I was in a sandy spot a little while ago and ground up a 1-2 foot patch of sand on the rear left corner. All four wheels were still planted. The left front wheel would spin rooster tails of sand up when I hit the gas, and the other three wheels just sat there like a lame 2WD with no locking diffs or viscous couplings. I was digging the car in with one wheel and no others spun. Car was in 'D'
In the end, three people pushed the car out of what I think should have been a breeze.
What gives? Am I driving it wrong? Should I have laid into the gas until the other wheels started to engage? Is there something wrong with the car?
First gear, apply gas pedal. If you're spinning one or two tires you can slowly apply the brakes until other wheels start moving instead of the stuck ones.
However, unless you're careful you can literally cook your transmission doing this. Use with caution.
No. That's an active management system. The idea with subaru's AWD system, at least with an auto, is to get great gas mileage and, once you start spinning, to send power to the other axle (front or rear not side to side).
I was in a sandy spot a little while ago and ground up a 1-2 foot patch of sand on the rear left corner. All four wheels were still planted. The left front wheel would spin rooster tails of sand up when I hit the gas, and the other three wheels just sat there like a lame 2WD with no locking diffs or viscous couplings. I was digging the car in with one wheel and no others spun. Car was in 'D'
Your 2007 w/ 4EAT doesn't have viscous couplings (as in the MT's center diff) or, AFAIK, locking axle diffs. However, it does have a center-located electronically controlled transfer clutch, and I thought its purpose was to actively manage front-to-rear torque split.
The scenario described doesn't sound quite right to me. Is it possible that the FWD fuse has been installed? Check the engine compartment fuse box; normal operation is without the FWD fuse.
HTH,
Jim / crewzer
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