Hi all,
Just wanted to post an update on my tranny issue. The noise was indeed coming from the front diff, and yes, my tranny is a 4.44! The drive gear in the diff and the "worm gear" from the tranny both have broken teeth. My mech says it's a possibility the dif was run without lube. The replacement tranny is from a '97 Legacy Outback and installation is being wrapped up as of this writing. I will attempt to post a couple of pics, but, I haven't gotten the hang of that yet. Anticipating the "release" of my rig today or tomorrow. I want to thank everyone who took an interest, and offered advice and encouragement! You know who you are,
Thank You! . Hope everyone had a happy and safe memorial day holiday!