bluebird Posted March 19, 2006 Share Posted March 19, 2006 I posted a message last night about checking AT fluid and got some great help thanks. I just bought this car 2 dyas ago and have never had an auto trans subaru before, had many manuals. So I don't know exactly how it is supposed to shift, but it seems harder now than it was the first day I had it. No clunks but you can feel it in your back. The rest of the shifts are much smoother. The fluid isn't a rosy red but not really brown either. Also when I check it hot it seems about right but when I check it cold it registers higher than when hot. I know it is not supposed to be that way. Also is the dual dexron III/mecron fluid OK? I'm thinking of taking it to a local transmission shop to get their view. I have a 30 day or 1000 mile warranty. Any insight or experience would be mcuh appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 i hate tranny shops, as it seems thier sole purpose in life is to sell you a tranny. Take the car to your regular mechanic. Subarus tend to shift hard from 1-2. The Shift seems harder as you drive the car as you would normally. i have a 97 OBW 180k that shifted real hard from 1-2 and had some torque bind. I got the tranny flushed and there TB went away, and the shifting smoothed out a bit. I would recomend a flush, but the hard shift may stay, its a subaru thing. Use whatever fluid subaru recomends. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 If possible, driving another Subaru of similar vintage to compare shift characteristics could be useful; it could either resolve your concerns or confirm your suspicions. Mercon is apparently very similar to Dexron III, so the dual-usage fluid is what's commonly available. As Nipper said, the 1-2 shift does typically seem a bit harsher on 4EATs than one might expect. On the other hand, if anyone has ever added some Ford F-type fluid (which isn't friction-modified like Dexron/Mercon and is incompatible), that in itself can result in hard shifts. EDIT: Problems with duty solenoid "A" or the related resistor can cause hard shifts due to higher-than-intended line pressure during shifting, although it likely wouldn't affect just 1-2. As to the fluid level, it depends what you mean by "cold". Is that with the engine running? Drainback from the torque converter after the engine is off for some time might explain the higher level; that typically shouldn't happen to any great degree within a day or so. By the way, be sure to remove and wipe the dipstick carefully, allow several seconds for fluid to run back before reinserting the dipstick, and then remove it again and check the level. Otherwise, I find that fluid sticking to the dipstick tube transfers to the stick and makes it difficult to get an accurate reading. While you're at it, you might smell the fluid on the dipstick and compare that to fresh fluid. The odor is often as good or better an indicator of bad fluid as the color. In the long run, a fluid flush (complete change with fresh fluid, not using chemical cleaners) should probably be considered. Be aware that if the trans has some "issues" and an additive has already been used, replacing the fluid without an additive can sometimes reveal any problems, making it seem that the fluid change made the trans worse . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimokalihi Posted March 20, 2006 Share Posted March 20, 2006 Yeah, I've been wondering the same thing about my 90 legacy wagon. It's an auto and the first auto vehicle I've owned but I drove my moms auto voyager minivan for like 6 months or so and I don't remember it shifting like my subaru does. It doesn't matter if you're only giving it barely any gas either. From 1st to 2nd gear is just kind of rough. Not real bad, but more than I would think it should be. The rest of the gears shift smoothly. Plus I think it engages a bit slow from a stop. When I come up to a stop sign and begin to go again it takes a bit longer than most automatics to engage and it's really annoying me. It's probably normal but I have been driving a 5 spd toyota pickup for the last couple years and so maybe it's just going from manual to auto? I don't know but I hate it and can't wait to get rid of my car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bmm001 Posted March 21, 2006 Share Posted March 21, 2006 I think that the long and short of it is that Subaru 4EATs just aren't as smooth as we'd like them to be, or compared to other manufacturer's autos. Brian M. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coyotesareus Posted March 23, 2006 Share Posted March 23, 2006 That was the begining of the failure cycle on my 1999 Outback. If you start to get a lag between Park or Reverse and Drive it is the beginning of the end. As for a flush, the best advice I have heard from the transmission specialists is not to flush any transmission with more than 50,000 miles on it. The flush loosens the internal varnish which wanders around and does all kinds of nasty stuff to the valve bodies. Sorry to sound like the voice of doom. Search for my recent post on 1999 Automatic Transmission Failures and good luck. I posted a message last night about checking AT fluid and got some great help thanks. I just bought this car 2 dyas ago and have never had an auto trans subaru before, had many manuals. So I don't know exactly how it is supposed to shift, but it seems harder now than it was the first day I had it. No clunks but you can feel it in your back. The rest of the shifts are much smoother. The fluid isn't a rosy red but not really brown either. Also when I check it hot it seems about right but when I check it cold it registers higher than when hot. I know it is not supposed to be that way. Also is the dual dexron III/mecron fluid OK? I'm thinking of taking it to a local transmission shop to get their view. I have a 30 day or 1000 mile warranty. Any insight or experience would be mcuh appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted March 24, 2006 Share Posted March 24, 2006 That was the begining of the failure cycle on my 1999 Outback. If you start to get a lag between Park or Reverse and Drive it is the beginning of the end. As for a flush, the best advice I have heard from the transmission specialists is not to flush any transmission with more than 50,000 miles on it. The flush loosens the internal varnish which wanders around and does all kinds of nasty stuff to the valve bodies. Sorry to sound like the voice of doom. Search for my recent post on 1999 Automatic Transmission Failures and good luck. Many of us here have flushed trannies with over 100,000 miles to cure torque bind with no issues. i did mine at 180,000 miles. The varnish theory used to be valid, but i know at least in soobies its not. If the damage is done its done. You are correct though that the delay between 0ark and anything is an indicator of the internal seals going bad. nipper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friendly_jacek Posted March 25, 2006 Share Posted March 25, 2006 If the ATF was never changed, the flush could possibly kill a tranny in some cases. If the tranny was properly maintained, no fear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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