hi my name is tom

 

 

i tried to use my 4 wheel drive the other day and its not working

usually when i push in the button on the shifter the light comes

on but when i push it now it doent come on is there a fuse for this button if there is where is it. oh yeah during the fall sometimes the 4wd light would flash on and off like flickering if you will i dont know if it means anything but now its not working so maybe it does please help.

 

 

thomas

 

91 subaru loyale wagon

1.8 engine 5 speed manual trannny

The first question I would ask is if it is actually in 4WD - you should feel binding when you turn if you are in 4WD - remember you must be going strait to engage/disengage 4WD (you probably already know that, I just want to be sure)

if you do feel the binding when you turn, it means you have a problem in the indicatior circuit - either bad light on dash, bad sensor on tranny, or short in wiring between the two places

 

if you don't feel the binding, then it probably means you probably have a vacuum leak, as the 4WD is engaged/disengaged with valves on the vacuum system - or a blown fuse, check all fuses first - I would check the vacuum lines on the engine - I think the valve assy is on the driver's side, near the shock tower (but I can't remember - mine is lever-actuated) also keep an eye out for loose electrical connectors under the hood

 

good luck

Do your heater/defrost vents work like they should?

 

If not, you definitely have a vacuum leak under the hood. There should be a line going from the intake manifold to the vacuum canister on the passenger side rear of the engine bay. Should be two vacuum lines from there, one going to the heater control, and the other to two solenoids by the driver side strut tower. Most likely something got bumped/disconnected at some point.

there used to be a good writeup in the USRM about troubleshooting this system...

The first question I would ask is if it is actually in 4WD - you should feel binding when you turn if you are in 4WD - remember you must be going strait to engage/disengage 4WD (you probably already know that, I just want to be sure)

if you do feel the binding when you turn, it means you have a problem in the indicatior circuit - either bad light on dash, bad sensor on tranny, or short in wiring between the two places

 

if you don't feel the binding, then it probably means you probably have a vacuum leak, as the 4WD is engaged/disengaged with valves on the vacuum system - or a blown fuse, check all fuses first - I would check the vacuum lines on the engine - I think the valve assy is on the driver's side, near the shock tower (but I can't remember - mine is lever-actuated) also keep an eye out for loose electrical connectors under the hood

 

good luck

 

 

Yes, make sure it isn't just the light not coming on. The light in my loyale only comes on when it feels like it, so I have to listen for a slight clunk when I engage 4wd.