My tires bind up upon tight turns. My mechanic has done all he knows how to do to correct this problem, with no solution. He says I need to go to the dealer who say the problem is...Rear transmission transfer clutches and/or clutch solenoid needs to be checked.

 

Before I spend money at the dealer, I would so appreciate if someone could tell me if this sounds correct and if it is safe for me to be driving?

 

Thank you so much!

Search here for "torque bind" there are many, many threads.

 

Common problem. Try putting in the FWD fuse and see what happens.

 

Dave

here we are....i had the same problem on my 96 legacy manual trans though.....heres the thread on it...... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=83952

Some "torque bind" info can be easily accessed by scrolling down this page and clicking on one or more of the "Similar Threads".

What did the mechanic do?

 

Some on here have reported flushing the transmission fixed it.

 

But Yes, replacing the rear transfer clutch assembly (removable rear section of the transmission) is likely needed. It is HIGHLY recommended that the Duty C solenoid, aka transfer case solenoid also be replaced when they are in there.

 

Another option is if you or a mechanically inclined friend want to do this, there is a GREAT thread/post on doing this. I'm no mechanic, and I did this myself.

 

Otherwise, it's in the $1000 range @ the dealer.

 

Here's a link on another subie site: http://legacycentral.org/library/torquebind.htm

 

Good luck!

i had the same problem on my 96 legacy manual trans though.....heres the thread on it...... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=83952

manual and automatics have completely different AWD components and failures. manual info won't be applicable for her.

 

this is how your mechanic should have proceeded. would have been better to ask here, then take to the mechanic. and "No" you do not want to be driving it like this, it can cause further damage.

 

1. tires should be checked first. they need to be the same size, proper air pressure, and same tread depth.

 

2. install the FWD fuse right now and tell us whether the torque bind goes away or not (this tells us something important). if it works you want to continue to drive it in FWD. driving it as is will cause more damage and is not good on the vehicle.

 

3. transmission fluid needs to be flushed or changed a few times

 

4. try a transmission fluid additive

 

5. if the torque bind is permanent you have the option of of removing the rear half of the driveshaft and just running it like that. it will essentially be FWD that way (do NOT use the FWD fuse in this case). just remove the driveshaft. at the very least, do this until you decide how/when to fix it.

 

6. you mechanic can fix this, it's not all that difficult, just replace the rear transfer clutches. it can be done without even removing the transmission from the car.

Brandyb here and I want to thank all of you for your help. I have made an appointment with my local dealer, for I don't know a thing about fixing cars and my mechanic obviously has come to the end of his Subaru knowledge.

 

Thanks again,

Brandyb

I have made an appointment with my local dealer,

 

If you can, Brandyb, get an opinion from an independent shop too. You are not far from Tacoma--give Dan Maurin at Roopair Specialties a call. I think he'd give you the straight skinny and probably a better price than a dealership.

 

Good luck.

the dealer is just going to charge you $500-$1,000 for new clutches and skip all of the other steps i mentioned...like checking tires, FWD fuse, and fluid changes. they'll skip most if not all of that.

 

you can easily look at tires and install a fuse. the fuse installation takes 5 seconds, no tools. if you can open a can of peanut butter you can do this.