Dan Canning Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Hi, I've got a '97 Legacy L Wagon (automatic). All of these things happened in the following sequence on Saturday: 1) Speedometer/Odometer stopped operating (taking Cruise with them) 2) Check engine light came on (less than 20 miles after speedo stopped working) 3) AT Oil Temp light flashes on start-up (Haven't counted)(began on first start-up after speedo stopped operating) I haven't had any of the codes pulled yet (from the tranny or the engine). I've been reading through posts and saw in a post about a similar speedo issue that the base cable piece may have broken. In a follow-up to that post, it stated that the no speedometer issue will also mess with how the transmission shifts; the TC will not lockup. Is it possible that a problem with a faulty base piece (probably responsible for sending the message to the computer that caused the check engine light to come on) could also be causing the AT light to go off? Or is it more probable that I've got two seperate problems? Any help would be appreciated. Any knowledge I can gather before seeing a mechanic would help since I'm not great with cars. Thanks, Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLCraig Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Since you have an 97 legacy, your speedo isn't cable driven. There's a speed sensor that screws in where the speedo cable use to. This sensor tells the ECU how fast the transmission is turning and the ECU in turn sends a signal to the speedo. This maybe a part of the issue why the TC will not lock up, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Yeah a busted/malfunctioning speed sensor will cause all these problems. I'd check to see if the sensor is good or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bg97leg Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 I had the same problem with my '97 legacy. It is the variable speed sensor (VSS) #1 switch. It is easy to get to. Mounted onto the outside of the transaxle case as you look down from the passenger side of the car. It was about $70 + shipping form 1stsubaruparts.com. One more thing. After replacing the switch, the engine needs to go through 3 stop/start cycles before the CEL clears. Hope this helps. Bill Hi, I've got a '97 Legacy L Wagon (automatic). All of these things happened in the following sequence on Saturday: 1) Speedometer/Odometer stopped operating (taking Cruise with them) 2) Check engine light came on (less than 20 miles after speedo stopped working) 3) AT Oil Temp light flashes on start-up (Haven't counted)(began on first start-up after speedo stopped operating) I haven't had any of the codes pulled yet (from the tranny or the engine). I've been reading through posts and saw in a post about a similar speedo issue that the base cable piece may have broken. In a follow-up to that post, it stated that the no speedometer issue will also mess with how the transmission shifts; the TC will not lockup. Is it possible that a problem with a faulty base piece (probably responsible for sending the message to the computer that caused the check engine light to come on) could also be causing the AT light to go off? Or is it more probable that I've got two seperate problems? Any help would be appreciated. Any knowledge I can gather before seeing a mechanic would help since I'm not great with cars. Thanks, Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bg97leg Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Also, there are 2 VSS switches, the second one is internal to the trans (I think). Your trans is operating in fail safe mode. the second VSS is controlling the trans. I had the same problem with my '97 legacy. It is the variable speed sensor (VSS) #1 switch. It is easy to get to. Mounted onto the outside of the transaxle case as you look down from the passenger side of the car. It was about $70 + shipping form 1stsubaruparts.com. One more thing. After replacing the switch, the engine needs to go through 3 stop/start cycles before the CEL clears. Hope this helps. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Canning Posted December 28, 2004 Author Share Posted December 28, 2004 Thanks, folks. This gives me much peace of mind. It's a hectic week for us, and our Legacy is currently our only car. Is it risky to drive the car like this (i.e., will it damage the transmission operating in fail-safe mode), or am I straight to drive it until early next week, if I don't put excessive mileage on it? You folks are terrific, btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 As far as I know, it is not a problem to drive it this way but should be repaired as soon as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legacy777 Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 You can drive it like it is. I'd suggest verifying which speed sensor it is before you go ahead and replace it. Depending on when they switched speed sensor styles, you may or may not be able to access speed sensor 1 on the outside of the vehicle. Vehicle speed sensor 2 is the one that controls the speedometer, etc. So more then likely, that is the one that is bad, and you can get at that one from the outside of the vehicle. If you look at this scan, it'll tell you which pins on the AT connector are the vehicle speed sensors. Put an ohm meter on them to verify if one is way out of spec. http://www.main.experiencetherave.com:8080/subaru_manual_scans/1999_Legacy_FSM/3_Transmission_and_Differential_Section/3-2_Automatic_Transmission_and_Differential/MSA5TCD99L185.pdf This scan is for the 99 MY, but should be the same for the 97 MY......hopefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bg97leg Posted December 30, 2004 Share Posted December 30, 2004 Sorry if I introduced confusion as to which VSS it is. The one that screws into the transmission from the oustside is the one that was bad on my car. I took a shot that it was this one, rather than the internal one. I drove my car for 2 months with the trans in fail safe mode, to no ill effects. It will only become a serious problem if the working VSS fails. It took all of 15 minutes to replace the external VSS and it cost about $70 from 1stsubaruparts. Local dealer wanted $90 + tax. If you take it to Autozone they'll pull the codes and there could be 2 or 3 related to this problem. I think the did identify the faulty VSS, plus it put out a low idle sensor code. These cleared when the VSS was replaced. Hope this helps. Good luck. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbausano Posted February 10, 2005 Share Posted February 10, 2005 I'm curious to know if the VSS fixed the problem? I'm currently having problems with my 99 Legacy that are somewhat similar. The transmission sometimes will hesitate going into drive or will not go into drive at all. Reverse works fine. Once it gear it runs fine. At the same time the speedometer sometimes just stops working while driving then will come back on. Took it to my regular mechanic and he could not figure it out. He couldn't get any error codes and said most likely because the problems are intermittent. He was able to replicate the transmission problem but not the speedo problem. The don't always happen at the same time. He did a flush and fill of the tranny and replaced the tranny filter but this has not solved the problem. It's at the dealers service shop right now and they have not given me a diagnosis yet. Any advice you have would be much appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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