I ruined my car :(

So there was quite a lot of flooding here last night. I ended up driving through a flooded road to get home. No big deal, it wasn't THAT deep... but it was deep enough that I got some water in places it shouldn't be.

 

Car was fine last night, and was fine this morning on the way to work, however I got in the car after work, went to pull out of my parking spot, and the whole drive-train started binding REALLY bad. So I've just changed the front diff fluid because it felt like it was coming from the front. The fluid was changed not even 10k miles ago, so what you see here is probably the result of last night:

 

 

Remember, that's gear oil from the diff, not motor oil. Yeah, not good. Worse is I can't even get the rear diff bolts loose so I wasn't able to change that fluid either. I will probably do the front again in a few days or a week once the weather gets a bit nicer out because with only a drain, I'm sure there's enough water in there to merit a second drain and fill. Not sure what I'm going to do about the rear other than pay someone to do it.

 

Worse still, the binding IS JUST AS BAD. And flipping my FWD mode switch makes it go away completely. That means the center clutch pack is the problem, and that's part of the transmission, so now I'm wondering if water got into the transmission too. The fluid looks fine on the dipstick (clear pink) but obviously that's not a good judgement for anything. Might have to finally get the fluid changed, or just have them flush it and hope the transmission doesn't explode as a result of shaking all that crap loose... Fuuuuu...

auto or manual trans?

 

the diff is pretty hardy,

unless you drove it a long time or really fast,

i would not worry.

 

but the auto trans could look the same.

check it .

Auto. It's been less than a day since "the occurrence." I did drive 70 on the way to and from work in order to avoid getting run over by everyone.

 

I checked the transmission dipstick and it seemed fine at a glance (pinkish color), but obviously something is up if the binding is still occurring when in AWD mode. I suppose maybe it could just be the rear diff but I'm wondering if watery oil would make it bind that badly so quickly. We're talking like a pretty nasty hop on tight turns. Sucks cause I can't break the bolt loose. I hate the idea of paying someone $100 for such a stupid simple job.

I did my 50 thou ks replace all oils and fluids a few weeks ago and noticed that the front diff dip stick is a very loose fit, it sort of just sits on it. I don't know why it wasn't made to be a tighter fit. Still it would be a good foot and a half over ground level. You must have driven through some high level water ?

It was over a foot deep... lol. All the SUVs were doing it, and I wasn't about to let the Subaru community down...

Auto. It's been less than a day since "the occurrence." I did drive 70 on the way to and from work in order to avoid getting run over by everyone.

 

I checked the transmission dipstick and it seemed fine at a glance (pinkish color), but obviously something is up if the binding is still occurring when in AWD mode. I suppose maybe it could just be the rear diff but I'm wondering if watery oil would make it bind that badly so quickly. We're talking like a pretty nasty hop on tight turns. Sucks cause I can't break the bolt loose. I hate the idea of paying someone $100 for such a stupid simple job.

I have watched how the garages get these stuck bolts off. They get a cold chisel and put it on the bolt and hammer it in the same direction that you would use as if you were using a spanner to get it off, and in doing this it seems to get the bolt started. Then once they get it started, they use vise grips to finish the job. A new bolt is needed after this as the old one is usually munted.

first let me say there are differential failures that i am notr aware of that will cause issues.

but as long as they have lube, they run pretty well.

watered down lube could be a problem.

but in these cars MOST binding is caused by the transfer clutch / duty c.

 

test, put in the fuse and test drive the car.

 

both diffs have a breather,

and i think the trans does as well, but i'm not sure.

but if the transfer clutch plates have not the right lube,

that could cause binding.

 

flush everything.

 

find a 1/2 inch impact wrench, air or electric,

and do a drain and fill on the rear as well as the trans.

 

flood issues are so rare,

this is all just logical thinking on my part,

so don't give up until you know for sure.

 

how long at 70mph?

It was a 15 mile drive to work and another 15 miles back. I didn't think to check FWD mode until I got home. The car is fine in either case until you turn. I'm going to HAVE to drive to work and back tomorrow too before I can change the transmission fluid.

 

Whatever is going on is definitely a result of water. I had no binding issues until today (the center clutch was replaced less than 100k miles ago). The only place for water to go to cause issues would be the diffs or the trans. I can easily change the fluid in the trans tomorrow after work. As for the rear diff... I don't really want to go buy an impact gun, and I dunno anyone who has one. Blah.

If you qork on your car anymore then once a year buy an impact gun. It makes life so much eaiser.

I'm getting my first full paycheck tomorrow from my new job and I'm tempted to get an impact gun. Because the goal is to keep this car going for as long as possible while I get organized over the coming months.

Just get a breaker bar, much cheaper and more useful.

That's what I was using lol. I was about 3 feet out. Can't get any more than that because of the angle of the bolt.

