Midwst Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 Okay, this 2wd to 4wd thing on the loyale is new to me. What are the rules for when it can be shifted from 2wd to 4wd? How can I tell if it is in 4wd? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 wheels straigth when engaging/disengaging 4wd. only use 4wd on surfces with 10% wheel slippage, such as sand, gravel, ice, snow, mud, HEAVY rain you can engage the 4wd at any speed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soobmater Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 well im not to sure about the loyale, but on my gl in the manual it says shifting into 4 hi is ok dont crank weels and 4lo you have to put in the clutch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 Rule of thumb: Make sure each tire has at least 10% slip available. Meaning, only use 4WD on gravel, dirt, mud, snow or ice. Anywhere your tires have a chance to slip. NO PAVEMENT!!!! -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midwst Posted June 25, 2005 Author Share Posted June 25, 2005 so when I test drive this car, how can I tell if it is really going into 4wd? The light on the dash works. I suppose I should be able to feel a difference? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 if its a 5spd then dump the clutch in 2WD. Feel the tires break loose and peel out? Now try it in 4WD. If it does the same thing, the 4WD dont work. -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuBrat84 Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 Yeah what they said. I ALWAYS use my clutch switching between 2-4hi-4lo. Wheels straight. NEVER pavement unless it has ice or snow. Never had a problem with it. Light 'em up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 also keep the same size tires all the way around so everything tuns at the same rate if you are in something slippery and peelong out, dont engage 4wd while peeling out, such as the front wheels spinning and the rears not, or you will get a nasty grind when engaging. rather let the wheels come to a stop if this is the case before engaging however, in normal driving or when you are not obviously peeliong out you can engage 4wd as you are driving normally is this car u have a 5spd or an automatic. pushbutton or lever? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midwst Posted June 25, 2005 Author Share Posted June 25, 2005 Its an automatic. I did find a really sweet 1993 Legacy with less than 75K miles. Ran like $10,000! But was a stick shift. My knees are so bad I can barely walk...so have to stay with the auto. I have a feeling that the 2wd/4wd tranny is a lot more durable than the AWD legacy tranny. True? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 If you plan on buying an Automatic EA82, your in for a world of hurt. The Auto Trannies on the EA82 line are HORRIBLE and rob probably 60% of the engines power before the HP reaches the wheels. Sucks about your knees, but i'd still look for a 5spd... unless you want to have no fun driving. -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midwst Posted June 25, 2005 Author Share Posted June 25, 2005 Are the auto trannies horrible just because of the lack of power? The car is primarily for delivery work, so I'm not sure its as important. If the trannys crash and burn prematurely, this I DO need to know, especially the gorry details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 Not sure about their failure. out of the 13 Subaru's ive owned, only one was an automatic (EA82, 3spd auto). I owned the car for 3 weeks before I sold it. I couldnt stand the auto.... it was just too sluggish. I dont ever plan on buying another Automatic subaru. Unless its a EA81 Turbo (as those ONLY came autos & SVX's). -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midwst Posted June 25, 2005 Author Share Posted June 25, 2005 The only real concern is if the auto tranny will have enough torque to pull me out of a snow bank. 4wd isn't worth much if the car can't pull its way through 4" of snow...which I will ask it to do from time to time. ANyone out there ever driven the 4wd auto in 3"-4" of snow?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soobmater Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 i never have but, i think it could handle 3-4inches of snow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 I asked in another of your threads which automatic you have, but it sounds like it is the 3 speed part time (3AT). The automatics aren't quite as bad as SubaruJunkie portrays them. Manuals are more fun, but the autos are usable. They have 3 major weak points, and 2 are related. First, they REQUIRE clean, non-overheated ATF. The tranny has no filter (just a screen), so any crud that gets into the pan circulates. It is easy to overheat the fluid, and then all sorts of things get gummed up, like... The Governor Valve. This is a gear driven, centrifugally operated valve that translates road speed for the tranny's shifting. It hides under the 4" dome that is on the side of the tranny just above the passenger-side (USA) stub-axle. It has a gear that rides on the pinion