I have a 99 outback wagon 5spd and lately when I make hard turns I get a front end catching with some popping in what seems like the CV's. The car has 215k on it and everything is original so I am assuming that my CV's are going bad and I need to replace the front axles. The feeling I am geting is much like I would get on my old loyale when the front axles were going bad. Am I on the right track or am I experiencing torque bind. I didn't think torque bind was a real issue with a 5 spd.

 

Thanks

 

Mike

torque bind can occur on 5 speeds. it's less common, but definitely happens. replace the viscous center unit to fix.

 

hope you can figure out for sure what it is mike. if it's "popping" on road changes then it could be struts too.

 

if it's doing it on every turn, then that probably rules out struts and is a CV or trans like you said. it should be obvious whether it's the trans or CV's. the trans will be a very distinct and noticeable binding/breaking/slowing down action.

 

if yo'ure still not sure i would expect the trans to always be the same...forward backward left or right. the CV might change..like be worse turning right verses turning left, etc.

 

have any of the boots ever been broken? that would be a good indicator of CV issues as well. do you think the entire axle/boot has 215,000 miles on it? if so, they are probably devoid of grease. repack them?

 

have you ever felt torque bind before?

 

good luck mike!

I've never felt torque bind, so I'm at a loss. The axles are the originals and as far as I know the boots have never ripped. It feels like a popping in the CV's as iff the ball bearings are binding up due to being dry.

 

My next question is where to find the viscious center to replace? You don't have one gary, do you? Didn't you have an entire tranny for sale a while back? Did you end up selling it?

 

If not, maybe a road trip is in order.

 

Thanks

 

Mike

Mike,

 

I have an entire tranny, but the viscous units aren't that expensive I believe and this trans is good so it's not really worth it for either of us to part it out. A friend actually asked for this trans a while ago, so I'd want to check with him first.

how much do you think a viscious unit would be? If I did the tranny thing with you I would buy the whole thing and make a road trip to come and get it.

how much do you think a viscious unit would be? If I did the tranny thing with you I would buy the whole thing and make a road trip to come and get it.

 

WHOA!!!! slow down.

 

If you hear hoofbeats...... think Horses, not Zebras

 

So clicking/popping in turns.......yeah that is the CVs. They are SUPER easy to replace on these cars.

 

I doubt that you have a problem with your center diff. I would never tear one out just on a hunch or speculation. You should have some real evidence that it is bad before taking it out, as it is a BIG project if you are unfamiliar with it.

Trust me, I am going to replace the VERY old half shafts before I even think of getting into the diff.

 

Thanks

 

Mike

Trust me, I am going to replace the VERY old half shafts before I even think of getting into the diff.

 

Thanks

 

Mike

 

that will likely fix your issue. they're probably dry and devoid of grease. they'd probably last another 50k-100k if you regreased and rebooted them, but simpler to replace the entire axle. i bought 4 axles today because i hate rebooting them!

[...] it should be obvious whether it's the trans or CV's. the trans will be a very distinct and noticeable binding/breaking/slowing down action.

Yes. In fact, Subaru refers to torque bind as ''tight corner braking''. Since that doesn't seem to be the symptom described, thinking ''CV'' (as opposed to ''VC'') would probably be appropriate.

Thanks Guys. I'll probably get to it in the next week or so and i'll let you know what the outcome is.

Subaru wants $550 for the center differential for my 98 Outback. $1000+ if you include labor. Many others have posted similar and higher quotes as well.

 

If you need more info on torque bind with the manual tranny, there are a handful of threads here that I was able to dig up using the search feature. All the descriptions posted matched my symptoms exactly. I have not fixed mine yet though, trying to track down a used part instead of new...