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HELP! 96 legacy 4eat doesn't want to move!


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after serviceing my duty c and clutch packs my car basically refuses to move it will catch in reverse speratically and does not feel like its shifting into any gear other than neutral. last time I did a drain and fill I used valvoline maxlife full synthetic atf and then filled with the same after this service and its like nothing is locking up, if and when I do get enguagement it feels like its slipping slightly. I drained more fluid than I should have and it drove more normal then checked and filled symptoms got worse.

I drained all the fluid I could dip stick registers as empty then refilled to cold full level. problem is just the same car in just about any shift possition wont move and will sometimes catch if given gas. there was a point that shutting the car off, restarting and imediatly shifting into another gear would let me move the car (how I got it back to its parking spot)....

 

PLEASE HELP!!!

Thanks

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Any chance you filled the wrong tube? 4EATs have a tube on the drivers side for transmission fluid (Kinda hidden by the air box.) and a dipstick on the passenger side for gear oil for the frond differential. (Not as hidden) If you drained the ATF but filled the diff then you're trying to drive about 3 quarts+ low on trans fluid. It's happened many times. You wouldn't be the first.

 

If so, fill it up. Drain the ATF from the gear oil and refill with fresh gear oil. Then drive. No biggie.

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no I know the differance between the two tubes I was filling the trans, valvoline is sending out a sample kit so they can lab test the atf but claim their product likely cleaned my transmission to death. I'm going to drain and fill with regular dexron 3

 

bought car 250k

drove on dex3 to 290k

d&f with valvoline maxlife atf till 315k

second drain and fill car wont move but a shuttery reverse. 

Edited by bluedotsnow
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did a drain and fill with dex3 no change added lucas stop slip no change yet car is idling now.... its very strange the trans seems to be doing nothing as if the only thing happening is me moving the shifter but the rpms do change.... going to swap in my spare tcu as I can drain the car completely while running without getting a code for low atf....

 

my only other thought is that I slightly pulled the reduction drive and driven gears away from whatever they seat into and didn't fully reseat them... but I would think that the tail housing wouldn't slide in place if that were the case, I was very carefull to have the clutch pack free spinning after torquing the tailsection on.

 

 spare tcu had 0 effect...

Edited by bluedotsnow
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so after some poking I can tell the atf pump isn't outputting properly... no seepage at the test port on front of trans.... does anyone know a good shop in the sacramento, ca or reno/carson nevada areas? the mobile mechanics in my area just say well we don't have good luck putting in "tested" transmissions....

 

I'm thinking about doing the swap myself but have never changed a whole trans and don't think I have all the tools....

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Hello,  how did you service your duty c solenoid and clutch packs?  My AT light has been flashing for 4 years and or 20K miles.  I have terrible torque bind and going in reverse gets stiffer and stiffer over the years.  Honestly I have yet to read about one post were someone did this maintenance successfully without a single issue.  I think the clutch pack needs to go back in in a very specific manner.  I also think that there is a high probability of the clutch pack getting unintentionally moved when you put the housing back on.  We need a transmission pro to give us some tips. I have a 98 OBW 240K

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I'm sure you're checking fluid levels while idling right?

 

did you or  previous owner have the front apart? from what I've read, it's easy to crack the pump pulling the parts together in that last 1/4" gap or so.

 

other than those comments, I have no business being in this thread lol!

 

hope you get it sorted-out.

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Hello,  how did you service your duty c solenoid and clutch packs?  My AT light has been flashing for 4 years and or 20K miles.  I have terrible torque bind and going in reverse gets stiffer and stiffer over the years.  Honestly I have yet to read about one post were someone did this maintenance successfully without a single issue.  I think the clutch pack needs to go back in in a very specific manner.  I also think that there is a high probability of the clutch pack getting unintentionally moved when you put the housing back on.  We need a transmission pro to give us some tips. I have a 98 OBW 240K

 

 

the only tricky thing about putting the clutch packs back in is first aligning them with a screw driver then sliding them on to the drive hub, I actually had great success this last time assembling the drive/driven/clutch packs and then sliding the tail housing over it but either way each clutch disc must slide along the drive hub which gets grooved causing the clutches to catch in the grooves. so as one slides the hubs into place one must turn the drivin hub manipulating the clutch disks so they have play to slide into place.

 

if I were in your situation I would have just left the car alone but I was stuck in front wheel drive. I have to drive over carson pass to get to work so front wheel drive doesn't work for me...

 

your issue with reverse and t.b. is likely the clutch packs binding on your grooved drive hub inside the transmission or the solenoid itself having failed but I think in the 98 when the solenoid fails atf pressure should be drained not applied like in my 96...

 

have you ever had your ecu/tcu checked for codes? in a 98 the codes should come up on an obd2 scanner in my car 96(second year of obd2) I have to connect a ground jumper to a connector port to get the tcu to flash the code through the atf temp light. the first time I had a problem with my rear wheels it was T.B. from a bad solenoid and I was able to get the car to flash the duty c code at me.

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I'm sure you're checking fluid levels while idling right?

 

did you or  previous owner have the front apart? from what I've read, it's easy to crack the pump pulling the parts together in that last 1/4" gap or so.

 

yes checked fluid many times drained and filled with other fluid as well one main clue after 20-30 minutes of idling atf was barely warm so it seems as its just sitting in the pan not getting pumped where it would collect heat.

 

I have never taken the trans out just serviced the tail section... in your second statement are you talking about installing a trans into a car or bolting the pump together between the trans and bell housing? 

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did the parking pawl or spring come out while you had the tail section off?

this could cause a no go situation , maybe.

i think it is mechanically, lever activated, spring released.

if the spring is not right it may not let go.

 

with you wife in the drivers seat,

maybe try rocking the car back and forth.

 

or if the spring is wrong, maybe it is holding the pawl into the cog,

not letting it release.

 

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/attachments/gen-4-2010-present/22075d1326027688-turning-off-engine-before-shifting-park-parking-pawl.jpg

Edited by johnceggleston
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thanks john but that's not the case at all when given gas the car will inch the wheels forward or backward, I can actually get rather good reverse motion compared to forward but only at 3k or higher rpm

 

with any luck I will have a tested trans in the car before the week is over because of financial reasons it looks like I'm going to attempt the install myself.

 

oh btw if the spring is slipped and the pawl is free floating and someone puts it in drive it will sound like the transmission is ripping itself apart otherwise if the pawl is stuck the wheels wouldn't move at all.

Edited by bluedotsnow
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w007 trans is just about seated  :ph34r: can't believe I have only had help to hold the engine in place for T.C. and flex plate hopefully this beast isn't junk!

 

note about T.C. stay I chose to seat the trans then use a metal cutting wheel to cut the stay bolt before sliding into place to prevent it from damaging the pump. the thin wire method I read about would work as well but I didn't have that option. 

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drives consistently around the block no codes so far

 

2 gallons of atf on semi level surface rendered a reading of just above cold low

 

going on a test/victory trip to get ice cream and another quart of atf

 

fingers crossed  :D  :headbang:

Edited by bluedotsnow
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