AWD to RWD Tailshaft? Gearbox? Something disconnected?
 

Hi guys,

My car is basically finished and I took it down the street for a drive just before when I heard a massive clunk half way down the car underneath. Now I'm guessing the gearbox or tail shaft? Tony told me he had disconnected something to make it RWD for towing as he was unsure if it was a tilt tray picking my car up. Would anyone have any idea what he could have disconnected to make it RWD?

When I put my foot down it was as if the clutch was slipping - RPM went right up quick, but the speed barely moved. This is obviously because it's not in AWD at the moment. It's a new clutch too.

Any help would be appriciated.

Jason.

I hope he didnt "disconnect" the front drive shafts, otherwise that massive clunk would be your center diff shitting itself. That feeling of clutch slip is the centre diff sending all the power to the front axles because a 4Kg Viscous center coupling is way too piss weak to send the power to the rear wheals when the front shafts are removed.

The proper way of converting a WRX to RWD is to replace the centre diff with a RWD spool or weld it up if your cheap.

He only converted it to RWD for the tow, but Jim Hall was just at my house replacing my cam seals and said the front drive shafts were connect properly. He couldn't work out how he has done it and me and Tony don't talk at all so going to try and find out what he has done.

It wasn't a massive clunk, just sounded like something was loose.

I don't think you quite understand how it all works. You can't just "convert" a wrx drivetrain just for a tow. Or temporarily for that matter. As mentioned previously the only proper way to do it is via modifying the centre diff. There's no switches/accessories/things you can disconnect to make it rwd.

Pull the fuse for RWD!

Nah in seriousness, someone is talking shit. You would know if you have been converted to RWD because you would have a big bill attached to the tow.

only thing that can make it an open centred (rwdish) setup is with either dccd (which still leaves a small amount of drive to the front wheels) or to put a RWD spool in the centre diff (welding for dodginess if you're denver :D )... I managed to change mine to rwd by having the dccd in full bind up mode but with no front shafts in, on a standard centre this wouldn't work... Tony is a tool I'd say he may have played with the centre diff??? but then again cracky wouldn't know or remember what he did ten minutes after he did it anyways! :P

Get someone to stick it on a hoist and check the entire drivetrain to see whats been played with.

Cheers Rob. Yeah the guy is a fuckwit. Jim Hall said everything looked in place and done up. I don't even wanna talk to Tony because next time I see him I'm gonna re-arrange his face. I will get Jim to have a look over the car again, but I remember him saying he disconnected something. Cheers guys.

[QUOTE=Adz]I don't think you quite understand how it all works. You can't just "convert" a wrx drivetrain just for a tow. Or temporarily for that matter. As mentioned previously the only proper way to do it is via modifying the centre diff. There's no switches/accessories/things you can disconnect to make it rwd.[/QUOTE]

So what do you think would have happened Adz? I need to get it sorted ASAP.

I have absolutely no idea.. do you have a DCCD setup?

As a few others and rob mentioned.. the only way to do it is mechanically. To physically alter your centre. Unless you've got a dccd of which he was able to adjust to full rear i'm not sure how he could actually do that.

As rob mentioned. Id chuck it up on a hoist the moment you can- those sounds are NOT normal.. especially considering it was free-reving. Either a clutch/diff/gbox issue that is more than a electronic problem from what you've described thus far.

has he disconnected the tail shaft from the diff?
would make it FWD only and would explain why as you say it seems like clutch slip. tailshaft would be spinning up a storm with nothing attached to it.