2000 Outback Limited Binding while Turning

[Whataday]

Purchased a 2000 Outback recently, belonged to a older couple. Vehicl
has only 18,000 miles on it. Unfortunately the car has a sligh
binding from the front-end when turning hard left or right. Had
major maintenance done to vehicle to bring it up to spec. Dealer put
additive to tranny, said to drive it and moniter the binding, hopefull
it will losen up. I know the car sat a while, but what exactly woul
be causing this? Car is great on the Highway, just when starting of
making a tight turn, like a half circle left or right. Input would b
greatly appreciated

 

[ed]

Common complaint with all wheel drive vehicles. Check the obvious first:
are tire pressures correct and tire wear even? All tires same size? You
don't mention which transmission you have; auto transmission uses a computer
controlled clutch pack to give drive to rear wheels (by varrying oil
pressure to the clutch pack), manual transmission uses a viscous coupler to
allow front & rear axles to run at different speeds, such as when going
around a corner. If these are malfunctioning, it will cause a bind, although
rare at such low mileage. Trans additive will do nothing for this, viscous
coupler is sealed, and the auto unit shares the tranny fluid, but additives
usually won't affect the clutch function. Have it checked by a dealer, who
can check if the computer (Auto trans) is functioning properly. Also, auto
trans has a fuse you can put in a holder under the hood to temporarily
disable the all wheel drive; put in a fuse (see owner's manual), if the
binding goes away, the problem is with the clutch pack/AWD computer, if it
is still there, the clutch pack may be sticking.

Ed B.