I know this has been discussed but right now I am searched out and confused.  I have spent quite abit of time on the older side of this sight but my wife's forester is acting up.  Right now I have the fwd fuse in place and the torque bind is still there.  I wasn't sure of alot of things in the threads already posted.  Is there a difference between Automatic and Manual tranfer duty systems?  Is the clutch assemble filled seperate from the main transmission?  What oils do I use?  When and where do I ad a friction modiffier as suggested?  There seems to be a wide variety of opinions on this.  Thanks in advance.

 

Cheers!

Edited May 26, 201411 yr by ford'ssubaru's

manual transmission torque bind only has one solution:  replace the center differential.

doesn't require removing the transmission, just slide the rear extension housing off and swap the VLSD, not terribly difficult and not terribly expensive.

 

all the stuff you're asking is for automatic transmission center differentials that use a clutch type set up. manual transmissions don't have that, they have a sealed non-electrical, center diff. which means:

only auto's have FWD fuse, so the fuse you put in is doing nothing. it's just a slot for auto transmission models.

"clutch" system is only on automatics, not manuals.  they share the ATF of the transmission.

your manual transmission center diff has a sealed center diff, fluid can not be accessed.

since it's sealed, changing trans fluid or adding anything can not have any affect on torque bind, it's impossible.

Thank you for your reply.  It cleared a lot up real quick. 

 

Cheers

Like Gary said, MTs have a sealed mechanical center diff unit. No electronics or clutch packs. Friction modifiers can not be added or will cause damage to the synchronizers in the transmission.

 

Before replacing the center diff, you will need to address the cause of the failure which is usually mismatched tire brands, models, or sizes. Or mixing 2 worn tires with 2 new tires. Make sure all 4 tires match and have even treadwear, or the new center diff may suffer the same fate in a short time.

Thanks Fairtax,

 

It's my wife's daily driver so tires are always rotated and matched.  My guess is she has been in the ditch several times pretty badly over the last few years and spun the crap out of the tires in the ditch.  Just guessing.  Problem started shortly after one such incident last winter.

How hard is it to rebuild this unit?

You can't rebuild the center diff. At least, not the part that has failed.

 

They're expensive to buy new, but used is usually a good option. They don't fail often.

+1 sealed unit, not rebuildable (unless you dive into something never done before or take it to the original manufacturing plant and befriend some of the machinists that turned the casing...etc), but they are relatively easy to replace.

 

they don't fail terribly often so used is a decent option over the high priced new ones.

www.car-part.com

So is 550 dollars typical for new one?

Thanks, all,

 

I finally got the new one and installed.  This job was relatively easy.  Your help gave me the confidence to do it.

 

Thanks again,

 

Eric