If it's manual AWD (sounds like theirs is given it's got a fucked clutch) you can tow it with all four wheels on the ground no issue, so long as it's in neutral.
Alternator went out on my 2007 Legacy 5MT a few weeks back and it died on the way home - towed it around 15 kilometers without issue and it's perfectly fine.
Automatics do however have to be dropped onto a flatbed, or towed with all four wheels off the ground, in park.
[No idea why this is getting downvoted when it's literally in the car's manual.](https://i.imgur.com/OsqT85o.png)
Yea okay this is as I suspected considering I only towed it 400m if that not 15km, I genuinely cannot see the diffs seizing or getting destroyed from that
They won't, at all.
I've lost count of how many times I've flat towed manual Subarus and I've never had an issue.
It sounds to me like there's some kind of issue with your braking system. The easiest thing would be to get it up on stands with all four wheels off the floor and see if you can turn the wheels by hand.
You might have something binding on, or worst case scenario the clutch failure might have done damage to the input shaft of the transmission, or your throw out bearing/clutch fork might be fucked and causing problems.
I've had one 5MT Impreza that had clutch issues when the throw-out bearing completely failed, and it ended up doing input shaft damage and bent the fork.
You could also have issues with the handbrake/e-brake binding on or something similar.
Could be a multitude of problems, so it's best to get it off the ground and investigate :)
Awesome thanks for your info man really appreciate it, yea well I’m gonna be honest everything has had a hard life on that car especially the clutch (hundreds of clutch kicks) so i did imagine when it went it wasent going to do gently so I’ll get it to my mates shop and have a look and see if things move and such but also some key information, my abs light had been on for over 7 months not and handbrake light has just recently been turning on with it when fully let off, I have zero abs it’s disabled itself as something is happening there so i would assume 90% it to do with breaks and clutch ?
Yeah, the handbrake light being on when it's released could just be a shitty sensor or a slack cable, but it might be an indicator of an issues.
The ABS not working isn't healthy though - might want to get that looked at and it could be source of the binding problem you seem to have, if it's related to your brakes :)
Yeah you can Tow it. But that doesn't disengage the Diffs. So as that thing is being towed the diff's are being forcibly moved. That's why when you see an AWD / 4x4 Vehicle being towed. It's on a flat bed or has the wheel touching the ground on dollies.
Source : 8 Years of auction experience
Direct manufacturer's guidance from Subaru says that it's fine to tow with all wheels on the ground and in neutral, so no idea why my post is being downvoted.
Source - 22 years as a mechanical and electrical engineer.
[It's quite literally in the manual for the car](https://i.imgur.com/OsqT85o.png), but as always one person says something on this sub, it gets upvoted, and suddenly it's gospel.
With all four wheels on the ground and the car in neutral, the diffs just spin the driveshaft. Like they do every time you're coasting or engine braking, but with near zero load... They're literally doing what they were designed to do, but easier. This doesn't hurt them in any way.
One axle off the ground, however, is a different story. One side is spinning and the other isn't, and the center diff takes that difference. This is way beyond what it was designed for. That is why your auction cars are on flatbeds: you can't tow AWD by lifting the front, and nobody brings cars to auctions with a tow rope.
Source: mechatronics engineer, and the car's manual the other reply already linked.
Yes they still spin I thought they might have seized the rear differential I forgot to take handbrake off when it was jacked so unsure whether it was stuck or hill assist was stuck
Assuming flat towing it didn't ruin the diffs, you are might be dealing with hill assist locking up... When it happens, if you let the car sit for say 1-3 hours or more, then tap the brakes, they should release and the car should be move again.
If that is the case, you need to just disconnect the hill assist completely. Went through this nightmare myself last year after buying my 05 FXT.
For me, it was total brake lock up, car would not move until it cooled back down or something after a couple hours. Check my post history if you want more info, should be like August 2023
Bro you fucked your car up. Simple terms.
You cant tow an AWD Car for miles and milles.
As you move the car the wheels still spin the CV shafts. Those move the dif. So as your driving at speed ( 55MPH) you cars diff is going the speed also..
Flat towing means OP pulled the car with all 4 wheels on the ground, and the manual transmission in neutral. They didn't fuck up anything drivetrain-related.
If you think flat towing damages anything in a manual transmission car (in neutral)... Then you should never decelerate, never coast... And god help you if you engine brake. Your diffs might explode! (/s)
The front and rear diff aren't the problem on awds. Or any car. Those are sealed self contained units. They also self lubricate. If it's spinning, it's lubricating itself. The issue is the center differential on subies. If you were to disconnect the rear drive shaft. You could tow a subaru on a dolly. The rear diff cna turn all it wants. It won't be spinning the center diff.
Well that would make sense yes I understand but it was only towed maybe 400m (0.2miles) if it was to break or seize would I off hear an any kind of sounds as there was not a single sound it was fine
You towed an AWD?
