Subaru FWD activated - Better Fuel Efficiency?

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

I had a bent (really messed up) left front axel replaced and the garage “removed a fuse” which lit up my FWD warning light. They told me they did this to test axel, but that they left it that wasy because the car running on FWD (Front Wheel Drive), instead of AWD (All Wheel Drive) in the summer would get better gas milage. My questions:



1) Is this just an excuse for forgetting something?

2) Will I really save gas?

3) Is it bad for the car, or possibly even good for the car?

4) Can I switch it back and forth myself, or do I need an expert to do it?



Thanks whomever can answer this one.



Your pal,



Doug

2

Its bad for your AWD portion of the transfer. Its okay for short periods(when running spare) however over longer periods is not favorable.

3

Look in your owners manual there is a fuse I believe you remove to run it back into AWD but not sure. I only have owned(5) manual transmission Subaru’s which do not use any electronics for AWD.

4
  1. Is this just an excuse for forgetting something?

If it is only the fuse, that is a 5-second fix. I think the mechanic was on the level. Only, did he show you the fuse and it’s location so you could put it back in the winter?

  1. Will I really save gas?

I have a friend in Tenn. that says he is saving and average of 4 MPG with the fuse pulled.

  1. Is it bad for the car, or possibly even good for the car?

Neither. For this car, it is a non-issue. The rear wheels get power through a fluid coupler. The computer controls the amount of power transfer through an electrical control mechanism. By pulling the fuse, you turn off the module, and it sets the power transfer to zero, effectively giving you front-wheel drive. Early models used to have a switch on the dash to control this module, but Subaru decided to remove it for some reason.

  1. Can I switch it back and forth myself, or do I need an expert to do it?

Nope, just as easy as replacing and removing the fuse. It is that easy.