Bearing in Differential

This is very rare if indeed the problem is a failing pinion bearing. I have never heard of one failing.

Did this problem appear immediately after the transmission was worked on? Wondering because if by chance the shop drained the front differential, forgot to refill and then drove the car a few miles, the ring and pinion gears are now in bad shape.

Once as a teenager a friend and I replaced the differential in his Ford. Friend forgot to bring any gear lube to finish the job. Gas station 4 miles down the road and I suggested he just drive the 4 miles, thinking running the differential dry only those 4 miles would not damage the differential. Wrong. The next week we replaced it again.

I can't help wondering if they confused the diff with the tranny, messed it up on a test drive, and now are playing CYA.

Have YOU heard this noise yourself before?

These people are not stupid. They also put the car on a lift to confirm where the sound is coming from. And how could they mess it up by doing a test drive? Note that once they noticed the sound they did not change the fluids so as to not waste my money.

It¹s a rubbing sound, kinda like the snow tires are still on. It¹s subtle but noticeable once it was pointed out to me.

I have just fixed the front diff on my Forester, due to scrubbing/juddering on lock.

Two "Main Dealers" were useless - the first said it was a rear axle problem, the second got it right but wrecked both front drive shafts (outer CV joints) in the process.

Subaru UK were no help technically, and the dealer washed his hands of it saying they don't do gearboxes, so find a gearbox specialist.

The front diff is buried inside the box and is "the most expensive part" according to an overhaul specialist. I swapped it all out with box and shafts from a breaker - cheaper than one driveshaft from Subaru - and used a non-Subaru shop to do it.

This problem was starting when I bought the vehicle at 12 months old, and was not resolved (by me) until 5 yrs old.

The box specialist is going to open it up later, so I hope to have some photos one day.

I can't dispute what you're reporting. But this makes no sense. I still suspect the problem was the 'wet clutch pack'/center diff.

w'ever

Not trying to insult anyone, just trying to brainstorm this problem. I HAVE read of people, unfamiliar with Subarus, that confused the front diff dipstick and the tranny dipsticks and/or drained incorrect fluids and/or refilled incorrect fluids.

maybe Subaru will repair/replace it. good luck

Carl

Darn...you Brits...took me 30 seconds to remember a "breaker" is a Junkyard.... ;)

I would have expected 'knackers'.

Dave

Thanks Carl, and also for your earlier posts. I forgot to say, at least in this thread, that the vehicle is a 2005 Forester 2.0 XT (turbo) Automatic.

If you do turn out to be right about it being the central wet clutch, I am going to be even more upset with Subaru because this is quite easy to swap out. However, the dealer has a 'cure' for central clutch problems - 360 degree turns on full lock 6 times one way then 6 times the other - and this is what wrote off two driveshafts.

Gilbert

You need to watch Wheeler Dealers more often...

If use of the FWD fuse under the hood eliminates the 'jerkiness' felt during tight maneuvering(at low speed on dry pavement), that is diagnostic for the CD/wet-clutch-pack because it effectively sends all engine power to front wheels only. If jerkiness is still felt when using the FWD fuse, then I suppose the front diff, fron half-axles or hubs COULD be the problem.

StephenH may chime in, I hope, and could explain better. Supposedly, there is a Ford additive that helps with clutch-pack 'torque bind'.

Carl

Fuse tried, fault unchanged. Both drive shafts replaced because the fault wrecked them, (with help from the dealer - I was more careful because it felt horrid).

You cannot replace just the inner or outer CV joints on a Subaru because they will only supply driveshafts complete with both ends, doubling the cost.

the additive, Motorcraft Additive Friction Modifier, was a fix for older subies, int he early 2000. pour it in with the atf and drive some circles. the chatter should go away. While not "authorized" for the newer years, like 2005 it does work. Suspiciously, the newer Subaru Transmissions need a special type fluid that was told to me to have friction modifiers in it.

Pinion Bearings do fail occasionally. usually will growl at you as they die. Havent seen a rash of them, but a few. One was a elderly lady who just completed her 60k service, all maintenance was good. we did a 33% split with her for the repair

If the problem is the 'duty c solenoid', or if the clutch basket has sufficient grooving the fuse will not help the problem.

The duty c failure is not rare, and is even easier to fix than the clutch itself (but still involves removing the rear of the trans).

Dave

OK, well after about three weeks of negotiations they had me bring the car in this week. Three days at the dealer, they replaced both front wheel bearings but did noting to the differential. So I took the car back to the transmission shop where they confirmed that the problem was still there and that if I didn¹t have it fixed I would eventually get stranded. They even put it on the lift with someone in the car to put it in gear so they could make sure of where the sound was coming from.

So back to the dealer, I spoke to the owner. After he had finished lecturing me about how I should have had more of my servicing done at the dealership, he said he would see what he could do. But I think the problem is that the service people have no idea what they are looking for.

All this seems a bit unusual for a car with only 62,000 miles. I¹ve also had to replace the brake rotors at 15,000 due to pulsation, and the air conditioning evaporator failed when the car was only six months old. Yet the owner of the dealership does not think this car is a lemon, I disagree. I¹ve owned six Subarus and have never had problems like this.

1. Is it a US made model?
2. Where the hell is Lake Wobegone, NH?

No, Japanese made. VIN starts with ??. Lake Wobegone, NH is in a state of mind.

Ah so.

How far from Keene?