bendecker Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 (edited) Background: I crashed my beloved 1996 Legacy with a 2.2l in it and I'm freakin' BITTER about it. So, I bought a 1997 (with the dreaded 2.5l, but the engine is in fine shape) with an automatic for a good price with no rust and only 125k miles on it. Issue: When I got the car, you could easily push the shifter from drive into reverse with no safety override. I thought it was no big deal and just needed a cable adjustment. That was kind of right, but also wrong. The nut on the cable adjuster was very loose when I got under the car to work on it. I tried to adjust it properly -- over and over again. When I get it set correctly so that park is in the right place and the reverse safety override works, neutral is too far away, drive is worse and it gets worse from there. In other words, as I move the from gear to gear, the position of the expected "clunk" point does not line up with all of the actual gears. In short, park lines up. Neutral kind of lines up. Drive is way off and the error cascades down. What am I missing? I'm beginning to think that it was driven that way for such a long time that maybe something has happened inside the cable or the transmission itself...? The shift mech inside the car looks fine when I pulled it apart -- no odd wear on the the saw tooth part that positions where the shifter should go for each gear. Help, as always, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. (Oh... and I want my old car back!!!! GRRRRR!!!!) Edited April 16, 2015 by bendecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 This is a fairly straight forward system. it may just be the cable is stretched and about to fail. I have had one stretch on me and really screw up the selector. Assuming the bracket is straight you may just need a new cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 (edited) I hope it's that simple. I've been looking around, though, and it is definitely not a common part. Anyone know where to get one? I'll break out the manual and see what replacing the cable takes. BTW, my '96 went 260k miles with never having an issue with the shifter/cable/tranny setup. Edited April 8, 2015 by bendecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I broke a cable at 180K, but im in a rust state. Its just one of those things as the mechanisms are fairly straight forward. Do you have a friend who can shift the car while you watch the cable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 (edited) I broke a cable at 180K, but im in a rust state. Its just one of those things as the mechanisms are fairly straight forward. Do you have a friend who can shift the car while you watch the cable? I just asked my wife about that and she's up for the job. I was adjusting, crawling out, testing, crawling in, etc. I did find what I think is the right part if it truly is stretching and/or damaged: 35151AC000 http://www.subarupartsandaccessories.com/p/Subaru__/CABLE-ASSEMBLY-SELECT-LEVER/49246876/35151AC000.html?partner=googlebase_adwords&kwd=&origin=pla I could also pull the one off my '96, but it's in the middle of a field on soft ground (jacking safety) and I'm not ready to give up on the idea of fixing that car quite yet (realistically, that's probably never going to happen, though - lol ) Edited April 16, 2015 by bendecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Cable adjustment is pretty straightforward. Pop the cable off of the lever on the trans. Move the lever all the way through the range and firmly back to the park position. Inside move the selector through the range then firmly back to park to make sure it goes all the way easily. The cable has 2 adjusting nuts on the end that attaches to the shift lever where it comes through the floor. Loosen both of those and thread them to each end of the threaded rod on. Attach the cable eyelet to the lever on the trans. Now turn the adjusting nuts until they both touch the little dohickie on the end of the selector lever and tighten snugly. If the nut that was loose is the one that holds the lever on the side of the trans, the flats on the lever or on the shift shaft may be worn. If that's the case no amount of cable adjustment will cure that. Remove the lever and make sure the flats aren't rounded out. If they're worn, replace the lever. Hopefully the selector shaft isn't worn as well, because that's a lot more work to replace. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 (edited) Something that I should have added to all of the above: the shifter has been very difficult to move to lower gears, getting worse as it went down. So, now I've got a bigger mess. I was trying to adjust the cable again this morning and the thread part at the end of the cable -- not the cable itself -- broke. I was working the shifter back and forth and it suddenly became very loose. [[ EDIT: I was confused. The tranny lever can be moved by hand and the shift lever is fine. This is probably the cable -- see entries below. ]] Edited April 10, 2015 by bendecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Problem is probably the cable. If the end broke there is probably rust inside the sheath why will make it difficult to move. Have you removed the cable end from the trans and moved the cable by hand? Have you moved the selector lever by hand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 (edited) Ok. First, I get the bonehead award. I was working in very confined quarters and had the shifter lever and the tranny levers under the car reversed in my head. DOH!! Now that the cable has broken, yes, I can move the lever on the side of the tranny and the shifter inside easily. I think you are 100% right that the cable was just super corroded inside. Now to find a new one. I could pull one from my old car if a '96 works in a '97 (likely) Edited April 9, 2015 by bendecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 That shifter takes some force to move without the leverage of the shifter cable and the shifter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNY_Dave Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 I think there is usually a hole on the shift arm at the trans that lines up when you put the trans in N? P? you stick a drill bit in there, put the shifter in the appropriate gear, then adjust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share Posted April 8, 2015 CNY_Dave -- Thanks. I'll check for that. BTW, this is my first time getting a car from snow country. In SoCal, there's no such thing as a cable being so gummed up that it won't pull through its housing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted April 9, 2015 Author Share Posted April 9, 2015 (edited) Anyone know of someone with this part? My old car got crunched pretty badly on the right side and getting it out is going to be a beast. (Really regretting breaking the dang thing this am...) Edited April 9, 2015 by bendecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted April 10, 2015 Author Share Posted April 10, 2015 (edited) I went ahead and ordered a new one. The dealer gave me two prices on two different calls -- 81.03 and 73.29. Either way, ouch! Part should be here Monday. Edited April 10, 2015 by bendecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Just keep in mnd how long this cable has lasted, hen the price isnt all that bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Be glad it broke in your driveway. Imagine the grief you'd catch if your wife was at the grocery store with it when it broke... