sportshots Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 I have a 99 Legacy Wagon that was running perfectly before I had an oil change done. the next day I was using cruise control and it accelerated and then it revved hard but did not shift until I tapped the pedal. I turned off the cruise and it still revved up as I accelerated. I talked to some mechanics at work and they said it sounds like and TPS so I changed it did the same thing ($221 4 pin connector) no difference so I put old one in and checked again. Another mechanic looked at my transmission fluid and noticed good levels but foamy. Started the engine to check if their were any codes none then I noticed the At-Oil Temp was flashing so I checked Haynes manual to see what that meant. As I left the shop the car did not shift. Any ideas remember this happened over night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt167 Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 AT Temp light and foamy oil normally would equal pump cavitation leading to an overheat. Not sure why the pump would cavitate the fluid but it did, overheated the transmission and it's most likely failed completely. There is a MAP sensor on the passenger fenderwell that can effect shifting if it's bad, but you have foamy oil which suggests mechanical faliure.. Good thing is, you should be able to use 1999-2003 Legacy transmissions and they are fairly inexpensive for tested units. You can't use Outback transmissions unless you change the rear differential also Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted October 5, 2013 Share Posted October 5, 2013 Where was this oil change done? If it was jiffy lube (or something like it) they probably drained the ATF instead of the engine oil. Foamy ATF can be due to either too low or too high fluid level, or incorrect fluid type. Since its not shifting into higher gear, I would suspect the fluid level to be too low. TPS signal needs to be calibrated so the ECU knows when the throttle plate is fully closed. Just slapping a new one on does no good without calibrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportshots Posted October 5, 2013 Author Share Posted October 5, 2013 Would that cause all my problems? I talked to the shop their policy is not to top off transmission fluid. How do I calibrate TPS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportshots Posted October 5, 2013 Author Share Posted October 5, 2013 I took your advice and looked at the TPS since all the new stuff happened after I reinstalled the old TPS and noticed that there was a white stripe on the throttle body I lined the TPS up with it and it worked idle was good shifting was smooth but still no passing gear but other than that ran great again. Note to self if there is a slot rather than a hole that the screw goes in then it probably is adjustable for a reason. I am having the TPS checked FREE on Mon or Tues so I will no more than. Thanks for all your help I'm glad I found this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 check the trans fluid level with the engine off, just to see if you are in the ball park. i lost a rear seal in my trans once. paid a guy to replace it, and by the end of the day i had no reverse. i went back to the shop and asked the guy how much ATF did you add, he said none. i know i saw at least a qt. on the ground when the seal failed. the dip stick can be hard to read. so it would not be unusual if the trans got drained by accident, and no or the wrong amount of fluid was added. also check your engine oil. if they screwed up the ATF by accident, what else might have been screwed up. the flashinf AT Temp light means there is a trans code. you can read those by grounding out a pin on the black 6 pin diagnostic connector under the dash. do a search for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp98 Posted October 9, 2013 Share Posted October 9, 2013 (edited) I have been having nearly the same problem now for over 3 years and no solutions yet on my 98 Outback. Did you try downshifting to 3rd manually to see if the trans would go into that gear? I have learned that when I come to a location where the transmission should downshift such as going up a hill that 75% of the time that I need to do it manually or it will not go in. It seamed to improve when ever I have brand new fulid in the transmission but it soon returns to its old self. Sooner or later I am going to have to get near a transmission shop that I would trust and have them check it out. Edited October 9, 2013 by jp98 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportshots Posted November 1, 2013 Author Share Posted November 1, 2013 If I'm going up a hill or losing RPM I will shift to 3rd or just hit gas pedal and it will shift but if it still needs more RPM it will still rev up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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