I have a Subaru Outback, 1996. About a month ago, the vehicle started acting strangely - going around sharp corners resulting in binding in what feels like the rear of the vehicle, and when you start the car, the AT Oil
Temp light flashes, which according to the manual means the AWD control is bogarted somehow.
I just noticed that there's a fuse block under the hood that will allow you to disable the AWD and make it a FWD vehicle. I was planning on doing this to test my theory that there's something wrong with the computer or a sensor because...
1. I took it to the local Subaru dealer. They drove it around and told me I needed a new transmission for $3500. I asked about the light and they were vague about it. They said my transmission oil was "all burnt up" but when I checked the levels the fluid looked good as did both differentials.
2. I then took it to Aamco. You know, the transmission specialists. They kept it for a day and told me nothing was wrong with the car. I explained the binding and they asked if I just bought the car because maybe I'm not familiar with e AWD programs and how they bind up like that. Horsehockey, the car was fine for the I've had it for.
3. I tried the "secret handshake" with the gearshift, etc, but couldn't get it to spit out anything.
4. I now have an appointment with a different "factory trained Subaru service center" and I'm hoping to glean more info...
has anyone had a similar problem? will driving the car as a FWD screw it up at all (they talk about how this is useful for towing in the manual). I can't imagine changing the car from 90/10 to 100/0 would be a big deal, I'm sure it will handle slightly different, but that's fine.
thanks in advance for any replies/information.
Kurt Koller Developer / Hacker Minimalist, Inc.
http://minimalist.com/
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