JBP Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 So my car's been kind of shaking/sputtering/vibrating when I turn the wheel all the way to the left or all the way to the right. Things like slowly pulling out of my driveway or making a U-turn make the car shake as if it wants to stall. My mechanic said "Oh, it's just the AWD system." I don't know anything about cars, but that sounded off to me. I've had the car for a month now, and it's really kind of annoying, so I took it back today and he moved a fuse, deactivating AWD, making it only FWD. The shaking HAS stopped, but why does it do that? Is there a problem with my AWD system, or a differential or steering pump or something? I can't imagine a profit-seeking entity mass-producing a car that shakes when making a turn. What will happen in the winter when I want my AWD? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushey45 Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 sounds like torque bind to me. which happens when your center diff is not slipping like it should. putting the car in FWD makes it go away because it shuts off the solenoid that basically makes that center diff work. i had an outback with the same problem, i added a bottle of limited slip additive to the atf and in a few hundred miles the problem was gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnegg Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 one common cause, perhaps the most common cause, is lack of auto trans service. changing out the AT fluid may help. it sounds like ''electronics '' are working properly. in a nut shell, the valve in the transfer clutch on the rear of the trans that sends power to the rear wheels is controlled by the computer. if it fails electrically or if it gets dirty or gummed up the the rear wheels get ''locked'' to the front wheels and turn the exact same speed, just like a 4WD truck with locked hubs. if all of our driving was in a straight line it would not mattter. but when we turn the rear wheels turn at a different rate than the front wheels. this can cause binding. the fix is about $1000 - $1200 at the dealer. probably less at an independent shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightpath Posted July 22, 2011 Share Posted July 22, 2011 I had the exact same issue. Changed the differential fluid out..old stuff smelled burnt and was dark. A few buddies that were hanging around could smell it from a few feet away. Anyways, today after 100km or so of driving it doesn't hitch at all. Try changing the fluid before you take it to some specialist...save some bucks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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