PsyFan Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 My '97 Outback was experiencing torque bind symtoms after long trips with the tranny flashing multiple times. I put a fuse in fwd and did not go into fwd which was explained to me that meant the duty C solenoid was shot. I changed the front diff fluid and it continued to act up for about a week and now it has been running in fwd for over a week consistently(I lef the fuse in there accidentally because it wasn't doing anything anyway). What does this mean now? If I take out the fuse will the awd system function now? The old diff fluid was low and really dirty, could it be possible that the new fluid just needed awhile to clean stuff up in there for it to start working correctly?Thanks for any help or advice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 My '97 Outback was experiencing torque bind symtoms after long trips with the tranny flashing multiple times. I put a fuse in fwd and did not go into fwd which was explained to me that meant the duty C solenoid was shot. I changed the front diff fluid and it continued to act up for about a week and now it has been running in fwd for over a week consistently(I lef the fuse in there accidentally because it wasn't doing anything anyway). What does this mean now? If I take out the fuse will the awd system function now? The old diff fluid was low and really dirty, could it be possible that the new fluid just needed awhile to clean stuff up in there for it to start working correctly?Thanks for any help or advice! well, the front diff may have needed fluid but, it's the automatic transmission that contains the 'wet clutch pack' and Duty Solenoid 'C'. So, you could try a transmission drain/fill with fresh fluid(if the fluid is quite old, do 3 d/f cycles to get mostly new fluid). If you have read up on binding here you already know that your tires must be the same model and wear and inflation, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 have you ever changed the trans fluid? if not - change it. front diff is completely separate from rear clutch pack, 4WD, Duty C - they use different fluids. front diff uses gear oil - the rear clutch pack/extension housing sits in transmission fluid. completely different, separated and unrelated components so that shouldn't matter. more likely that it just freed up - it's VERY common for solenoids and relays to stick, unstick, work intermittently, etc - so there would have to be something very compelling to think it was anything more than that. change ATF, make sure tires match in size, tread, depth, air pressure, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PsyFan Posted May 1, 2012 Author Share Posted May 1, 2012 have you ever changed the trans fluid? if not - change it. front diff is completely separate from rear clutch pack, 4WD, Duty C - they use different fluids. front diff uses gear oil - the rear clutch pack/extension housing sits in transmission fluid. completely different, separated and unrelated components so that shouldn't matter. more likely that it just freed up - it's VERY common for solenoids and relays to stick, unstick, work intermittently, etc - so there would have to be something very compelling to think it was anything more than that. change ATF, make sure tires match in size, tread, depth, air pressure, etc. Sorry, I should have mentioned before but I had done the tranny drain fill thing actually four times and it really didn't fix the problem. It operated well until the first road trip and then the light began flashing again. All of the tires are matching, same size, same inflation and near new. It wasn't until a week after the diff fluid change that it went into front wheel drive and has stayed consistently there. I do hear some noise when turning right which leads me to believe the right front cv shaft needs replaced. Would that cause this problem? I understand that it could cause the torque bind like symptoms but would it cause the tranny light to flash? Maybe I should take the fuse out and just see what happens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 sure, try taking the fuse out. if something is wrong it's simply a matter of now or later for it to surface. correlation does not mean causation - it is unlikely the front diff change did anything...but it's hardly material to your situation now anyway. i wouldn't worry too much about what "fixed" the torque bind, focus more on proceeding properly from here on out based on current symptoms. you have the fluids changed and tires matching, good job. 1.) fix the bad axle (or whatever symptoms make you think there's a bad axle) 2.) pull the fuse and see if the AWD and FWD fuse are working properly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 If the light is flashing, it may have stored a code. The duty ce may have been faulty, and then entirely cooked with the FWD fuse since that holds the solenoid open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 The AWD is controlled by the duty C and a spool vlave. The Duty C cycles on and off many times a minute to vary the amount of applied power to the rear wheels. For some reason in order to disable the AWD the solenoid must be energized and held open. When the solenoid fails it stays closed, so you no longer have AWD but have 4WD. The fuse will have no effect at this point if the solenoid has failed. With this many miles on the car (or age) the clutch pack is most likely worn so it would be advisable to rebuild it. As it gets worse, you may actually find it hard (and unsafe) to even do the simplest manuvers in the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.