legacycentral bbs

i have a 1990 subaru legacy AWD. i was wondering, if the rear wheels free roll if a tow truck was to come and pick it up. to my suprise it did which the manual says not to do. heres why i ask:


so i went to this place where we always get our cars fixed to have my transmission looked at cuz it was acting really weird. and they basically told me i needed a new one or to re-build it. so i got a used one from another subaru instead of rebuilding it cuz my car's old and i figure its gonna die soon (not the damn case, 181k and i drive it really hard but its just so damn good that it won't die). and so they got the transmission from a junkyard and put it in. but then that broke down real fast. and i went to ammco to see what was wrong. it turns out that the place where they got it gave me the wrong year. so i had ammco rebuild it and it runs. but then my alternator died and i had to tow it to a shop. and well... the rear wheels free rolled. but i had the guy put all four wheels on the dolly thing anyway.


so, i was wondering, how could i find out if my car is now AWD or FWD. i dunno if when the shop got the transmission from the junkyard whther or not it was AWD or FWD and if its possible they put a FWD in my car. thanks all.

you could probably check for a driveshaft.

The multiplate transfer clutch relies on ATF pressure to function. With the engine not running, it can't lock up at all and so slips. It can be damaged in this situation, though, as it's slipping without any lubrication.

You could check your AWD's functionality by raising all four corners of the car and putting the gear selector in "1," couldn't you?

are you automatic or manual?

i have an automatic. whats a driveshaft and what does it look like?

It connects the transmission to the rear differential. If you car had been converted to FWD, you wouldn't have one. You can sort of see it in this MSPaint I made. The rear diff is circled and the thing in front of it that connects to the transmission is the driveshaft.

I've done the 4 wheels in the air thing, the rear engagement can be a little harsh with everything unloaded. Best way to test the AWD is to stomp the throttle from a stop in the gravel, the front will spin just a bit then the back will grab. You can hang your head out the door and watch the back wheel scratch to be sure.

Gary

All_talk wrote:I've done the 4 wheels in the air thing, the rear engagement can be a little harsh with everything unloaded. Best way to test the AWD is to stomp the throttle from a stop in the gravel, the front will spin just a bit then the back will grab. You can hang your head out the door and watch the back wheel scratch to be sure.

Gary

It's more fun to do in snow

I think you'll only get one wheel in front and 1 wheel back though...I don't think the rear or front diff will lock up.

easiest way to check for awd.
1. Look under the rear bumper of your car at the rear axle, if it has a pumpkin-ish "growth" in the middle, you have awd.
2. Check the sticker on the inside of the driverside door jam. FWD=front wheel drive, AWD=All wheel drive.

Putting a AWD tranny on a FWD car will blow the tranny, and wrong year doesn't matter