Late allraod possible centre diff issue...????????

[impreza_dood]

HI All, i have a bit of an issue with my mums allroad, its one of the last c5 ones around..... today, (in the snow) i noticed that it was trying to 'push' for want of a better explanation around corners.... kind of like understeer, but worse.... it was sort of juddering when on tight turns on clear tarmac too....

I have a pretty good understanding of old fashined transmissions systems, but not new ones.... seems to me like the centre diff is stuck... or seized...

Is this a common issue..?? or is there something else it is more likely to be...

Car only done 68k...! oh, and its a 2.5tdi auto....

Cheers.

[impreza_dood]

Apparently it seems ok today, is it possible it was the gearbox sensing the cold weather and locking the centre diff...??????

[Kyojitsu]

There are probably far more knowledgeable people here than me but the Allroad has EDL or Electronic Differential Lock as an augmentation of the Quattro system. It senses wheelspin via ABS sensors and will apply the brake to a spinning wheel and therefore transfer torque through the axle diff to the opposite wheel.

I'm assuming you were cornering on a snowy surface, so it makes sense you'd feel some judder as the car would be understeering and losing grip (depending on how quickly you were going and the snow and ice levels). The EDL would be applying brake pressure to the outside wheel via ABS so it's not surprising you could feel it.

I've noticed it on mine in snow if I corner hard and it just powers through everything! I take as a sign it's working. I guess you could reduce it by changing the tyres to something more winter biased too?

[All-rod]

After reading this twice I think mine has same symptoms.
When on full lock it feels like all wheels are locked together and one of front wheels keeps juddering/slipping as car turns, more noticeable on slippery surfaces.
I wonder how to check what's causing this, anyone else has any ideas?

:confused:

[impreza_dood]

Thanks for the reply, the odd thing is that this could be felt at less than walking pace, and in a situation where i would not expect to encounter any wheel slip. . . Seems ok now, just had cambelt done, what a job! Might be time to start thinking about a less complicated car! Thanks.

[kid-jensen]

Unless you're looking at something much older, good luck finding a less complicated car.....they're all complicated these days, even a Fiesta!