AWD Malfunction

[drw2514]

Has anybody heard of an AWD system malfunctioning? I have an AWD vibe and there have been numerous occasions where AWD should have engaged and it hasn't. Case in point: my old house had a gravel parking area in back where some nasty potholes developed. My front tires were in the potholes after a rainstorm and when I tried to back out, the fronts were spinning out of control and the rears were doing nothing (the parking brake was not on ) . Since it has started snowing, I have noticed more instances where AWD should have helped out but it hasn't done anything. I'm starting to think that my AWD system is just plain not working . Does anybody know what might be causing it? Is there some way I can test it without having to take it to the dealer and having them charge me an exorbitant amount just to test it (it's a 2003 with ~60k miles)? Thanks.

[ColonelPanic]

Have you had any of the rear differential services performed? Any strange noises/etc coming from the rear?Could be something like the rear differental going bye-bye, which has happened to two other AWD'ers here thus far that I know of... Or maybe whatever it is up front that is supposed to send power to the rear diff is broken...I dunno, I know nothing about how these things work other than I know to wish you good luck. So, I take it you're not covered under any sort of warranty? This could get expensive if they have to replace stuff....

[Mase]

Quote, originally posted by drw2514 »...when I tried to back out, the fronts were spinning out of control and the rears were doing nothing...I think it was BlueCrush who tested and confirmed that AWD doesn't activate in reverse.

[drw2514]

mmm...never thought about not activating in reverse...that seems a little odd. and no, it's not convered under any warranty. and if something is broken, i don't know if i'll even get it repaired, depending on how much they want to charge me.

[joatmon]

in http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=5453 people are saying that the AWD does function in reverse.you could try to jack up all four wheels and see if it engages, or find a snow/ice covered patch and watch from the outside when someone else floors it to see if the rear wheels get any power.The transaxle up front has a geared output shaft to drive the rear and it spns anytime the front wheels are moving. The rear differential is geared. There is a viscous coupling at the front of the rear differential that couples toque to the rear when there is a speed difference between the front and rear wheels. I looked over the diagrams, and it sure looks like the viscous coupling is the only part of that power transfer from front to rear that is not actually a hard mechanical link. and that would be my main suspect if there really was no rear wheel action when the fronts were spinning. [caveat] But I coul be wrong[/caveat].I have no idea what the viscous coupling costs, but I bet it's a bunch, and there's no guarantee that's the problem. First step would be to absolutely confirm that it's not working.

[BlueCrush]

Yeah, I tested it out last Winter the AWD does not engage in reverse. The Vibe does a pretty good "Rockford" though.

[Mavrik]

I have no experience with AWD vibes but if they are anything like Subaru AWD then if only the front is working, there could be an issue with the transfer case to the rear wheels. Checking the Transfer clutch plates and clutch soloniod to see if its even sending power to the rear wheels. Getting the vehicle off its wheels and putting it in drive to see what would happen is one way of checking.

[Man of Steel]

AWD does work in reverse. I backed up on my snow covered street and looked out the door as I was doing so and my back wheels were spinning.I also called Pontiac and they confirmed that the Versatrak AWD system does work in reverse.

[jasonvibe]

I put mine in reverse in the snow. Gased it, the front spun. I Could not find any proof it works in reverse. We are getting different info here. There is another posting in AWD function. Stating it does work in reverse. This possible lack of reverse thing is not what I expected...I know Subaru works in R. I'll check again after the next snow storm. UPDATE: Yes, mine does work in reverse. I have a steep paved driveway. They could have filmed "The Sound of Music" here. With 3" of snow on it. I pointed the nose downhill. And in "R" the rear kicked in. Especially noticeable when the car just would not go any further. Both right front and left rear were working. I know the opposite wheels work when in "drive". For those who may get stuck in rutts. These cars have low profile tires and do not make a big "foot print". And the type and condition of the tire makes a big difference. I have new snows on mine. BC, you need a real hill to test it on. I know where you are, they are hard to find. I am happy....HAPPY NEW YEAR.........