the front and rear.

this avoids TB.

 

i hate to see you give up,

but i certainly understand.

 

i don't think you need a trans, but probably a good working rear extension housing .

the clutch disks may be worn out.