[gradualepiphany]

'ello all - I'm new to the STi so I want to make sure I'm correct before I go yell at the people at Santa Monica Subaru. When I first got my car I didn't want to mess with the DCCD until I was used to how it handled so I just left it in auto for a few thousand miles. Then when I started playing around with it, I couldn't tell that it made any difference whatsoever, and it was exibiting erattic behavior - if I put it in any position other than open, the indicator light in the guage cluster would stay on the setting I selected only for a little while and then it would start jumping around, usually down to towards open. Also if I floored the car it would immediately switch down to open and stay there.
So I took the car in, the head mechanic drove the car and agreed that it wasn't doing anything. He said the DCCD control module was broken and they ordered a new one.
Today I had the new module installed, and on the drive back to work I again couldn't tell that it was making any difference - admitedly I didn't have much opportunity to get going very fast in the LA traffic between Santa Monica and Venice, but unless I'm greatly mistaken, putting the DCCD in Lock and taking slow sharp turns SHOULD make nasty popping sounds come from the diff. I tried this in a parking garage, and nothing. No pops, no clunks, no anything. I also tried flooring it off the line with it set to Lock, and the indicator light immediately went down to the 3rd setting above open - is this normal? I thought that the DCCD should hold the setting you select, unless this is some sort of safety feature to make sure you don't break the diff?
I have an 07 LTD, and I know that the 07s have a different differential and maybe it doesn't produce the same noises in lock as the previous years.. I'd especially appreciate it if any of the other 07 owners out there will tell me if my diff is behaving normally or if I need to go back to the dealer... maybe a different dealer where they actually know what they're doing... I'm pretty frustrated with the Santa Monica one at the moment.

thanks much in advance!

[LOLSTi]

Unless I missed a huge change in the DCCD operation for 2007MYs, new dealer for sure.

[gradualepiphany]

any other 07 owners out there who would care to let me know if their DCCD switches around if you get on the gas and whether it pops & clunks when making sharp turns?

[jason bouchard]

in my 06 it feels like a dragging from the wheels . . mostly the rear when its not too wet and in lock ( in the snow its not that bad) i have NEVER had the dccd switch it self from the setting i put it in NEVER. i can also feel a diff from front the back . . keep us posted

[gradualepiphany]

alright, update time - I took it out this evening for a long drive outside of the city & up and down some highway onramps, and I can definately tell a difference with it open and in auto/moved towards the front. Open will induce wild power-on oversteer, so it's definately working there. With the diff locked and making low speed sharp turns I can also feel a distinct dragging, although it doesn't make any noise at all, which I've heard many other people say theirs does. Possibly this is a difference with the new differential in the 07?

however, it is without doubt switching itself around still - if I put it in any of the orange range and open the car up in a lower gear the lights will change down to the 2nd or 3rd setting above open.

I think I'm going to call another dealership tomorrow and see if I can get a better answer from them whether this is normal behavior for an 07 - I'm guessing it's not.

thanks much for the reply!

[Parker]

i've never seen this in my 06 and while driving on some local mountain roads and keeping the diff closer to lock than open, it never switched on me.