August 5, 201015 yr Got back from South Carolina with my 98 Outback Drives well cep't for the clouds of smoke from the back!!! Looked under the car and there is a leak which I was told about.... Not the engine though - Transmission. Sh1t I thought - I have a Brat and a shop has already f*cked up the service on the transmission and made it worse than before.... Question - Any reputable transmission servicing chains or should I take it to Subaru to be sure its not f*cked up like that Brat was..... Or is there a place on line I can get a recon 5spd tranny for a 98??? Suggestions appreciated Steve
August 6, 201015 yr Some details would help. Auto or Manual Trans? There is not much to mess up on an Manual Trans, drain and fill it with gear lube, it should be full on the stick. Auto, has Dextron III in the transmission and gear lube in the Differential. Two different fluids, both should be at the proper level. Is the smoke coming from the exhaust or leaks under the car?
August 6, 201015 yr Is it simply a trany leaking ATF on the exhaust system to produce smoke? If the trany still works okay, then stop the leak only, no need to replace the trany. Tell us more of what is going on!
August 6, 201015 yr Author Is it simply a trany leaking ATF on the exhaust system to produce smoke? If the trany still works okay, then stop the leak only, no need to replace the trany. Tell us more of what is going on! Sorry!!!! Details were a little scant in my enthusiasm for the car and to get it fixed It is a Manual 5spd transmission. The smoke is tranny fluid burning on the exhaust pipe. I only just got the car home but there was a pool of oil under the car after stopping for a break while driving back. Checked the dipstick on the tranny and it is empty Hopefully haven't done too much damage to it on the ride home. I'm going to fill it up with gear oil tomorrow and then take it to a tranny shop who do free inspections but didn't want to have them do the job and mess it up if it needs new axle seals. In the past I was told by my local subie dealer that to replace the axle seals you have to break the box toi get at them and a shop had done that with the tranny on my Brat and did a crap job of putting it back together properly. So to sum up, all I know is that the tranny is leaking a lot of oil and can't tell from where at the moment. Although the clutch is slipping a bit so maybe it is the front seal... Dunno till more research is done but want worse case scenario understood which is why I wanted info on a recon tranny that I can install myself... Steve
August 6, 201015 yr so sayeth in ye yonder bible : fixeth the leak oh my son.and it shall be departed from your heart.... did it make noise? no really, fix the leak.oh, you might wanna fix the leak.why don't you fix the leak? but otherwise.i have a trans that will fit your car. cheers, brain Edited August 6, 201015 yr by monstaru
August 6, 201015 yr Author um, it's gear oil.not tranny fluid.that would normally conotate an auto-matic...so sayeth in ye yonder bible : fixeth the leak oh my son.and it shall be departed from your heart.... no really, fix the leak.oh, you might wanna fix the leak.why don't you fix the leak? but otherwise.i have a trans that will fit your car. cheers, brain Sorry Again!!! Pollogise for the ambiguity! So tranny fluid and gear oil are not synonomous Gear Oil it is then!!! So, as relatively competent mechanic, is it feasible for me to replace the tranny seals myself? Lot of work in the tranny strip down no probs but don't want to make the same mistake the pros(?!) did on my Brat tranny. Cheers, Steve. P.S. How much for your tranny (just in case)? !
August 6, 201015 yr First of all, before you go pulling the transmission out, find out where the leak is coming from. Clean it all off and take a close look under there while the engine is running. My first guess would be a leaky drain plug seal. There is a thin aluminum sealing ring that is supposed to go between the drain plug and the transmission case. The next thing would be a leaky input shaft seal.
August 6, 201015 yr Author First of all, before you go pulling the transmission out, find out where the leak is coming from. Clean it all off and take a close look under there while the engine is running. My first guess would be a leaky drain plug seal. There is a thin aluminum sealing ring that is supposed to go between the drain plug and the transmission case. The next thing would be a leaky input shaft seal. Thanks for the recommendations I am guessing its the front seal because the clutch slips and there is a lot of oil all over the tranny, not just underneath it. I found the GLoyale seal replacement procedure you have linked to in the past and I'm presently getting all giddy about getting back to doing more Subie work Will be posting piccies as always! Cheers! Steve
August 6, 201015 yr Author Was down at the local Subaru dealer today talking to the veteran mechanics who gave me some advice on replacing the tranny seals.... For the driveaxle seals, he said be very careful about uninstalling and then re-installing the toothed shrouds that hold the seal in. He told me to mark the shroud and the locking clamp with a chisel and then count *exactly* the number of turns it takes to remove it and then repeat when re-installing and I shouldn't be far out with the bearing tollerances in the diff. Just wanted to pass that nugget on if anyone wants to change the driveaxle seals themselves..... Steve
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