arracado Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 Sorry to start another thread about all of this, but in all my searching I can't seem to nail down exactly what my problem might be. So here goes: 97OBW, 135K miles, ATM. For the last couple of months, I've noticed tightness when making hard left turns. No shuddering, just a tightness, as if you're holding down the brake while turning. In looking through other threads, I'm thinking this is torque bind? I've seen that a complete fluid flush can be an effective fix for this problem, though not always. However, I read somewhere in another thread about the AT Oil Temp light flashing, and realized that mine does that too. I went out and started it this morning and counted--16 flashes. Is this the duty C solenoid failing? And if so, should I forget the flush and just have this fixed? We are up in the snow now and as far as I know the AWD is working just fine. Any help is greatly appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arracado Posted February 20, 2006 Author Share Posted February 20, 2006 Sorry to start another thread about all of this, but in all my searching I can't seem to nail down exactly what my problem might be. So here goes: 97OBW, 135K miles, ATM. For the last couple of months, I've noticed tightness when making hard left turns. No shuddering, just a tightness, as if you're holding down the brake while turning. In looking through other threads, I'm thinking this is torque bind? I've seen that a complete fluid flush can be an effective fix for this problem, though not always. However, I read somewhere in another thread about the AT Oil Temp light flashing, and realized that mine does that too. I went out and started it this morning and counted--16 flashes. Is this the duty C solenoid failing? And if so, should I forget the flush and just have this fixed? We are up in the snow now and as far as I know the AWD is working just fine. Any help is greatly appreciated! EDIT--Not sure how relevant it is, but none of these problems started until a few months after purchasing new tires all around. The previous tires were all matching and the car was well cared-for by the previous owner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arracado Posted February 20, 2006 Author Share Posted February 20, 2006 Just went out in the snow, put a 15A fuse in the FWD socket, and tested the AWD. With the fuse in or out, rear wheels spin if I gun it in the snow. Dead drive solenoid c? What am I looking at to get this thing replaced, and what are the consequences of continued driving with the car in this condition? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcspeer Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 What do you mean tightness? maybe others are also not quite understanding your problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arracado Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 What do you mean tightness? maybe others are also not quite understanding your problem. Well I've seen it described as torque bind here. When making a hard left turn, like into a parking space for example, the car feels as if you're holding the brake down while pushing on the gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcspeer Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 I dont know anything about torque bind but if Nipper sees this he is up on this subject if not give him a private message he should be able to give you information on it. Well I've seen it described as torque bind here. When making a hard left turn, like into a parking space for example, the car feels as if you're holding the brake down while pushing on the gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Sorry to start another thread about all of this, but in all my searching I can't seem to nail down exactly what my problem might be. So here goes: 97OBW, 135K miles, ATM. For the last couple of months, I've noticed tightness when making hard left turns. No shuddering, just a tightness, as if you're holding down the brake while turning. In looking through other threads, I'm thinking this is torque bind? I've seen that a complete fluid flush can be an effective fix for this problem, though not always. However, I read somewhere in another thread about the AT Oil Temp light flashing, and realized that mine does that too. I went out and started it this morning and counted--16 flashes. Is this the duty C solenoid failing? And if so, should I forget the flush and just have this fixed? We are up in the snow now and as far as I know the AWD is working just fine. Any help is greatly appreciated! My ears are burninig...... You have torque bind. You dont have it for the usual reasons, but the flashing tranny light is telling you that you have a failed tranny part, and in all likelyhood it is the Duty C Solenoid that has failed. You did a pretty good job of figuring out what it is. I dont know the code, but all your symptons are the failed solenoid. The solenoid energizes to disconnect the rear wheel drive. Installing the fuse essentially does the came thing. Since you have no change when installing the fuse, im 95% sure the solenoid had failed. i cant say 100% since i dont have the car here to test. Electrically there arent that many things to go wrong that will trip a code in the tranny. This is the most common. When they do service this, tell them you want a tranny flush too. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arracado Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 Thanks for the help nipper! So I guess my next question then would be how much I should expect to pay for such a job. If anyone has had similar work done please let me know how much you paid so I can be sure not to get ripped off! This board rules!! Thanks to everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 How long has it has this condition? nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arracado Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 Probably 3-4 months. I talked with a local Subaru mechanic who has a good reputation around here, and he quoted me $750 for the job, and that includes clutch packs, etc. He said he could do it cheaper and bypass the clutch packs, but that might invite future problems. So $750 doesn't sound too bad to me to keep the car running how it should. It's a bite in the wallet, but not as bad as I thought it might be, and it could end up being less depending on how it looks once he gets it taken apart. Thanks again for all the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Thats a good price to get the system rebuilt. i was going to say you may have damage to the clutch pack with the dead solenoid, but the point is moot now. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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