4EAT, no AWD.

[TbirdMan]

The AWD on my 99 leg GT doesn't seem to work. I pulled the front wheels onto grass, pulled the handbrake and gassed it and the front wheels spun. what besides a fried clutch pack could this be? if the solenoid failed would it default to 50/50 or 90/10? the rear axles looked fine, and the driveshaft didn't look out of order.

[02_Legacy]

Their is a FWD fuse that when in place makes the car FWD. That fuse may be in place. If I'm not mistaken it is located in the engine bay fuse box, but someone else is going to have to confirm that.

[TbirdMan]

That was my first thought. I found an empty fuse holder on the passenger side of the engine bay that i believe is the fuse holder in question. to make it FWD you put a fuse in so that isn't it.

[Huffer]

Yep, and if you were in FWD the "FWD" light on the dash lights up.

As for your failed grass burnout - were you in D or 3, 2 or 1? D gives you a 90/10 tq split. 3,2 or 1 gives you a 50/50 tq split.

In the winter on the highway I would always kick it down into 3 (I call it D3) for safety. My revs are a bit higher but it's worth the gas expense to have the AWD on fulltime. Now that I'm in a 5spd it's 50/50.

[TbirdMan]

huh, i didn't realize it was 90/10 in D i figured with wheelspin it would eventually fully engage. ill retry in 1 tomorrow.

[Kiwi GT]

Even in D with boot planted it will lock at 50/50. It varies the lock according to throttle input.

Sounds like a toasted clutch pack though. I'm surprised it didn't throw a rear speed sensor fault code if the fronts were spinning and the rears locked!!

[StatGSR]

am i the only one that noticed that he said he pulled the e-brake? power is going to the to the wheels that slip the easiest, since the rears wont move, its all going to go to the front, and since the rears wont move cause they cant spin (because of the e-brake) your just guna slip your clutch pack..........

Sounds like a good way to break your tranny, not test it.

[httrdd]

Duh you are not going to spin the rear tires with the handbrake on. Try spining the tires in the grass with the handbrake off.

[Huffer]

am i the only one that noticed that he said he pulled the e-brake? power is going to the to the wheels that slip the easiest, since the rears wont move, its all going to go to the front, and since the rears wont move cause they cant spin (because of the e-brake) your just guna slip your clutch pack..........

Sounds like a good way to break your tranny, not test it.

Good catch!

[TbirdMan]

I know I sound like a noob doing that, but I feel I know what I was doing, I didn't just pull the brake and floor it, I applied the throttle and listened to hear if the engine was dragging on the center diff. I also goosed the gas, no e brake, on a gravel incline today, major spin, I smelled tire smoke. looks like i need to start looking for a clutch pack. this great deal is looking more and more like I paid about the right price if not a bit more than I should have.

Edit: could the duty C solenoid fail without it giving me a code?

[Kiwi GT]

am i the only one that noticed that he said he pulled the e-brake? power is going to the to the wheels that slip the easiest, since the rears wont move, its all going to go to the front, and since the rears wont move cause they cant spin (because of the e-brake) your just guna slip your clutch pack..........

Sounds like a good way to break your tranny, not test it.

Nope, I saw it too, but a clutch pack in good condition won't slip.

Afterthought - The TCU may release the clutch pack when it sees the park brake switch close, like what happens on the manual DCCD boxes. Hmmm...

[TbirdMan]

ok, to put the hand-brake thing to rest, i drove the front wheels onto a wet grassy surface with the rears on gravel no hand-brake., i hit the gas and it just sat there and spun the fronts. I am left with either the TCU being crap, or something in the tail housing, and the latter seems more likely than the former.

[Huffer]

Can't visualize what you're describing. Got a video?

[TbirdMan]

here:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/10/illustration-1.jpg

[Kiwi GT]

here:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/10/illustration-1.jpg

Gold!! :lol:

[ouch1011]

I have no written proof to back this up, but I drove a phase 2 Forester around a parking lot with the TCU disconnected (long story, was doing work under the dash and it was in the way) and it drove as if the transfer clutch pack was completely locked. Turning tight, the AWD bound up. So, that might be a quick/dirty way to check the transfer clutch.

In my experience, the transfer clutch doesn't react immediately. So, if you have a large difference in traction F/R, it takes a second for the TCM to apply the transfer clutch and transfer power.

[liquidracing]

i am now having the same intermittent awd loss issue.......getting worse as time goes on, imho. has anyone figured out what the culprit was? i am, so far, going with the "soft metal" tail assembly approach because i am getting no error codes.

[TbirdMan]

wow...so, i finally got around to digging back into the trans..wish i had taken a closer look at the valve when i was in there last time. seems the previous owner had stuck a dime, yes a dime, in the port between the valve and the rear housing. My only guess is he wanted true FWD rather than the 90/10 defult the fuse gives you? I only hope everything else was getting enough lubrication.