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) I got the new part in. (Side note for anyone ever doing this -- if it looks right, but the cable on the right side doesn't pull back far enough, you have the bracket on the right in backwards. Looks perfect, but it isn't). I have a question about the nut that should be on the left in the red circle. I've looked through my manual and the parts diagram from Subaru and the pics are either too small and grainy (manual) or not detailed enough to see how things together (parts diagrams): The PO had this nut on the end: It has a built-in washer that spins and it spanned all the way across both parts of the fork in the top picture. It locked the end of the cable 100% to the forks -- no wiggle at all. This doesn't seem right to me. Cables should have the ability to wiggle/rotate a bit, and it seems like it should be locked to the aluminum piece in the center of the fork instead. I think the total lack of wiggle room is why the last one failed by breaking the threaded rod that the nut goes on. Here's the broken rod and the old nut that was on it: I'm thinking that it should be on the left, mirroring the shiny new one on the right. Crank them together so they are tight against the aluminum piece. Anyone know how this really should be? Was the the PO's nut wonky? (Make up your own jokes for that one... ) Is the mirroring of the old nut and new nut the way to go? Thanks, as always. Edited April 16, 2015 by bendecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 The diagrams make it look like there should be a tube or sleeve that the rod slides into. The adjusting nuts tighten to either side of the sleeve. The white/silver section in the middle of the "fork" pivots doesn't it? That should pivot so the cable doesn't bend when the shifter is moved. I believe you're correct, the two nuts should tighten against that piece in the center. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) The diagrams make it look like there should be a tube or sleeve that the rod slides into. The adjusting nuts tighten to either side of the sleeve. The white/silver section in the middle of the "fork" pivots doesn't it? That should pivot so the cable doesn't bend when the shifter is moved. I believe you're correct, the two nuts should tighten against that piece in the center. That tube is the long nut (silver in the pic above). What it doesn't show is an opposing nut. You are right that the white/silver section in the middle is the aluminum piece that pivots just a bit. It doesn't move move much. They say in the manual to torque down the nut, but they don't show what the opposing nut should look like. Nor does this diagram: It looks like using two of the long nuts will work fine, but I'd bet that is not what was in there originally. There is a little part #35151AC030 they call "GROMMET-SHEET D30" in the diagram. Maybe that is a tube that goes around rod on the left side of the sliver pivot in the fork, followed by a nut on the left side...? Edited April 16, 2015 by bendecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share Posted April 16, 2015 (edited) Hah! Just found a parts diagram that i believe is from another year. It looks like the others I found for my year were cut off at the right: It shows what looks like that nut with the spinning washer built in. I'm still not sure what a "grommet sheath" is, though: Found it here: http://www.subarupartsandaccessories.com/showAssembly.aspx?makeName=subaru&modelYear=0&modelName=forester&ukey_assembly=6029508&ukey_category=54100&assembly=s11-351-01 Edited April 16, 2015 by bendecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Anytime they use a D= xx in these diagrams that refers to the diameter of a round part such as an o-ring or rubber grommet. I would guess that is supposed to go beneath the shifter assembly around the mounting screws that hold it to the floor pan. Was there any other new hardware included with the cable? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share Posted April 16, 2015 Just the cable and the long silver nut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 I guess they figure they could save $1 by only including one nut instead of two. Either way, sure looks like there should be two of those, one on each side of the pivot. I would put the spinny nut on as a lock nut to make sure the rear adjusting nut doesn't loosen and fall off. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted April 17, 2015 Author Share Posted April 17, 2015 (edited) Fixed and doing great. I put the shifter and the tranny into neutral and used CNY-Dave's trick with a pin in the hole. Then, I put on the long nuts on each side of the aluminum piece (kudos to Fairtax and CrazyHeights for second opinions on that one) and torqued them down. Finally, I added a locking nut on the end for over-kill good measure. It's shifting perfectly. I just gotta wonder how the PO lived with it the way it was for so long. Thanks for the help. Much appreciated. Edited April 17, 2015 by bendecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bendecker Posted April 17, 2015 Author Share Posted April 17, 2015 (edited) Dang it! Now, intermittently, the car won't start in park. More not starting than starting. I'm 100% sure it's an issue with the safety override and adjustments to turn it on and off. If I put in into neutral, it starts just fine, just not in park. I looked under the car to see how to adjust the switch that's up against the side of the tranny and it'a pain to get to -- would need to drop part of the exhaust. But... I might get it to work by tinkering with the adjustment on the other end of the cable (as in all the stuff I already did). I don't think that is the right solution, though, because it is shifting into each gear perfectly. Edited April 17, 2015 by bendecker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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