Front differential gets hot while towing..........

[subarugal96]

ok so i have a 96 outback and i pull the quads, snowmobiles and stuff around on a medium single axel trailer. in the last couple months the front diff. has been getting hot while i pull a trailer, and im not putting it under alot of stress. so i started putting it in front wheel drive while i pull. it doesnt get as hot but still hotter than normal. also the tranny has the usual hard shift from first to second. and im waiting to find a stick shift befor i replace it. i dont wanna drop another auto in it. has anyone had the same problem with the front diff getting hot? and some input on the right tranny without switching the read diff... been there with a 97 gt sedan. dont wanna go through it again. thanks for the help!!

[chuckthefuk]

Welcome to SLi.

Are you saying that you pulled the fuse out in order to make it FWD?

How exactly can you tell that your diffs are getting hot?

Subarus are not designed to run in FWD mode during regular use but to answer one of your questions your car uses a 4.44 Final Drive rear differential. The means you need a 4.44 FD transmission... and this is going to give you a high reving 5th gear for daily driving which is not recommend.

Your best bet for a 5-speed (5MT) swap is getting everything transmission, rear diff, drive shaft, pedal box, slave cylinder, etc... all from one source at your local junk yard or buy a cheap rusted running 5MT legacy and go nuts.

-Chuck

[StatGSR]

have you atleast checked your fluid levels? are the fluids new or old?

also as chuck said, leave it in awd.

as far as fighting it, if i was doing any towing with an auto suby the first thing i would do is upgrade the tranny cooler.

[subarugal96]

I was putting a fuse in to make it fwd. but i think i will leave it in awd because it seems to not put so much strain on the front diff. all fluids levels are good. i always check them befor pulling anything. front diff is brand new fluid along with tranny and oil. i was pulling the quads up north, stopped for gas and noticed smoke coming from the front. popped the hood and checked around. i knew i already had old axel grease from a previously busted axel... i decided to check the diff stick cause it tends to not seal great. and it was too hot to touch. normally with my car i can touch the diff, tranny, intake, and its not hot to were i cant stand it. now maybe i sound like a dumbass but i was following what a subaru friend of ours did. but now maybe i know why he doesnt drive a scooby any more. so from now on ill be leaving it in awd.
as for the tranny swap.... didnt know if i should put a different gear ratio in there. cause i do alot of towing and alot of offroading....
Thanks for the help!!

[Huffer]

Towing in FWD is a major no-no. You're asking the front two wheels to do all the work - PLUS towing something?

Anytime the diffs are spinning they're going to generate heat. You should drain the fluids ASAP and refill with fresh fluid.

[subarugal96]

well i will no longer put it in front wheel drive while pulling. is it ok to put it in fwd for normal driving? or should it just stay in awd? i know when we bought it fron ark. we put it in fwd to pull it home since it was wrecked and couldnt drive it. but just to stay on the safe side ill leave it in awd.

[chuckthefuk]

FWD is ONLY for getting towed.. but the better option is getting a flat bed! or a regular tow truck with rear dollies.

Cheers
-Chuck

[ouch1011]

You shouldn't drive the car in FWD at all. Only possible exception could be if you were using the spare tire, and even then, low speeds and very limited use.

Using touch to try and judge (over)heating in an automotive setting is pretty useless. With metal or liquid objects, you will perceive 130-140 degrees as "too hot to touch" whereas 130-140 degrees is barely warm for most types of oil. Normal operating temp for most oils is in the 190-200 degree range, and if you touch metal or liquid at that temp, its going to burn you.

The smoke you saw was most likely oil or grease burning off the exhaust/cats. They are right in the same areas as the front diff.