shaft and drives the shaft with the actual valve mechanism. The gear can wear out ("apple cores"), and the valve can gum-up so that it doesn't move. Either of these will cause problems when the shifter is in drive, and usually it will not shift into 3rd. The third weak point is the vacuum modulator valve, which uses a vacuum signal from the intake to tell the transmission if it needs to downshift of not. The vacuum diaphram ruptures and ATF is sucked out of the tranny and into the intake. $10-30 part. I have just resurrected an '89 Sedan, SPFI with the 3AT. When purchased it had 6 forward gears and nothing else: It was forever stuck in a forward gear. Dollied it home, drained what ATF I could, cleaned the valve body, checked the Governor, refilled and test drove it. During the test drive it came unstuck. A couple more ATF transfusions and I will call it cured. I have been driving it for a couple weeks now, and although ir doesn't "get off of the line" like my Turbo 5-speed, it has plenty of power for day-to-day driving. It is very smooth on the freeway, and I have to watch out for drifting to a higher speed (it loves 65mph). As far as 4WD, this tranny uses a fluid-pressure operated clutch pack to engage the rear-driveshaft, and this engagement is controlled by the electric pushbutton on your gearshift. Since it is a clutch pack and not a gear engagement, it doesn't suffer from binding in quite the same manner as the manuals, and the binding can be released just by pressing the button again. (The AWD auto-trannies use this cycling of the clutch pack to implement their variable torque split.) Speaking of 4WD, the "default" of the 3AT is 4WD. If the engine is not running, there is no fluid-pressure to disengage the clutch pack. Do not tow an auto-tranny Subaru with only the rear wheels on the ground unless you disconnect the rear driveshaft. The automatic is not a horrible slug. It is not popular on the Board as most people here would prefer to shift for themselves (myself included). But my wife is in a similar boat as you, and I have kids that need to learn to drive, so I have a couple automatic Soobs. Keep the ATF clean and cool, and things will be OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSubaruJunkie Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 I grew up in Alaska, and that is when I owned the Automatic EA82. The day after I bought it we got our 1st snow fall. Thats when I found out the 4WD (pushbutton) did not work. The car had enough power to pull its weight through the snow. But trying to gun it off the line was pointless. The car was gutless in comparison to the 4spd and 5spd's ive owned. Needless to say, my EA82 Auto was a piece of crap. Bought it for $500, sold it for $1k and bought a Brat with the money. Since your car will only have 25k on the ticker I wouldnt worry much about it. You can change the fluids to help the tranny survive longer if your really that worried about it. -Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Midwst Posted June 26, 2005 Author Share Posted June 26, 2005 I actually don't know what kind of tranny it has. Haven't picked it up yet. I'm pretty sure its the 3AT because I only felt three upshifts. fluid is bright red. Actually, it should have enough power for me, since for 2 winters I drove my 1.0L geo metro with special order 12" tire chains through 3-4" of snow. If that wanna be car can make it, anything else will be superior. well, maybe not. It is very slow!!! This is a safety hazard on the crowded highways around here. Yes, crowded in Iowa. Any tips on how to be sure the 4wd works, or is it just by feel? Thank you NorthWet for the fantatic details on the tranny. I was going to ask you where the vacuum modulator valve is, but I'm sure I can follow the vacuum hose and find it. I assume the symptoms are a poor running car and maybe problems shifting? this car I'm buying does run a little rough at idle, but not like its sucking fluid. Okay, a little dense here, but what can one do that would overheat the tranny? Can I over heat it by pushing through 4" of snow? or carrying a heavy load? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted June 26, 2005 Share Posted June 26, 2005 The vacuum modulator is just above the fluid pan gasket, on the same side of the tranny as the governor (USA passenger side), and adjacent to, and slightly rearward of, a slightly larger solenoid. General way to tell if it has ruptured or not is to pull loose the vacuum line at the valve and see if the rubber line is wet/drippy inside; it should be dry. Another way to tell is if you leave WHITE smokescreens behind you. If you replace it, there is a thin metal actuator rod that is likely to fall out, and fluid will pour out as it is below the fluid level of a properly filled tranny. The car should be no more underpowered than other similar age Japanese 1.6-2.0 liter cars with an automatic. As I have typed elsewhere, my 89 is more than acceptable for driving around town and on the freeway. Ignition can really effect power, and I am posting some thoughts in your "engine switch" thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.