Master Subaru tech diagnosed noise out of tranny as drive plates in transfer case being grooved out . I think I have new ones on hand . Have engine out with new head gaskets etc installed . Tranny is on the floor. Am I off to a transmission shop, or is this doable by a reasonably fearless, and well tooled, home mechanic ? Also tried searching for existing threads on forum , no such luck. 

you might look thru here; http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/99-do-yourself-illustrated-guides/27878-4eat-tail-section-rebuild-without-removing-transmission.html

Thanks . Finally something to inspire and possibly confound me into next week 

 Already see that my shift solenoid is mounted outside of tranny and dealer gave me two plates to figure out, but it does not seem to be rocket surgery.

Nope. Pretty easy, especially with the trans already out. Pull the tail housing off and the first thing you see is the transfer clutch drum.

 

Usually the groves are worn into the drum. A little work with a file and you can put it all right back without any new parts except maybe the o-ring seal on the Duty C solenoid.

how do I know if these grooves are beyond the file ? or is it just the deburring process that makes them quiet ? 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 14, 201411 yr by perrodelturbo

Those don't look too bad compared to other pictures Ive seen. Do they look like they're more than half the thickness of the metal?

no , so goal with file is to deburr so plates slide ?? 

Yeah, file it down smooth to keep the plates from hanging up. Use a wire wheel to smooth out any rough edges after filing.