Ravenwoods Posted April 25, 2019 Share Posted April 25, 2019 I just had a look at this wagon with some sort of problem. The seller is asking $600. 243,000 miles, but they say the engine was rebuilt or replaced about 100,000 miles ago. The engine looks pretty clean so could be. A bit of rust on left rear fender, very little body damage. Struts need replacing. Tires low on tread. The car starts fine but Park doesn’t work. The car will roll forward in park. The car drives but there are some alarming clanks and noises, not typical of bad cv joints. None of the boots are torn. I only drove the car at 5 mph or slower. I only used Drive and reverse. The steering felt normal at five mph. The seller was hesitant to let me go faster but she can’t explain why. i couldn’t see anything in the car obviously wrong. It seems very odd that the transmission appears to work normally but park doesn’t. Anyway I told her if she didn’t get any higher offers I would give her $300. Maybe there is an easy fix? We already have Three Legacies in the family: two 95s and a 96. So it could serve as a parts car at a minimum. Any ideas or suggestions on what to look for as the cause of the problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmdew Posted April 25, 2019 Share Posted April 25, 2019 The parking pawl is in the tail shaft. If it's broken it's an easy fix if that's all. I could be much more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenwoods Posted April 25, 2019 Author Share Posted April 25, 2019 Do you have to pull the engine to get to the parking pawl? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenwoods Posted April 25, 2019 Author Share Posted April 25, 2019 I found a thread by japcs777 about a 96 Legacy with what sounds like the same problem. Title “Legacy makes clicking noise when driving and rolls in park.” Fairytax4me replied: “Putting the trans in park engages the parking pawl to the output shaft of the trans. This only locks the front pinion shaft from turning. The pinion shaft prevents the ring gear on the differential from turning, but it does not prevent the side gears inside the differential from turning. The axles are connected to the side gears. The side gears will rotate opposite of each other. (This is normal operation for a differential.) If one axle breaks, the axles can then rotate and the car can roll away. (The broken one will rotate the opposite direction of the wheel) The rear wheels are powered by a clutch set in the rear of the trans. The clutch set needs fluid pressure in order to engage. It only gets fluid pressure when the engine is running, and the transmission is in gear. When you start driving the clutch engages and the rear wheels will propel the car. When parked the clutch is free so no power can go to the rear wheels. This also means the rear wheels will not hold the car still when the trans is in park. Put a new axle in it and you'll be set.” 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Pin Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 I bought an Outback that sounded land behaved like that once and it was a broken short shaft I think they call it. It is a short shaft that comes out of the trans and connects to the axle. It was a pretty cheap fix compared to a trans replacement. I think this is a picture of it on the left. A junk yard will have tons of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 'stub axle' ? wow, never heard of one breaking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenwoods Posted April 26, 2019 Author Share Posted April 26, 2019 I’ll be going out this evening to jack up the front and see which cv is broken. I’ve got an old cv ready to swap out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Pin Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 yup, it was the short stubby guy coming out of the trans. I hope it is just the cv for Ravenwoods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenwoods Posted April 26, 2019 Author Share Posted April 26, 2019 40 minutes ago, 3Pin said: yup, it was the short stubby guy coming out of the trans. I hope it is just the cv for Ravenwoods. So when you remove that short axle does a bunch of oil come out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvu Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 Check if there's a rollpin to punch out. If so it's a female axle and stubs on trans like pictured above, no oil spill. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
el_freddo Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 27 minutes ago, Ravenwoods said: So when you remove that short axle does a bunch of oil come out? 11 minutes ago, nvu said: Check if there's a rollpin to punch out. If so it's a female axle and stubs on trans like pictured above, no oil spill. And it’s not simply a job where the stub axle pulls out, it’s held in by a circlip on the inner side of the spider gear, requiring a gearbox split to sort it out. I’ve never heard of one of these breaking! Rear one yes (hollow for retainer bolt), but not a front one. Cheers Bennie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenwoods Posted April 26, 2019 Author Share Posted April 26, 2019 52 minutes ago, nvu said: Check if there's a rollpin to punch out. If so it's a female axle and stubs on trans like pictured above, no oil spill. I've only done CVs on Subarus from 95-98 and they all had rollpins. So I've never encountered anything else. I got the impression from 3Pin that this is an easy fix if it is the short axle stub. But el_freddo indicates it is much more involved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvu Posted April 26, 2019 Share Posted April 26, 2019 (edited) Oh, I read that wrong. I haven't seen a spring clipped stub axle yet, all the ones I've dealt with has snap ring style circlips. And they rarely break as others have said. Maybe just pull out the axle and wiggle the thing, guessing it should be obvious if it's shot. Edited April 26, 2019 by nvu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkyboy Posted April 27, 2019 Share Posted April 27, 2019 You in CO? I have a strut compressor Good work on the axle. Keep it up. Just manny swap the dam thing lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenwoods Posted April 27, 2019 Author Share Posted April 27, 2019 I’m in Alaska. The seller was too busy today for me to go over and jack the front up to see which cv is broken. She says Sunday morning will work for her. I told her what the problem most likely is and that it is an inexpensive repair in case she decided to keep it. She just wants it gone as she doesn’t have time to deal with it at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3Pin Posted April 27, 2019 Share Posted April 27, 2019 Mine was a 2002. Might be different than your 95. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkyboy Posted April 28, 2019 Share Posted April 28, 2019 23 hours ago, Ravenwoods said: She just wants it gone as she doesn’t have time to deal with it at the moment. Check and mate! At the worst you have one of the best engines for an ej swap! You subaru boys in alaska are a whole different kind of nutty. I never knew you could check valve seals by pouring water down the intake. Those dudes on alaska state troopers that never have a license have the coolest ea81 wagon and the troopers let them slide that one time if their mom came to get the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravenwoods Posted April 28, 2019 Author Share Posted April 28, 2019 Thanks everyone for the help and advice. I jacked up the car today and the left cv was broken. I put in a old functional cv axle to test the car out and it drives normally. I bought it for $425. The engine is strong. Check Engine light is off but I attached my code reader and there are 4-5 codes, such as cylinder misfire. I’m assuming new plugs and wires will sort that out. Our family now has three 1995 Legacies, a 96 Legacy, and a 1998 Forester S. So this new Legacy will be the backup car for when one of the others needs work done on it. The Forester needs work now so it’s going to be sitting around for a bit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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