May 1, 200619 yr It's going to be a few weeks until I have the free time needed to change the AWD clutch pack on my '94 Legacy. Until then... I was thinking of removing the rear half of the driveshaft and driving with the FWD fuse inserted. While this won't eliminate the binding, it should stop it from reaching the rear wheels, making for a smooth ride. Any potential problems or damage to the transmission that will result from this? I'll do it with the FWD fuse IN, so it shouldn't be trying to transfer power to the rear anyway... Suggestions or comments?
May 1, 200619 yr S, i've done it before on a 4EAT and manual XT6 without issue, i think you'd be fine. not saying it's ideal, but i don't think there's a high probability of having any issues.
May 1, 200619 yr Actually, you don't need to pull the rear driveshaft in order to temporarily disable AWD. If you just put in the FWD fuse, the "Duty Solenoid C" will bypass hydraulic pressure and the clutch pack won't engage. You can drive around like this for quite some time -- I did it for nearly 2 years until I got around to fixing my '96 OBW!
May 1, 200619 yr good call wayne, they always say here that installing the FWD fuse is the "test" to see if you have torque bind or not. if you install the fuse and it goes away, you just found your torque bind.
May 1, 200619 yr Yup - there's only one caveat to this. The Duty Solenoid C will be "ON" full time when the FWD fuse is in. That means it will run a little hotter than in the normal AWD mode. This should not be a problem if you're not pushing the vehicle to extremes, and if you have reasonably new tranny fluid in the AT. But if you plan to drive a desert rally course with AT fluid that hasn't been changed for the life of the vehicle, then all bets are off with respect to the life of that solenoid! Of course if you're planning on completing a desert rally in 2WD mode, then you're even crazier than me!
May 1, 200619 yr Actually, you don't need to pull the rear driveshaft in order to temporarily disable AWD. If you just put in the FWD fuse, the "Duty Solenoid C" will bypass hydraulic pressure and the clutch pack won't engage. You can drive around like this for quite some time -- I did it for nearly 2 years until I got around to fixing my '96 OBW! taking off the driveshaft (and rear pumpkin) will end up saving gas
May 1, 200619 yr taking off the driveshaft (and rear pumpkin) will end up saving gas If you permit me to differ LosDios, I dont think so. Cause everything will still be moving (rotating) except that small lenght of removed shaft. I dont think that will same much gas.
May 1, 200619 yr We've had people on the forum try this several times in the past, and all reports indicate that there is little if any gas mileage improvement. It doesn't save you enough to even measure.
May 1, 200619 yr no savings. i've removed driveshafts, rear diff, rear axles....been there done that (years ago, not trying to save gas) but i watch my mileage like a hawk on highway driving. remove drive train = no difference.
May 1, 200619 yr If you permit me to differ LosDios, I dont think so. Cause everything will still be moving (rotating) except that small lenght of removed shaft. I dont think that will same much gas. right. if you take off the rear DS and total rear end (which is really what i meant) it'll be like a fwd car. leaving everything connected, yes, youre still pulling everything that you were before.
May 1, 200619 yr no savings. i've removed driveshafts, rear diff, rear axles....been there done that (years ago, not trying to save gas) but i watch my mileage like a hawk on highway driving. remove drive train = no difference. hmm, i stand corrected. looks good on paper though.
May 1, 200619 yr it does sound right and seems like it, but doesn't work out that way. i will say i've only done it on the XT6, guess others may differ, but i'd expect that for the same reasons the XT6 doesn't make any difference it would hold true for newer models as well. the internals of the trans are all still there even though the output is removed. if he does remove his he can do a before and after gas mileage check.
May 1, 200619 yr Author Actually, you don't need to pull the rear driveshaft in order to temporarily disable AWD. If you just put in the FWD fuse, the "Duty Solenoid C" will bypass hydraulic pressure and the clutch pack won't engage. You can drive around like this for quite some time -- I did it for nearly 2 years until I got around to fixing my '96 OBW! Actually, the clutch pack on this trans is so far gone, even with the FWD fuse in I still had torque bind. It'd still chirp the front wheels only on a fast takeoff, so I know the FWD was working... but all the binding was still there. Probably due to the previous owner putting 40,000 miles on it with torque bind present, and the owner before him doing the same for God-knows-how-long. I went ahead and pulled the shaft, the car runs great in FWD, no more torque bind. Any gas mileage improvement I get is null and void for those of you with healthy cars though- the bind was acting like a dragging anchor on mine, slowing down acceleration and making for HORRIBLE gas mileage. So, any results I get do not apply to a car with a healthy transmission.
May 1, 200619 yr Well I didn't realize that it was that far gone! Sorry to hear that -- you'd think that people would be more sensitive to things they can actually FEEL while driving. Anyway, there is a slight chance that you don't need the full clutch pack. A replacement Duty Solenoid, and a thorough cleaning of the modulator manifold that the Solenoid switches, might be all that's required. you won't really know until you pull the rear housing off. Then, if all the clutch plates in the pack are fused into a solid piece, you'll know for certain that... Good Luck!
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