So my mother has a 96 2.2 impreza. I noticed it was vibrating at idle as if there was a misfire. There was a CEL (#1 misfire) a few weeks ago and she took it to a mechanic and they seemed to resolve the code. I checked the coil pack, replaced the plugs which were pretty worn, and replaced the wires after ripping one of the contacts out :-\. While the idle seemed smoother the vibration was still there. Seems to be more noticeable when the car has totally warmed up.

 

So when I get back I check the transmission fluid and hear this crazy noise coming out of the dipstick hole I have no idea what it could be. It's like a rattly gurgly noise and I don't like it. I'm going to have her get it flushed and hopefully it will go away or at least mitigate the underlying issue. The noise is inaudible when the dipstick is in. It's driving alright and runs well otherwise. What could this be?

So my mother has a 96 2.2 impreza. I noticed it was vibrating at idle as if there was a misfire. There was a CEL (#1 misfire) a few weeks ago and she took it to a mechanic and they seemed to resolve the code. I checked the coil pack, replaced the plugs which were pretty worn, and replaced the wires after ripping one of the contacts out :-\. While the idle seemed smoother the vibration was still there. Seems to be more noticeable when the car has totally warmed up.

 

So when I get back I check the transmission fluid and hear this crazy noise coming out of the dipstick hole I have no idea what it could be. It's like a rattly gurgly noise and I don't like it. I'm going to have her get it flushed and hopefully it will go away or at least mitigate the underlying issue. The noise is inaudible when the dipstick is in. It's driving alright and runs well otherwise. What could this be?

 

Probably cavitation. Usually means the fluid level is incorrect. But it's probably normal if everything is still working properly.

 

For your vibration issue, try cleaning the Intake manifold with a Seafoam treatment. That's best done on old plugs since it can foul them.

Edited December 3, 201015 yr by Fairtax4me

I bet your trany could use a drain and fill, three times worth. Drive at least 5 minutes between drain and fills. The reason for doing this three times, is that only about half of the ATF can be drained at one time. The rest remains in the torque converter.

 

Some guys pull off a trany cooler hose to flush out all old trany fluid. See this info here in the "search" portion of website archives.

So it turns out I was looking at the wrong dipstick. In my defense it was dark and cold. I realized this today right when I opened the hood.

 

Still, there is this issue with the vibration. Any tips on that would be appreciated. I've done plugs and wires and checked the coil pack. At only 80k miles it should have plenty of compression. The vibration is quite noticeable when the a/c compressor kicks in.