my buddy is thinkin about gettin this 96 impreza outback but it has some things wrong with it naturally, front viscous is messed up i think it's locked, it makes some crazy noises turning at low speeds. he said it wasn't worth it to replace it and that its ok to drive like that... is that true or is this a serious problem? also it needs a new o2 sensor
What you'll experience with a locked viscous is binding of the gears; transfer gear, and bearings. This wear comes from the constant 90* turns in city driving. Also you'll get tire wear. Is it a 5spd? If so you can upgrade the center diff to toe stronger 12kg center diff(that is one of first phase trannies so it's teh 12kg STi unit; 20kh are of the NEWER trannies '99+). It'll be like a $850 product though.
well if the tranny goes i have an auto i would sell for cheap, works good, just took it out to do a manual conversion.
Well if it's an Auto, then it's not a viscous cuppler. It would then be the transfer clutches. They arent that hard to replace, but the parts aren't cheap. If you just want to drive it without them binding so much, install the FWD fuse in the engine bay. It will diengage the transfer solenoid and keep fluid from pressurizing the transfer clutch. If it still binds up, then you may have a rear clutch that has a grooved bell gear and the plates in the transfer clutch can't let go. I've seen them fail both ways. Sometimes it's the solenoid and sometimes its the bell and clutch plates.
