nipper

http://www.endwrench.com/archive/sysdrive.html Do your research there. 1-2-3 are mechanical selections. D is all computer controlled. The ECU depening upon generation can lock up the TC whenever it sees fit. There is a rather complicated method for shifting. The dance is between the solenoids, selay valves, and the reduction of power by the ECU to help reduce shift shock. I dont think it can be done, unless you have the paddles control the shift linkage itself. nipper

You need to check for codes in the air bag system. Some sensors are meant for a single operation. Have the system checked for codes, if there are no codes and no air bag light, you will be ok nipper

I know on Blu over 70mph the gas mileage just dumps from 26-27 to 23 or worse. nipper

Blu, who had a new clutch pack installed 40K ago, has a bit of torque bund on the first few turns in the morning, and when backing out of a parking space. I pay him no mind, since it goes away relativly quickly as he warms up. I wouldnt worry about it. nipper

The "o" ring seals where the hoses connect to the rack. Check the boots at either end of the rack. Squeeze them, as they should not feel like there is any liquid in them. nipper

I did not know ford actually had one. nipper

212F 176 ohms 194 240 176 332 158 458 140 668 122 672 112 1182 104 1458 95 1800 86 2238 76 2795 68 3520 58 4450 50 5670 40 7280 32 6420 28 move to florida.

This is due to thier work, not wear and tear. these are transmissions that are almost trouble free for the life of the car. It can be the external harness, or a pinched wire inside the transmission. Either way, it is their problem. Contact the BBB in your area and file a complaint. nipper

Gross i'm thinking maybe an harness got damaged. nipper

Its possible its the speed sensor. nipper

Which leads to the question, has the clutch cable been adjusted lately. The hill holder should be adjusted too. nipper

It's in limp mode, which is rare for a subaru to go into. Does your spedo work? The codes need to be pulled from the ECU and TCU before we can even begin to guess whats wrong. nipper

They are cable actuated off the clurch fork. If i had a stick on Blu I would put one on him. nipper

May get him in the deep stuff with his wife though. nipper

Subaru says no to chains in the rear for snow, so mud should be the same. nipper

http://www.offroaders.com/info/tech-corner/reading/mud.htm NO chains on the rears, you have to use chains just like there was snow. nipper

Of course no one ever suggests slowing down to 70 Blu with the 4eat never really bothered me about reving so high at 80. I remeber when cars had 3 speed autos and would rev really high at 80, much higher then now (which is why 55 was the speed limit back then). Easiest thing is larger tires. Lots of luck finding a 6 $peed. The cost of it may never be made up in the life of the car. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Subaru_transmissions nipper

It can be done as the HH is just a mechanical valve, and has no affect on the abs. http://www.mypersonaldrive.com/Spr03_HillHolder.htm Subaru has bought back the hill holder on its cars. I dont know what year, but one can always try to find one and pup the hood and check for cables, there shouldnt be any. There is no differnce between the hill holder holding the car, and your foot on the brake pedal when the car is stopped. The only critical thing really is to make sure that the hill holder is mounted at the same leve as it is in a subaru, which i do beleive is parallel to the ground. nipper

Your welcome. The studabaker Avanti had a hill holder way before FHI thought about making cars May even be the same design, considering how the japanese auto industry loved to reverse engineer sometimes. nipper

which subaru is this? The car has two VSS sensors. One in the front, and one in the rear (or in the spedo head). If one fails, the other will take over, but you will loose your AWD. If you loose them both you will loose your spedo, and you will have avery odd shift pattern, along with a reduction of power, and top speed limited to 50. It would be interesting to know exactly what the codes are. If the TC was locked up, the car would stall every time you stopped. Did someone check the fluid level? This is a really wierd failure mode in what is basically a bullitproof tranny. Did someone try putting the FWD fuse in the holder and see what happens? nipper

PS I am wrong, It works on one front and one rear brake. (could have sworn i read in a FSM its only the front). nipper

I would suspect the cable. The HH itself is very simple. Its a large marble that pushes against a valve. This valve holds the pressure from the master cylinder untill the clutch is released. Once it is released, it releases the brake pressure. Believe it or not, I got this from a studabaker site http://www.mypersonaldrive.com/Spr03_HillHolder.htm nipper

The hill holder only works on the left front brake. You have another problem going on. I dont remeber if there are check valves in the master cylinder or your proportioning vlave is having issues. When was the last time you had the brake fluid changed. You can be boiling the brake fluid and it will lock up the brakes sometimes. Has anyone checked your calipers to make sure one isnt seized? I don't think this is a hill holder issue, you have something else going on. The hill holder is an on/off thing, either it releases or it doesnt, and it being on the front wheel, you would notice a pull to the left. You do have a diagnol breaking system. Another easy check is just to disconnect the hill holder cable and see if it goes away. nipper

They are firmer. When my shop installed them, they asked me if i really really wanted the GR2's as they are firmer then stock. They had put them in a few customers cars, and they complained that they were too firm. Also anything is going to be firmer then what you have now at 8 years old almost. I cant tell you honestly if they were former then when Blu was new in 1997, but anything will be firmer then what you have now. If you are looking for better cornering, thats more of a function of the almost 8yo bushings and the sway bar. nipper

They did that locking thing since the 1970's (seatbelts in general). nipper