My wife's parents recently purchased this vehicle. They literally live on the side of a mountain in North Carolina near Hendersonville, so the AWD should help when things get slippery. His complaint is that when he turns sharply while pulling out of a parking spot, the car seems like it does not want to move. He says it sort of feels like the brakes are on. When he straightens up the wheel, then it moves freely again. I have not had a chance to look at it yet, but wanted to get any input from others on this. Could this be the full time AWD attempting to keep all the wheels turning at same speed, but then binding up somewhat in parking situations? Also,for the record, they were used to driving a 96 Buick Regal until recently.
96 Subaru Outback- is this normal for these cars?
- Thread starter bmwtechguy
- Start date
- Status
the full time awd has a center differential, so that you can turn freely without binding.
does he know about the holl holder? subaru has a hill holder which automatically holds the car on the side of a hill preventing it from rolling down even if you release the brakes. could be that he is reversing off the side of a hill which the hill holder is attempting to hold the car steady?
does he know about the holl holder? subaru has a hill holder which automatically holds the car on the side of a hill preventing it from rolling down even if you release the brakes. could be that he is reversing off the side of a hill which the hill holder is attempting to hold the car steady?
Been driving 4WD vehicles for decades. All of them do this. Some are worse than others. There is nothing wrong with the car.
The somewhat binding feeling is coming from the different rotation distance a front wheel travels in turning mode vs straight line of the rear... if that makes since?
Generally it helps in 4WD to plan your turns a little better so you don't have to turn to sharp.
[ January 07, 2006, 02:26 AM: Message edited by: Hirev ]
The somewhat binding feeling is coming from the different rotation distance a front wheel travels in turning mode vs straight line of the rear... if that makes since?
Generally it helps in 4WD to plan your turns a little better so you don't have to turn to sharp.
[ January 07, 2006, 02:26 AM: Message edited by: Hirev ]
Subaru uses AWD, not 4WD (yes, there is a difference). That binding feeling you get with 4WD you should NOT get with a Subaru. I would check into it further to see what the issue is.
Generally, when people say 4WD they mean locked. AWD uses a system of differentials and whatnot such that pairs or individual wheels can have different speeds than others, whereas in a 'locked' 4WD system, all four wheels turn the same speed no matter what. Then there are systems that have characteristics of both...what do we call those?
Marketer's choice.
Marketer's choice.
subaru uses all wheel drive. subaru cars and trucks also have 4 wheels. therefore, subaru uses 4 wheel drive.
A few things on the Subaru. Are all four tires the same make/model and also same wear? Also is the car automatic or standard. If automatic the clutch pack may be failing in the differential. The manual uses a viscous coupling in lieu of a cluch pack.
Typically this type of failure is exasperated by previous owners who replace a single tire or two tires with a differential of wear on the other set of tires.
Typically this type of failure is exasperated by previous owners who replace a single tire or two tires with a differential of wear on the other set of tires.
All wheel drive uses torque or wheel speed sensors to determine which wheel has grip and sends the power there. All wheel drive does not have a transfer case with a low range.
4 wheel drive has a transfer case with a low range and basically a 50/50 split between the front and rear.
Therefore, Subaru does NOT use 4 wheel drive, it uses all wheel drive.
My 2000 Subaru AWD with an automatic has a clutch pack that is used for power transfer. The manual trans version used a viscous coupling to tranfer power. What you discribe is NOT normal for Subaru AWDs. I would first do a transmission oil change.
I have a 1997 Subaru Legacy AWD (AT) sedan with 190K miles on it, and I have never encountered this problem.
There is a fuse located at the rear of the engine compartment that is labeled FWD, I believe. In the event that you get a flat tire and must use the donut as a spare, Subaru instructs that you pull that fuse (or put one in -I don't remember which) so that the vehicle will revert to FWD instead of AWD.
Maybe you can place the car into FWD mode just to see if it makes any difference with the problem.
There is a fuse located at the rear of the engine compartment that is labeled FWD, I believe. In the event that you get a flat tire and must use the donut as a spare, Subaru instructs that you pull that fuse (or put one in -I don't remember which) so that the vehicle will revert to FWD instead of AWD.
Maybe you can place the car into FWD mode just to see if it makes any difference with the problem.
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2003
- Messages
- 23,591
Even an AWD system with a torsen center differential will cause some noticeable (maybe not by everyone!
) minor binding, grinding and resistance at low speed and fully turned steering wheel. If I make donuts (off-road!) my quattro makes all sorts of chirping noises that are accompanied by some binding and minor 4-wheel slippage. If I make the tightest turn possible at very low speeds on a solid road, there's definitely some grinding going on. The Subaru's AWD may be enhanced by an electronic differential lock and anti-slip system (could be just ABS), all of which can contribute to the described observations.
moribundman,
After 190,000 miles, I believe I would have noticed any binding, grinding, etc. that was worth noticing - at least once. I have not.
Maybe you should "upgrade" to a Subaru!
After 190,000 miles, I believe I would have noticed any binding, grinding, etc. that was worth noticing - at least once. I have not.
Maybe you should "upgrade" to a Subaru!
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2003
- Messages
- 23,591
Yeah, you clearly don't drive your Subie like it was meant to be driven.
The four studded Nokian Hakka 1's that I run during the winter won't let me have much fun in the snow. They stick like glue.
- Joined
- Jun 2, 2003
- Messages
- 23,591
I really miss driving on snow and ice.
My Quattro does just what Moribundman describes, it seems perfectly normal for that car. However, my wife's '01 Outback (automatic, now 90k miles) has never produced any noise related to AWD, it'll go to full steering lock with no problem.
Thinking about it (now there's a concept!) I wonder if some of the grumbling from the Quattro might be due to the ABS and ESP (stability control) kicking in.
In these cars (like a number of others, I think) the ABS is used to simulate LSD in the front and rear differentials. It senses when one wheel is spinning and applies braking to it, which sends torque to the opposite wheel.
The AWD system itself is entirely mechanical, with a Torsen center diff, no electrical connection at all.
In these cars (like a number of others, I think) the ABS is used to simulate LSD in the front and rear differentials. It senses when one wheel is spinning and applies braking to it, which sends torque to the opposite wheel.
The AWD system itself is entirely mechanical, with a Torsen center diff, no electrical connection at all.
People should understand that AWD vs 4wd are simply naming conventions. There are many types of systems, so to diagnose something that feels like binding on tight turns, it doesn't really matter what you call it. What you need to know is what kind of center differential it has, whether it applies some "locking" force in ordinary driving or not.
- Glenn
- Glenn
Yeah. Any vehicle that can send the power to all four wheels is a 4WD vehicle. AWD is simply one of various types of 4WD. In addition to that, there are various types of AWD systems. But generally, as on the Subarus (and I own an 03 Subaru Forester), with an AWD its designed and built so that there's no damage or other problem if the front and rear axles do not turn at the same speed, AND the computer monitors each of the four wheels and if one starts slipping the computer takes power from that wheel until the slippage stops and sends the power to a non-slipping wheel. What one can call a "traditional" 4WD, such as what almost all 4WD pickups have, does not have either of these properties. This is why the typical AWD gets better traction than these "traditional" 4WD's and has no front wheel binding in tight turns.
how does the computer differentiate between a tight turn and 2 side wheels spinning in the mud.
- Status
Similar threads