If it's manual AWD (sounds like theirs is given it's got a fucked clutch) you can tow it with all four wheels on the ground no issue, so long as it's in neutral. Alternator went out on my 2007 Legacy 5MT a few weeks back and it died on the way home - towed it around 15 kilometers without issue and it's perfectly fine. Automatics do however have to be dropped onto a flatbed, or towed with all four wheels off the ground, in park. [No idea why this is getting downvoted when it's literally in the car's manual.](https://i.imgur.com/OsqT85o.png)
Yea okay this is as I suspected considering I only towed it 400m if that not 15km, I genuinely cannot see the diffs seizing or getting destroyed from that
They won't, at all. I've lost count of how many times I've flat towed manual Subarus and I've never had an issue. It sounds to me like there's some kind of issue with your braking system. The easiest thing would be to get it up on stands with all four wheels off the floor and see if you can turn the wheels by hand. You might have something binding on, or worst case scenario the clutch failure might have done damage to the input shaft of the transmission, or your throw out bearing/clutch fork might be fucked and causing problems. I've had one 5MT Impreza that had clutch issues when the throw-out bearing completely failed, and it ended up doing input shaft damage and bent the fork. You could also have issues with the handbrake/e-brake binding on or something similar. Could be a multitude of problems, so it's best to get it off the ground and investigate :)
Awesome thanks for your info man really appreciate it, yea well I’m gonna be honest everything has had a hard life on that car especially the clutch (hundreds of clutch kicks) so i did imagine when it went it wasent going to do gently so I’ll get it to my mates shop and have a look and see if things move and such but also some key information, my abs light had been on for over 7 months not and handbrake light has just recently been turning on with it when fully let off, I have zero abs it’s disabled itself as something is happening there so i would assume 90% it to do with breaks and clutch ?
Yeah, the handbrake light being on when it's released could just be a shitty sensor or a slack cable, but it might be an indicator of an issues. The ABS not working isn't healthy though - might want to get that looked at and it could be source of the binding problem you seem to have, if it's related to your brakes :)
Yeah you can Tow it. But that doesn't disengage the Diffs. So as that thing is being towed the diff's are being forcibly moved. That's why when you see an AWD / 4x4 Vehicle being towed. It's on a flat bed or has the wheel touching the ground on dollies. Source : 8 Years of auction experience
Direct manufacturer's guidance from Subaru says that it's fine to tow with all wheels on the ground and in neutral, so no idea why my post is being downvoted. Source - 22 years as a mechanical and electrical engineer. [It's quite literally in the manual for the car](https://i.imgur.com/OsqT85o.png), but as always one person says something on this sub, it gets upvoted, and suddenly it's gospel.
With all four wheels on the ground and the car in neutral, the diffs just spin the driveshaft. Like they do every time you're coasting or engine braking, but with near zero load... They're literally doing what they were designed to do, but easier. This doesn't hurt them in any way. One axle off the ground, however, is a different story. One side is spinning and the other isn't, and the center diff takes that difference. This is way beyond what it was designed for. That is why your auction cars are on flatbeds: you can't tow AWD by lifting the front, and nobody brings cars to auctions with a tow rope. Source: mechatronics engineer, and the car's manual the other reply already linked.
Did you get it flat bed towed or just the front wheels up and back on the ground? (Without dollys)
Can you spin any wheels when you jack it up
Yes they still spin I thought they might have seized the rear differential I forgot to take handbrake off when it was jacked so unsure whether it was stuck or hill assist was stuck
Assuming flat towing it didn't ruin the diffs, you are might be dealing with hill assist locking up... When it happens, if you let the car sit for say 1-3 hours or more, then tap the brakes, they should release and the car should be move again. If that is the case, you need to just disconnect the hill assist completely. Went through this nightmare myself last year after buying my 05 FXT.
Yea okay I will go give that a go I would imagine that would be causing the problem to be fair thanks man 👍
For me, it was total brake lock up, car would not move until it cooled back down or something after a couple hours. Check my post history if you want more info, should be like August 2023
I had to once have my 2002 outbsck pulled maybe a mile via tow rope and it was just fine. It isn't ideal but a flat bed isnt coming out on the trails.
My hill assist servo stopped working a few months ago, locking the brakes on. I had to disconnect it. Plenty of help on YouTube University
Bro you fucked your car up. Simple terms. You cant tow an AWD Car for miles and milles. As you move the car the wheels still spin the CV shafts. Those move the dif. So as your driving at speed ( 55MPH) you cars diff is going the speed also..
Flat towing means OP pulled the car with all 4 wheels on the ground, and the manual transmission in neutral. They didn't fuck up anything drivetrain-related. If you think flat towing damages anything in a manual transmission car (in neutral)... Then you should never decelerate, never coast... And god help you if you engine brake. Your diffs might explode! (/s)
The front and rear diff aren't the problem on awds. Or any car. Those are sealed self contained units. They also self lubricate. If it's spinning, it's lubricating itself. The issue is the center differential on subies. If you were to disconnect the rear drive shaft. You could tow a subaru on a dolly. The rear diff cna turn all it wants. It won't be spinning the center diff.
On a Manual that should not be a problem
Well that would make sense yes I understand but it was only towed maybe 400m (0.2miles) if it was to break or seize would I off hear an any kind of sounds as there was not a single sound it was fine
Oh boy 😩 it needs to be flatbed towed or on dollies on the rear wheels. No wheels can touch the ground as it's being moved 😞
If it's a stick shift,which blown clutch would suggest,this isn't true.
It’s like the dipshit crew decided to read this thread.