Remove front diff from CVT trans

[wavekayaker]

I just picked up a 2012 Outback with the ej25 and auto CVT trans.  The front diff is howling pretty bad and stops while coasting.  I've searched but cannot find if you can split the front diff from the trans as a unit, or is it more involved than that?  I was hoping the trans output shaft and diff input shaft aren't the same piece.

 

Thanks for the help!

[Rampage]

I guess you checked the oil in the front diff. There is no dipstick for the front diff on the CVT. You have to get under the car and remove a plug to check it.

Get the FSM here http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/  200 meg PDF download.

It does cover the CVT disassembly and assembly and adjustments. It is quite a job. I did a diff replacement on a 4EAT in my driveway and it was not that bad. 

You might want to do this first. You have to get under the car. Remove the oil filler plug on the side of the diff and see if you can touch the oil with a finger through the hole. The oil level should be right at the hole.

Since the gears are already complaining, I would drain it and replace it with 75w140 synthetic gear oil. 1.4 to 1.5 quarts. Then look in the FSM on how to adjust the carrier using the adjusters where the front axels go into the diff. This might buy you a little time to get ready to change the diff.

The front diff ring gear carrier assy. is mounted inside the torque converter housing and does separate from the tranny housing. The pinion gear is mounted in the tranny section. On assembly you must use a dye on the teeth of the ring and pinion gears and first adjust the pinion in or out for the proper alignment. Put it together, take it apart several times. Then when when the pinion is where it belongs, you adjust the carrier to specs spin the gears, take it apart and look at the marks from the dye to see if the teeth mesh properly.

The FSM will tell to watch for O-rings on removal of parts.

I did not look to see if the front housing on your CVT is like the 4EAT and does not use a gasket. The 4EAT on final assembly you use a tube of gasket compound.

[idosubaru]

I wouldn’t bother on those early CVTs, the trans itself doesn’t have the cleanest reliability record.  I guess the flip side is if you think the trans is in awesome shape or has been lightly used or fluid was changed, you know it’s history, maybe it’s better than a an unknown used one. Yes, you can remove front diff, but it’s a beastly job very few people do to begin with.  

There’s a good chance you only need a bearing, one of which is $100. If that’s you then it’s a relatively inexpensive repair. And I think you can just retain all the clearances by installing all your caps and fasteners exactly as they were, no measuring needed  

if you swap used diff you can try to retain all the clearances of the donor as you install it identically to how it was installed previously. That’s been done before though exceedingly rare. 

if you’re replacing with new go price it out first - $800 ring and pinion, one bearing is $100, it could easily be well over $1,000 just in parts. 

[wavekayaker]

Thanks for the input guys!  I picked up a lower mile used trans for a good price and used that instead.  I've got it all back together and now it won't crank over.  Started a new thread on that one.  I should have stuck to the earlier Outbacks.  This thing is a head scratcher.