Bad front shudder when turning sharp corner - 99 Legacy SUS

Hey guys. Here is our dillema. AA's car is having some issues (well my GT is too.. but thats another LONG topic).

 

Its a 99 Legacy SUS (Outback Sedan) with 160K.

 

When hitting a sharp turn (especially a U-turn) the car shudders really badly, like its slipping. It doesnt usually do it on normal small turns, but definitely noticeable on the sharp corners. It feels as if its coming from the front somewhere.. possible drivers side.

 

One of the many mechanics that we have visited since living in this "customer friendly" country has stated it is the differential.

 

Does this sound like it is a valid diagnosis? Does that mean we'll have to replace the entire thing, or could there be parts of it that are broken or worn? How can we check it? What do we look for?

 

I don't have a clear understanding of the mechanism to be honest so I'm not really sure what the diagnosis means. AA suspected it was the differential..and although he knows much more than I do.. neither of us are mechanics by any means. I'm still learning more about cars, I will say I definitely know more than most girls but I really don't understand how serious or costly this may be.

 

Also there is some wierd squeeling noise. Kind of like one of the hoses could be loose. It comes and goes.. not usualy very loud, but noticeable. It isn't dependent upon anything.. as it just happens at random times. We thought it could be linked to the AC but its doing it when the AC is off. There is some brown (looks like rust powder) coming from the AC clutch.

 

I hit up ultimatesubaru.org because i saw in a similar thread someone had suggested I ask them. But I wanted to post up here too to get some other opinions.

 

We have to be VERY careful with car stuff here in Germany because wecan get ripped off easily. Its happened on several occasions. The dealers here are fairly incompetent.. and they tag every issue to "well its a subaru" .. basically meaning because its not a german built car.. i should just expect it to run like crap.

 

Thanks for your help.

Is it an auto?

It could very well be the front differential. Sometimes just changing the fluids is all it takes.

But, of course it could be something else as well. You could also be experiencing torque bind, which is caused from the transmission.

Sometimes its a simple fix for an automatic trans with low miles. Just adding some LubeGard could cure this issue, and even make the car shift much better as well.

Check your CV axle joints, if the boots are ripped, they're no good. This would give you a type of shudder.

Worse case scenario it could be the Duty-C Solenoid which is in the rear differential. This all depends on whether you have an automatic or not.

It is an auto.

 

160K miles.. so its probably not just a fluid issue (although that would be an answer to prayer!)

 

We took a look while the car was on the lift last week and there is nothing visibly damaged (CV boot)

You'd be surprised, my auto with 218,000 miles reacts a heck of a lot better since I changed the atf and added the lubegard, and also changed the differential gear oil.

So saying it is the differential.. front or rear.. what are my options?

 

I talked to our stateside dealer who is suggesting it may be the viscous coupling or the transfer clutch sylinoid... both much more reasonable than replacing the differential which is what our mechanic here is suggesting.

 

 

Thoughts?