We just bought an '01 outback to replace the aging '87 GL as the daily driver. It's a higher milage one with 183k, but was owned by a traveling salesman and is almost exclusively highway miles. Head gaskets, timing belts, etc done at 150k. Seemed like a good deal. Getting the automatic was the compromise. We wanted a manual, but this was in great condition and seemed worth the sacrifice. Now it may be biting us...

 

We've been driving it for about a week and this morning it wouldn't shift out of first gear. Back out of the driveway, shift to D (no compliants), drive/coast down the hill to the stop sign, take off and it stays in first. We are able to wind it up 4500-5k and it will kick into second and drive normally until the next stop. Rinse and repeat.

 

I've been doing some reading around here and am getting familiar with the "shift delay" and TransX fix, but that seems to be targeted at the 99-00 years. Was there a big change from 00 to 01? Also not exactly the same problem we have here. I'm going to give the flush and TransX a shot tonight. I don't know when, or if, the trans fluid was replaced last so I figure it won't hurt anything.

 

Any other ideas to check/try before getting bent over by a shop on week old (to me) car? I saw mentions of a speed sensor also and will be looking into that a bit deeper, especially if the flush doesn't do anything.

have you tried manually shifting from 1 to 2? does that make a difference?

 

does it sound like it is slipping when you wind it out?