ssrfoz

Hi All, Yup, changed tranny fluid, spin-on filter and, yes, also timing belt because of the mileage. I've tried something new after reading multiple references of it in various threads: disconnected the TPS, started the car, let it complain with a CEL then turned off the car and reconnected. I can almost swear the shift is smoother now, but I'll post again in a couple hundred Ks and provide further updates SSRFoz

No trans light flashing because... er.. there.. isn't a trans light. What I do have is the 'Eco' light which comes on when the three way switch by the gear level is set to economy mode (the other two modes being hold and normal A/T for ice/mud and normal gear shifts, respectively). I have it on reasonably good authority that a flashing eco light translates to a trans issue but it has never flashed on me. Just to recap, my car has the 'SportShift' with +/- on the gear lever and steering wheel for 'manual' changes when I choose to use that mode.... which is hardly ever! If I do go looking for a test TCU, what's the probability that the TCU on a normal auto 4EAT will be the same as one on the SportShift? I'm thinking of a particular engine-less car in my mech's back lot that may be a donor candidate :-)

Hi All, Newbie on this site but a Subaru veteran of sorts: Legacy BF3 for ten years followed by recent acquisition of a used JDM 2003 SG5 Forester CrossSports Turbo with 'sportshift' gearbox. The foz is a great car, but unfortunately somewhere between Japan and here it was clocked and the indicated 30K mileage is probably 130K. In any case I replaced the obvious high mileage failure items such as the MAF sensor, rear O2 (following a CEL) and now it runs pretty well. No CELs and reasonable fuel economy for a turbo :-) This brings me to the one issue I still have with the car: so-called ‘shift shock’ when moving down from 3rd to 2nd and sometimes a smaller ‘thunk’ from 2nd to 1st. My trust sub mechs are examining the obvious items like solenoids, ATF etc, but there’s one specific aspect to this jerking that I need opinions on. Why is it that when I do the old ECU/TCU reset trick of disconnecting the battery –ve and standing on the brake pedal for 10 seconds that the jerking goes away and only comes back somewhere between 60 and 200 miles? I understand that the TCU is ‘re-learning’ after the reset but surely the jerking is a mechanical phenomenon that theoretically can’t be eliminated?? But I’m doing just that – earning a short-medium term respite before it come back. Can a faulty solenoid engage easily on a freshly reset TCU then go bad after the TCU settles down? :-\ All opinions welcome! SSRfoz