CSpringsSuber Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 An ice induced rollover caused our 2003 Outback Wagon to land on the driver's side door (270) for about an hour before the wrecker flipped the rest of the way over (360) onto its wheels. The engine works fine but the automatic transmission seems to be stuck in neutral even though the shift lever can be moved through it's full motion. I let the transmission fluid settle for a week while waiting on the outside temperature to get above zero, but still no change in the drive engagement issue. Today I added another quart of trans fluid in case some leaked out of a breather port on top but still no engagement of the drive chain. Is there a rollover sensor that needs to be reset? Is there a separate fill port for the torque converter? Or if I'm way off, where else should I be looking? I'm stumped at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 No bet you have no fluid in the transmission. Check the fluid level with the car running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted February 9, 2014 Share Posted February 9, 2014 with the engine idling, have you checked the level with the dipstick? usually, you have to pull the stick, wipe it, and wait 3-4 minutes before taking a reading, and do the same after adding fluid (add 1/2 pint ata a time near the full marks - unlike the engine dipstick, the low-hi marks are only about a pint apart on the tranny stick.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSpringsSuber Posted February 9, 2014 Author Share Posted February 9, 2014 transmission fluid was the first thing I checked with the engine running. It was normal, but I added a quart just in case there was some missing from the torque converter. No change. Today I realized the CHECK ENGINE light is on and the VDC light does not flash on for 6 seconds upon engine startup. I'm feeling it has something to do with the Transmission Control Module (TCM) is unhappy with a sensor signal it is receiving. How do I check the trouble codes without a Subaru Diagnostic computer? Where is the magic flashing LED and how do I activate it so I can decipher it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 transmission fluid was the first thing I checked with the engine running. It was normal, but I added a quart just in case there was some missing from the torque converter. No change. Today I realized the CHECK ENGINE light is on and the VDC light does not flash on for 6 seconds upon engine startup. I'm feeling it has something to do with the Transmission Control Module (TCM) is unhappy with a sensor signal it is receiving. How do I check the trouble codes without a Subaru Diagnostic computer? Where is the magic flashing LED and how do I activate it so I can decipher it? Not good to add a quart of ATF, when the level was "normal." You don't want way too much ATF in the system. Check level on dip stick with motor running, and warmed up. If way too much, then drain some away by removing the drain plug. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 Could be a linkage issue or electrical problem. Make sure the fuses are all good. Make sure the linkage on the trans operates with the shifter. Also make sure the trans pan isn't dented. If the pan is crushed there could be valve body damage or the filter could be blocked and the pump can pull fluid up to create line pressure. To check trans codes there is a plug under the dash that is used to make the trans temp light flash codes on older cars, not sure if its there on 03 model but I can look it up. Do you have 4 cyl or 6 cyl engine? CEL has to be checked with a code scanner. Does not need to be Subaru diagnostic, can be a generic OBD2 scanner. Parts stores will read codes for free, but hard to get it there if trans doesn't work. You could try pulling the battery negative for about 10 minutes to reset the computers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted February 10, 2014 Share Posted February 10, 2014 csprings - you should not have added fluid if the stick indicated full. Also, make certain you are not using the front diff dipstick on the passenger side. (don't scoff, it's happened before) any part s store can read the CEL - post the code here. For <$20 , you can get an elm327 device to use with a smartphone and a free app like Torque and read your codes yourself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bushwick Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 (edited) I'd pull the battery cable off to reset everything like Fairtax stated. Any codes that were thrown at the time of rolling over need to be reset. Once the battery reset has been done, start the car. See if any codes are still getting thrown and go from there. Look for fluid leaks. Find where the shift linkage attaches to the trans. Have somebody take it out of park (make sure their foot never leaves the brake pedal and set the e-brake if it works or block the wheels to prevent getting run over) and run it through the gear selections i.e. D, 3, 2, 1, and R, and back to park. The lever on the trans should be moving with the linkage. If the linkage moves but the lever on the trans doesn't, you'll need to fix that. I believe you have a drain plug on your trans, remove about a quart as it sounds like you overfilled it. Also, you need to look VERY carefully for cracks in the trans casing. Also look for anything else that might have snapped. Edited February 11, 2014 by Bushwick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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