I have a 91 legacy with full time 4wd and an automatic, it has been feeling kind of "floaty" for the last few weeks in the front end, now it is off and on not moving when you push on the gas, no raise in the rpms it just does not move then it catches and shoots forward. If you are trying to make a turn it really shudders and shakes, once you get it going in a straight line it seems fine. My boyfriend is a toyota enthusiast and does a lot of rebuilding engines ,etc but he does not have a lot of experience with subarus especially their 4wd systems. He thinks the diff in the middle is not working correctly and that it is inside the tranny. This car has 213000 miles on it and we were thinking about getting a low mileage tranny from Japan but I do not want to do this now if i don't have to. Any possibility this diff can be fixed or adjusted or something? Or does anybody have some different opinions on what might be going on? Also I am looking for a mechanic that specializes in Subaru in Tucson,Az. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

 

Courtney

It sounds like you're getting AWD binding. It can be caused by a couple of things. First thing I would do is check all your tire pressures, check to see you have the same brand tires on each wheel, and they are wearing evenly.

 

Next I'd check the tranny fluid, see what its condition is. It should be red/pink and should not smell burnt.

 

If the tranny has not had regular maintenance, then it may be too late to save it.

 

You can try putting a fuse in the FWD fuse holder to disable the AWD and probably eliminate the binding you are getting.

im assuming you have an Automatic??

 

 

Had the same problem...turned out to be one of these three problems.

 

1. Duty C solenoid gets stuck open/closed making the power transfer to the front and back even creating torque bind.

 

2. TCU (Transmission Control Unit) send wrong voltages off the duty C solenoid pin causing sporadic open/closing of the duty C solenoid

 

3. A bare wire or short in electrical wiring causing funny voltages to the duty C solenoid causing sporadic open/closing of duty solenoid.

 

First i would recomend legacy's solutions....also maybe do an alignment make sure they are all aired up, balanced, and have a full transmission service done

 

If you want to check the voltage coming from your TCU, locate it in your legacy then use this pin out guide and a Voltmeter to do some tests while driving

Connector: B33 pin: 3

 

http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/files/swap/3-2_TCU_I-O_page1.jpg

 

http://www.surrealmirage.com/subaru/files/swap/3-2_TCU_I-O_page2.jpg

 

Hope this helps

 

Cory