andygraham Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 (edited) Hello everyone. Here's a new weird problem with our 1990 Legacy: We noticed the 4WD fuse was missing. Put one in and the car immediately stopped automatic shifting! Stays in 1st gear no matter what. Doesn't matter if car is in Manual or Auto mode, 1,2,3, or D. Pulled the fuse back out and car went right back to normal shifting. I hope this isn't a sign of a much bigger problem. Thanks in advance for any input you may have! -Andy Edited March 25, 2013 by andygraham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twitch de la Brat Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 Is it the fuse in the engine bay by the strut tower? If so, that's the FWD (front wheel drive) fuse. It overrides the Duty C solenoid and disengages rear clutch pack, which stops it from transmitting power to the rear wheels. If it stopped your car from shifting, it sounds like you have a bigger problem that needs to be taken care of. Without the fuse in, do the wheels bind when you turn corners? Does it shift hard or delayed? Have you checked the fluid to see if its burnt or low? Twitch 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 How truly odd. Yes the FWD fuse only does that one thing, deactivate the AWD system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted March 25, 2013 Share Posted March 25, 2013 my guess is that you are not in 1st, but in ''limp'' mode and 3rd gear only. and some how the fuse is ''killing'' TCU. it should not do this but for some reason it is. test drive the car with the fuse in at 40 mph and see what the rpm / tach reads. if you are in 1st it should be screaming. if you are in 3rd, not so much. compare your results to driving with the fuse out and the selector in 3. but as long as the car / trans works fine with the fuse out, leave it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psychobaru Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 I have this same problem in my daughters 90 Legacy. It runs great with the fuse out and she is getting 26 mps so I just leave it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted April 3, 2013 Share Posted April 3, 2013 The fuse is NOT normally supposed to be installed. It is only to be installed if you need to run the spare tire or need to disable the AWD system. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ford'ssubaru's Posted April 4, 2013 Share Posted April 4, 2013 Was there a problem before? Like the Moderator said I don't think it is supposed to be there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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