center differantial problem?

I've had a problem with a burnt-out center differential on my 95 MT Legacy causing it to bind. There was never any problem accelerating or going in a straight line, however decelerating in a curve - in or out of gear - caused the same symptoms you describe and only so after driving for a while.

This was caused by the viscous coupling inside the manual transmission binding as soon as the drive train reached operating temperature. FYI: I bought a used low-mileage transmission from car-parts.com and had an independent mechanic do the swap.

Florian

I am sure SOA recommendations are on the safe side. I posted my [bad?] math here a while ago: I would definitively not recommend running different size tires on a Subaru but I think the potential for damage is grossly exaggerated in this theory. 1/4" in circumference is probably well within manufacturer's tolerances and/or uneven inflation and wear.

Florian

On Sun, 05 Sep 2004 02:11:07 GMT, "Edward Hayes" wrote: Do you people in USA have spacer saver spare wheels? If so I think SOA need to compare what they say with what they supply. My space saver is a good 2 inches less in diameter than the tyres fitted on the car. Bill

The dinky spare is meant to get you home or to the mechanic, not as a backup cross country spare tire. Most sub-size spares are 50mph maximum. Unless you were really in a jam you dont want to putting lots of high speed or off the beaten path miles on these.

He was pointing up the "don't let ANY tire vary by more than 1/4" warning, with respect to having a SPARE that's *two inches* different.

I think we're all familiar with the recommended usage for space-saver spares. It's just the size variance, WRT Subarus, that seems irreconciliable.

That is a ridiculous assumption, if everyone was "all familiar" as you suggest to the implication of using the spare, such a question would not arise! Common sense dictates that a sub-size spare is meant for emmergency situations, in which warnings regarding typical driving need not apply. If this cannot be deduced by the average adult, then SOA will further need to reduce the reading level of their manuals to approach that of kindergarten.

In an emmergency You can run your WRX without coolant and gear oil for a very short time without damage. If SOA ever mentioned this in a manual, who knows how many morons would come back to SOA saying they were under the impression they could drive cross country without essential engine fluids, demanding frivolous lawsuits and compenstaion for their stupidity.

Visous coupled differentials, the cheapest type of limited slip differentials, were not particularly designed for heavy off road use where there is a nearly contant power transfer beyond 50/50 for extended time durations. Tire mismatch of even a 1/4" can essentially fool the differential into thinking there is constant slippage in which over time the differential can overheat. Your differential is not going to fail overnight, but after 100,000+ miles or so you may have shortened the life of the part.

I realise that, but I was getting at the 1/4 inch circumference difference that was quoted . 2 inches in diameter is about 6 inches in circumference so I would think that 50 miles with that difference would do a lot of damage to a diff but Subaru supply a space caver spare and give the information on its use.

bill

I bought a used 99 which did that, turned out the dealership had slipped a pair of new tires on the front to make it look better on their lot. Once all four tires were the same, no more problem!