legacycentral bbs

Hi there,

I was hoping to find out some more information about the 4wd drivetrain on my legacy. I am living in NZ and have a 1995 Tx-s auto. Now I was under the impression it was 4wd if needed and it has an AT - HOLD button by the auto shifter, but does not say 4WD on the back. But I got stuck in some sand this weekend and tried to revese out and only the front wheels were spinning, causing me to seek an embarrassing tow. Could someone explain to me what is happening when I press the AT - HOLD button and if the car is indeed 4WD or AWD or if it is simply 2WD.

Cheers for all the help

This is from my website. In the US, they have a button called the "MANUAL" button....I believe it serves the same purpose as your "HOLD" button.

As for 4WD or not, just look under the car and see if you have a rear differential.

Manual Button

The manual button has some controversy as two what its function is. But I'm here to disavow any of those rumors. Firstly, the automatic transmission normally runs a power split of 90% front 10% rear. This is under normal driving conditions. Secondly, the manual button ONLY works when the shift lever indicator is in the positions "3" or "2".

Ok, so you're ready to hear what this thingy does. It is a very primitive version of traction control. When the shift lever is either 3 or 2, and the manual button is depressed, it will keep the transmission from going into first gear. By doing this, you have less torque, more evenly distributed power, and a less chance to slip and slide around.

So to recap, when the shift lever is in the 2 position the transmission stays in 2nd gear. When the shift lever is in the 3 position the transmission chooses between 2nd and 3rd gear. If the shift lever is any other position then the two above, the manual button does absolutely positively nothing.