Wow, maybe a little torch action then?

I'm going to drain and fill the transmission today just to be safe. The fluid in this thing hasn't been changed in like 100k. What do you guys recommend? It looks like I can't even get Dexron III at Advance anymore. They have Dexron VI and I hear they are all backwards compatible. Will that work? Should I plan on adding some sort of treatment to help neutralize any water that might have gotten in, since simply draining it obviously won't get it ALL out? Anything else I should add to help an old transmission? I'm debating throwing caution to the wind and paying for a flush, but I know that will just result in all kinds of things going wrong considering how old it is.

advance auto dexron IV is fine.

 

if you do 3 drain and fills (about 3.5 qts per drain)

with driving around the block in between

you will replace about 80% of the fluid.

3 gallons will cost about $45.

if you really have not changed it in that long,

you are way past due.

 

or go to a shop and pay them $125 to do a flush.

but i hear bad things about flushes.

 

alcohol will absorb water,

but i think it will cook off at around 180 degrees.

i do not know what happens to the water at that point.

water will cook off at 212 degrees, DUH!

 

do a drain and fill.

then, if there is any evidence of water,

(and i do not know what that would be,)

maybe then add some alcohol and do a drain and fill after driving.

you do not need to drive it hard,

just circulate the fluid and mix it.

you do not want to drain the new clean fluid out of the pan that you just added.

 

TIP:

it is easier to measure how much you drain ,

and then add that much back,

than it is to read the dip stick.

this assumes the fluid level is correct to start with.

Well nobody answered right away and I got impatient. Ended up using Valvoline Max Life fluid. Did two drains. The way the refills worked there was no good way to measure how much came out so I've been messing with the dipstick for a while now since I can't tell where the hell the level is at very well, lol. Two drains seems to have taken not quite two 1 gal jugs (four quarts.) Fluid that came out looked like used motor oil just thinner, lol. I can already tell it's shifting a lot more smoothly. Will probably do a third drain and fill next week since I need to do the front diff again.

 

Also just bought a cheap $35 impact at Lowe's to hopefully break the rear diff bolts loose and we shall see what that looks like. In the past week have changed four different fluids in the car, lol.

That 35$ impact probly cant do to much. Unfortuntly with impacts you have to pay for torque. I actualy gotta get one my new shop dosnt have them just lyin around like my last one did

Yeah. It didn't work. I eventually want to buy an Ingersoll Rand gun (one of the expensive ones) but they didn't have any at Lowe's in the store.

 

Looking at the bolt, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to get it off with the limited tools I have at my disposal here in Chicago. Might have to bring it to a shop and have them do it :/

What about using a braker bar????

tip:

remove the fill plug BEFORE you remove the drain plug.

you don't want to drain it only to find you cannot fill it.

i had a shop do mine once, he used a 4 ft. breaker bar.

i should have told him to use a regular ratchet to tighten it.

Breaking stuck bolts. 1st-spray with pb blaster or wd40. 2nd- place the tip of a 3/8 drive extension on the center of the head of bolt. Then hit it with a metal hammer. Thwank metal vibration is what you want. Atleast 3 times, very hard. 3rd- spray it again. 4th put a regular box end wrench on it, and kick it. In the right direction. 5th- if that didn't work. Apply heat with torch.

Torches are dangerous and they start fires. I like fire so I'm ok with that. But some people don't. So be careful.

 

If none of this helps, at some point buy an impact made by a company that doesn't sell at big box stores, You gonna need a hundred $$$ or more.

 

Oh yeah and I wouldn't drive it in the condition you described. I would get the job done first. As I just blew a front diff. Swapping trannies is going to be hell compared to changing fluids.

Unfortunately I have to be driving the car to work and back every day. Changing the transmission fluid solved my binding issues. The only thing left to tackle is the rear. There's always the chance that it didn't even get water in it. Car has never driven better.

 

In any event, a nice, expensive, $200 IR impact has always been high on my list of things to get. And yes, I was starting with the fill bolt for that very reason.

a nice, expensive, $200 IR impact has always been high on my list of things to get.

i understand,

but depending on how often you NEED it,

and how much they cost,

you might do just as well getting a harbor freight electric impact wrench.

i paid $50 several years ago,

they had them for $40 with a coupon earlier this spring.

it has only failed to unbolt once.

 

i'm not sure if it could do the fill plug on the rear diff.

 

anyway, just a thought.

I gotcha. I just made myself a promise two years ago to never buy "cheap" again after a series of bad experiences. It's why I put OEM reman axles in my car, and why I bought a nice $150 drill for my occasional use, and why I spent $60 on a trash can for my kitchen. I'm not rich, it just means I have to save up for things, but it keeps me from buying on impulse, and forces me to research, and it's so worth it in the end to use nice equipment.