eseiler Posted October 9, 2005 Share Posted October 9, 2005 Hello, I have a 96 Outback with the 4EAT auto tranny. Recently I noticed that the AT Oil Temp light flashed after a start so I checked the fluid. It was getting brownish (and burned) so straightaway I drained the fluid not once but twice to refresh it (with the Valvoline ATF for older transmission). The tranny now shifts much more smoothly, leaks seem to be halted and otherwise all is well. The AT light has not flashed since. What I'm trying to avoid is swapping out the filter. I've read a) that you don't really need to do it.... only if the ATF was burned c) every 15,000 or whatever miles. Can anyone offer their opinions? Thanks much! --Damien Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 9, 2005 Share Posted October 9, 2005 From what i have been told on this list, its a just a screen and doesnt need to be changed. I have also talked to my mechnaic and he said that subaru doesnt call out for it to be chnged. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted October 9, 2005 Share Posted October 9, 2005 Still, replacing a spin-on filter is easy, isn't it? Added peace-of-mind is priceless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted October 9, 2005 Share Posted October 9, 2005 eseiler, I'll make it easy for you. The '96 4EAT does not have a filter. Nope, not anywhere. Only a magnetic drain plug. This changed on later models, which used the spin on filter behind the left halfshaft. Earlier models had a filter inline to the ATF cooler in the radiator, but the '96 is sadly without one. I'm working on a '96 Outback transmission now, and I looked all over that thing for a tranny filter, and did not find one anywhere. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 9, 2005 Share Posted October 9, 2005 I have a 97 OBW, there is no filter. There is a screen inside the trannny pan, but that doesnt get serviced. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseiler Posted October 9, 2005 Author Share Posted October 9, 2005 Not to be a wiseguy....but what then would I be buying for 26 bucks from AutoZone? --Damien -------- CHAMP TRANSMISSION FILTER (A/T) for a 1996 SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK Unit Price: $25.99 Part No.: T692 Weight: 0.6 lbs. -------- eseiler, I'll make it easy for you. The '96 4EAT does not have a filter. Nope, not anywhere. Only a magnetic drain plug. This changed on later models, which used the spin on filter behind the left halfshaft. Earlier models had a filter inline to the ATF cooler in the radiator, but the '96 is sadly without one. I'm working on a '96 Outback transmission now, and I looked all over that thing for a tranny filter, and did not find one anywhere. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 9, 2005 Share Posted October 9, 2005 If you do that, get the gasket too. Used to be that you replaced the filter when you serviced the tranny, and adjusted the band. Also people would drop the pan, show you the amount of material in the pan, and scare you into buying a new transmission.. "there is alot of material in the botom of you pan, this means that the transmision is wearing internally and could fail...." but never tell you that could can be in the next 100K miles. Hence why tranny shops always had a bad reputation. you can buy pistons at autozone too, doesnt mean that you need one for a tuneup. That said, if you change the filter, be methodic in how you remove the pan. Remove the bolts in a star pattern, a few turns at a time untill it is completely loose, and take extreem care not to bend the mounting flange. It looks very robust, but that is the biggest source of leaks after a filter change. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 Not to be a wiseguy....but what then would I be buying for 26 bucks from AutoZone? --Damien -------- CHAMP TRANSMISSION FILTER (A/T) for a 1996 SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK Unit Price: $25.99 Part No.: T692 Weight: 0.6 lbs. -------- Not a wiseguy at all. What you would be buying is just this: The wrong part. I also ordered plug wires for a 98 Outback 2.5 DOHC. they sent me plug wires for an imprezza (2.2L). The wires were about 2" too short to fit at all. There are two places that a tranny filter could be on a 96. One is on the left frame rail just behind the radiator, and the other one is on the side of the tranny behind the left halfshaft. If ou do not see a filter in either of thise places, there is not one. in 96 they just used a magnetic drain plug to catch metal particles so they did not tear up the insides of the tranny (or get caught and clog up some passage). In later models, they added a cartridge filter (like the engine oil filter) to catch non-metalic particles as well, in order to extend transmission life. If you do have a filter cartridge, I would replace it with a fluid flush, but the interval for that is still a lot of miles. . .(put the new filter on after the flush, BTW) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itzik93 Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 I have a 97 OBW, there is no filter. There is a screen inside the trannny pan, but that doesnt get serviced. nipper Wrong answer dude. This screen has to be serviced (only clean) every 40,000-80,000KM. You can also replace it with a new one (and you must do it IF the screen is broken/cracked). Itzik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 YO DUDE ( i hate when im called dude). Haynes manual says nothing about replacing the screen at any interval. They say change the oil at 30K miles. DUDE my owners manual says nothing about changing the screen. DUDE my subaru mechanic said they rarely change them uinles there is another issue with the car, as they dont remove the pans that often. From a subarru dealers web site: http://www.cars101.com/subaru/subaru_maintenance.html . so DUDE if you want to change its that fine, but RARELY is it done DUDE. Also DUDE its not often on here that one sees anyone talking of cooked auto tranny (non svx), which does hapen with age, so i am quit comfortable that if a subaru dealer is missing the oportunity to charge me more labor and money for a part, they must know something. