Vibration in drivetrain after 4.11 swap
 

I did a 4.11 swap from a junk-yard (but low mileage) 2.2L Legacy Outback. Used a matching 4.11 rear-end out of a 5-speed Forester.

With the FWD fuse in the car is butter smooth, runs good. With the fuse out, there's all sorts of binding. The tranny had a bad solenoid and rear clutch pack a while back that caused bad binding in tight turns, but this is different, it's binding even in a straight line.

I've been reading the multitudes of threads about binding issues, but I'm having trouble coming up w/ a scenario that matched my issues... plus I'm not sure how much info on the SVX tranny applies to the Legacy 4EAT, though they should be very similar.

Anyone with ideas?

Thanks in advance!

are you getting a flashing power light?? And yes, it is still binding

Tom

I didn't notice the tranny throwing codes via the power light, which is something it's done in the past with the original SVX tranny. However, I was not watching the dash carefully, and I believe I've never started the car with the FWD fuse removed, in which case I'm not sure if it would throw a code for an AWD problem. So that's something to check for sure.

I'm trying to brainstorm a failure that would match my symptoms. I was hoping it's something electric and not mechanical, but if my Sol C was out or something, then the FWD fuse wouldn't have an effect and the car would be stuck in AWD mode... so it seems like it's something mechanical that only occurs when Sol C is cycling? Bad clutch pack? Are there other valves that might be clogged that would cause this? Any damage common to transmissions that have sat around for a while? (This 4EAT is from a '97 Legacy Outback that was crashed in 2000... so it's been sitting on a shelf for like 5 years before I got it.)

Most Legacy Outbacks have 4.44 gears, so the rear 4.11 is probably not what you needed...

What makes you think the Tranny has 4.11 gears?

1997 Legacy Outbacks had 4.44s! (final drive ratio in the 4EAT)
1997 Legacy Outbacks had 2.5 engines!
Get us the part # off the trans and
DO NOT DRIVE IT!!!
sending pm

svxfiles has spoken

Tom

Oops!! It was a 2.2L '96 Outback.. :lol: Sorry for the confusion.

The yard I got it from swore up and down that the tranny was from a 2.5L so I picked up a 4.44 rear-end initially, but the number on the tranny didn't seem right and after the install we counted revolutions of the front/rear tires while the car was on the lift idling in drive and the fronts were turning slower than the rears. So, I went back to the yard and had them swap me the 4.44 for a 4.11 rear-end.

The tranny code is "TZ102Z2ABA" instead of "TZ102Z2CBA", which seems to indicate I've got the tranny from a 2.2L Legacy, which never had the 4.44's. Everything seems to check out that I've got the right ratios everywhere, unless there's a 3.90 4EAT out there I've never heard of.

I wish I had a 4.44, as that was what I paid for at the yard... but it'll cost me another $300+ in shop time to swap it out, plus I don't think I can find a quality used 4.44 locally, so the 4.11's will be good enough if I can get this damn vibration cleared up.

Early 90's Leg's had them...

TZ102Z2ABA Is A 4.44!
 

This is a picture of Nicks 1996 Legacy Outback 4EAT with 4.44 gears.
http://www.subaru-svx.net/photos/files/boxer6/19193.jpg
And this is a picture of my 1997 Legacy Outback 4EAT with 4.44 gears.
http://www.subaru-svx.net/photos/fil...iles/24637.jpg
The 1996, 1997, and EARLY 1998 2.5 engined, LEGACY Outbacks had 4.44 gears.
These trans are compatable for SVX swapping.:)
In 1996 the LEGACY manual transmission car came with a 2.2 engine.
It's time to get the other rear, the 4.44 and hope for no damage.

Here is a picture of a 4.11 4EAT.
http://www.subaru-svx.net/photos/fil...iles/27952.jpg
I forget what year it is.:o

It is possible that the bigger heavier front brakes had more drag than the rear brakes.
Or that the side you were NOT watching had the front spinning faster than the rears.
Tom

Thanks Young Tom.:D

Dammit! You've got to be kidding me... we had binding issues when we moved the car about 5 feet with the 4.44 rear-end which is why we put it on the rack to count revolutions. If that was the correct rear-diff, what was causing that binding?

Also, would the binding of mis-matched diffs go away when the car is in neutral, because getting the car rolling in 4WD, then bumping it to N allows it to coast w/o vibration. Is Sol.C activated 100% when the car's in neutral?

Finally, what do you make of the entries on www.car-part.com? If you lookup a 1996 Subaru Legacy Transmission, you're prompted with this list of specifics:

• M.T., thru 5/95, FWD
• M.T., thru 5/95, AWD
• A.T., thru 6/95, FWD (ID# TA102AAAAA)
• A.T., thru 6/95, AWD (ID# TZ102ZAAAA)
• M.T., from 6/95, 2.2L, 2WD
• M.T., from 6/95, 2.2L, 4WD
• A.T., from 6/95, FWD (ID# TA102AABAA)
• A.T., from 6/95, AWD, 2.5L
• A.T., from 6/95, AWD, 2.2L, ID# TZ102Z2ABA
• A.T., from 6/95, AWD, 2.2L, ID# TZ102ZABAA
• M.T., from 6/95, 2.5L

It seems that someone else believes there was a 2.2L Legacy w/ an ABA tranny, and according to everything I've read and the parts guys at Subaru, there's never been a 2.2L Legacy w/ 4.44 gears.

Is there anyway to accurately calculate the ratio of the front diff short of pulling a stub-axle and poking a flashlight in there and counting? I'd just like to be sure this is really the situation before I go and make the yard trade me *again* for a rear-end.

Oh, and as far as damage, I'm not too worried. The car's got maybe 20 miles on it since the swap, all of them w/ the FWD fuse in. The only time it's been driven in AWD mode was less than a mile, and at about 5 mph tops while diagnosing the vibration. What do you guys think, probably didn't wreck anything, no?

And, thanks everyone for all the help!

I doubt you've damaged it, if that all that is been driven.

Could even be a Transfer clutch basket issue...
But if the Tranny came out of a Legacy Outback it'll be a 4.44, I'm pretty sure.

The problem is, I don't know for sure what car the tranny came out of. According to the yard it was a 1996 Legacy Outback w/ a 2.5L motor. But according to the dealer and car-part.com the ABA tranny came on the 2.2L Legacy in 1996. Hell, for all I know I've got the tranny out of an Impreza. :( All I really know is that the sticker on the bell housing ends in ABA.

I'm talking to the guy that's been doing most of the work on the car about finding out for sure what the ratio is on that tranny. The problem is, I think the only way to check is to pull the axle and the stub axle, and peak inside to count teeth on the diff, which is a huge PITA, because we'll have to pre-load the bearings and crap in there when we put it back together. The guy works at a dealership, so he's got a lift and great tools and the like, and he's super cool about doing work after-hours for beer and a burger, but that job isn't a quick or easy one, so I'll have to pay for labor on it unless there's some other way of checking the ratio. Any ideas?

pop the drain plug to count ring teeth... thats all.

Tom