So this is ny first post so bare with me. So I put on my spare Yada Yada my diff caught on fire. Never knew about this happening to other cars but it happened.. so my next step was to change the seals and o rings in hope of it not being destroyed. My question(s) are, is there a possibility it isn't destroyed? (Rear diff) also I got the axle out of the diff to change those seals and o rings and I'm wondering on my year and model if I need to take the cover off to put in a new seal and o rings. Couldn't find anything online to help me. Car is a 2001 subaru impreza L wagon. 2.2 a/t. Will post pictures sometime soon
I had a flat so I put on the what I thought was the stock "spare tire" it is smaller than the other tires and I didn't know that would matter. I did what the drivers manual told me and put the fwd fuse in. So I drove the car about 50 miles and started seeing smoke and was alarmed. I pulled over and to my disbelief the differential fluid was all over everything underneath my car and the diff/fluid was on fire. I quickly got into my car to get some water to put out the fire before the car exploded. It ruined the "mounting bushings" and I'm sure other stuff. When I got it home I checked fluid level and it still had some fluid in it so I'm not sure if it's toast or not. But I think it melted at least 1 axel seal maybe both. I'm hoping I can replace the seals and o rings and it will be alright. I'm assuming it got so hot from having the small spare on and the computer thinking that tire was slipping and giving more power to other wheels it just melted/ blew out the seals and that's the source of the leak which caused the fire.
I agree, seals would be easier. I'd make sure there is no play in the bearing. Measure the ID of the bearing with a vernier caliper and compare with specs (may be hard to find). Not sure on how tight it needs to be with the half shaft.
Here must be a reason for what happened, I'd still open the cover and inspect it. With the wheels off the ground, turn the rear wheel and listen for noise (should be none and smooth movements).
I agree, seals would be easier. I'd make sure there is no play in the bearing. Measure the ID of the bearing with a vernier caliper and compare with specs (may be hard to find). Not sure on how tight it needs to be with the half shaft.
Here must be a reason for what happened, I'd still open the cover and inspect it. With the wheels off the ground, turn the reawheel and listen for noise (should be none and smooth movements).
Really don't hear any noises when moved. and it's smooth for an old car I'd say haha. I'll check the bearings. Did u see photos? Don't know if they would be any help. I have a seal I purchased but can't figure out if it goes in before or after the side plate. This jobs probably over my head technical wise but I can still at least pull the diff and get a used one. My first thought to replace seals was visible leak when stationary from the right side where axle goes into diff
Since you have the seals, throw them on and see how it sounds\feels. We know what worse case is at this point.
Did you drain the diff fluid? What did it look like? Depending on how hot it got, it might have lost its viscosity and properties. Get some fresh fluid in there. I know when oils get too hot they will turn to gunk, hopefully yours did not get to that point.
Yeah I drained it. It wasn't gunk but was defiantly darker than normal probably from the melted rubber. But I did see that video it's a newer car though and the seals for that particular car you don't need to take the toothed cover off
Most certainly I just looked at the top of the diff and realized there is a hole that isn't threaded. Never noticed it but r3ally just took it out of the car. Now is that for when there's too much pressure or it gets to hot??
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Subaru Outback Forums
1.9M posts
188.3K members
Since 2003
Welcome to the Subaru Outback Owners Forum, we have tons of information about your Subaru Outback, from a Subaru Outback Wiki to customer reviews.