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 wadeing through all your petty bickering has grown tiresome so i did not read it all. Cliffs notes, There are 2 diffrent kinds of filters, there is the internal pan filter and the external "oil" filter. either way, after 50-75k miles i'd replace either one that you have. The tranny's that "don't" have a filter have the internal filter behind the pan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itzik93 Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 YO DUDE ( i hate when im called dude). Haynes manual says nothing about replacing the screen at any interval. They say change the oil at 30K miles.DUDE my owners manual says nothing about changing the screen. DUDE my subaru mechanic said they rarely change them uinles there is another issue with the car, as they dont remove the pans that often. From a subarru dealers web site: http://www.cars101.com/subaru/subaru_maintenance.html . so DUDE if you want to change its that fine, but RARELY is it done DUDE. Also DUDE its not often on here that one sees anyone talking of cooked auto tranny (non svx), which does hapen with age, so i am quit comfortable that if a subaru dealer is missing the oportunity to charge me more labor and money for a part, they must know something. nipper Sorry about the "dude" thing, i didnt know u hate it... You should do what you think its good for you and your car. Im saying that this screen has to be serviced 40-80K Km - and by saying "serviced" i meen that this filter has to be cleaned (not replaced) and reinstalled. Somtimes this screen is damaged (cracked) and its bad for the transmission. Only when its damage - its need to be replaced. If you really want to take car of your transmission, clean this screen every 80,000km (what you see in the pictures upstairs is a 83,000km filter that never been cleaned before). Itzik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lekmedm Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 I hate to hijack this thread, but I have a similar question, but different equipment. I have a 1998 Legacy Outback 2.5L Auto 136200mi. Is there a tranny filter...? ...internal, external, both? I just got the car and would like to put in new fluid. All advice is appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 I hate to hijack this thread, but I have a similar question, but different equipment. I have a 1998 Legacy Outback 2.5L Auto 136200mi. Is there a tranny filter...? ...internal, external, both? I just got the car and would like to put in new fluid. All advice is appreciated. Heres as complete as I care to add but also answers your question. Its certainly not hijacking you are asking a followup to the original thread and this keeps pertinent information in the same thread for better future search results. I appreciate your following up on the same thread. Theres a screen in ALL of these EJ Automatics. The guy that posted a photo above with the dirty one shown on the right is it, found inside the trans pan and secured with 8 bolts or so to the valve body. Be sure to not damage or lose the o ring on the filter when changing it out. Its my opinion that theres no reason to open the trans pan and clean this unless your transmission is demonstrating symptoms similar to lack of fluid flow or you are doing a shift kit installation (well worth it). The side filter starts 6/98 or so and looks just like an oil filter only smaller than the Oil filter found on a Legacy. Its usually black and threaded horizantally to the transmission on the drivers side on USA and LHD models. The factory trans filter is all I would EVER Recommend. They are around $30 MSRP from Subaru and only need changing at 45-60K intervals. A 98 Outback would be the earlier 4eat EJ transmission and subsequently has no screw on filter and the external one on the frame rail DOES NOT FIT ANYTHING WITH AN EJ25 so you dont have one. Ej22 equipped cars from 90-97 MAY have the external filter kit installed. It runs off the radiator down to a black filter bolted to the frame rail below the battery and runs back to the transmission lines. Its a great add on for anybody that has an ej22 and can be ordered from the dealer as a recall kit for a VERY reasonable price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 Sorry about the "dude" thing, i didnt know u hate it... You should do what you think its good for you and your car. Im saying that this screen has to be serviced 40-80K Km - and by saying "serviced" i meen that this filter has to be cleaned (not replaced) and reinstalled. Somtimes this screen is damaged (cracked) and its bad for the transmission. Only when its damage - its need to be replaced. If you really want to take car of your transmission, clean this screen every 80,000km (what you see in the pictures upstairs is a 83,000km filter that never been cleaned before). Itzik tis OK Update on my OBW. Two weeks ago i got the tranny flushed at 180K, the AWD was showing torque bind, and it was shifting very hard on the 1-2 shift Its been two weeks. The 1-2 shift has smothed out, andthe torque bind is gone. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 Ej22 equipped cars from 90-97 MAY have the external filter kit installed. It runs off the radiator down to a black filter bolted to the frame rail below the battery and runs back to the transmission lines. Its a great add on for anybody that has an ej22 and can be ordered from the dealer as a recall kit for a VERY reasonable price. Could this be fitted to a 97 OBW with a 2.5L ? I like the sound of teh external filter on the tranny. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortlid Posted October 21, 2005 Share Posted October 21, 2005 The side filter starts 6/98 or so and looks just like an oil filter only smaller than the Oil filter found on a Legacy. Its usually black and threaded horizantally to the transmission on the drivers side on USA and LHD models. The factory trans filter is all I would EVER Recommend. They are around $30 MSRP from Subaru and only need changing at 45-60K intervals. A 98 Outback would be the earlier 4eat EJ transmission and subsequently has no screw on filter and the external one on the frame rail DOES NOT FIT ANYTHING WITH AN EJ25 so you dont have one. Ej22 equipped cars from 90-97 MAY have the external filter kit installed. It runs off the radiator down to a black filter bolted to the frame rail below the battery and runs back to the transmission lines. Its a great add on for anybody that has an ej22 and can be ordered from the dealer as a recall kit for a VERY reasonable price. Is it CHEAPER to buy the recall kit for the earlier 4EAT's and use THAT filter on the newer 4EAT's with filters? Also I had heard that someone on the board forund another aftermarket supplier of the spin-on tranny filter and it was like $5!!! (Please speak-up with your results so far!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.