I bought my first subaru about 2 months ago, its a 97 outback auto with 180,000 miles. The car shifted properly when i test drove it, then i started noticing it shifting harder and harder between 1st and 2nd; and 2nd and 3rd. it kept getting worse so i changed the ATF, next tried lucus stop-slip, then tried a new ATF filter. I need some help, how could it have test drove fine and then gotten rapidly worse?

Remove the battery cable for 5 minutes to erase the TCU memory then drive. Let it learn about you.

 

 

There are also a number of shall we say illusions that one can add to a tranny to make it feel good.

 

Subarus shift hard so there is most likley nothing wrong.

Drain/fill the ATF with new stuff - do this 3 to 4 times driving about 10 miles in-between each. Should take about 1 gallon each time. DO NOT USE ADDITIVES. Plain ATF is what it takes.

 

GD

how was the fluid that you drained the first time? old, lightly used, or new?

does the at light flash 16 times at start up?

 

notably new or old fluid suggests bad things - like never been changed or recently changed possibly suggesting an attempt to fix something.

 

Lucas is probably not a good long term solution. any aid it might provide in the short term may cause issues later.

 

do some more drain and refills - once only gets a small percent of the fluid out, unlike engine and diff oils. i usually do 3.

 

there is a dropping resistor i believe it's called that increases the harshness of shifts, i disconnect it intentionally on the first gen 4EAT's because they tend to have a "lag" of sort between either 2nd and 3rd or 3rd and 4th. if yours is unplugged or failed maybe it could do this?

the ATF that I drained the first time was low and very dark. I'm not sure if this makes a big difference but I replaced it with castrol multi-imports. Which says that it replaces the dextron 2.

 

As well I tried resetting the computer by disconnecting the battery but still shift really hard.

Also the oil temp fight flashes when I turn it on I'm not sure how many times.

 

My check engine light comes on with an ERG code so I cleaned it out be the light comes on every once and a while and I just reset it. I am showing my egnorance about the ERG but could that cause a problem with shifting?

Edited March 27, 201115 yr by woodpb

Also the oil temp fight flashes when I turn it on I'm not sure how many times.

sweet, that code very well may tell you what the problem is. if you have a trans issue and the code is flashing then you should have that code read.

 

the sequence to get it to flash the code and read it yourself is a bit convoluted but it can be done. it'll flash the code for you - first flahes are "tens" digits and second set of flashes (they blink at different rates) are "ones" digits. so a set of 3 and then a set of 4 means code 34. look that code up online and that's it.

 

or just have subaru do it for $70-ish.

 

might be the dropping resistor if you're lucky, they're just a 10 minute job to replace, i could probably literally do it with my eyes closed. they're bolted to the passengers side strut tower in the engine bay normally i believe. i am thinking they are all there, not sure if they changed with models/years/engines/etc.

 

if it's a dropping resistor, just get a used one, they hardly ever fail. might even want to check to make sure yours is plugged in.

 

dirty fluid - definitely change it more than once then.

 

may end up being a solenoid as well.

so i counted the oil at temp flashes, and it flashed 16 times. So is 16 the code that i need to look up?

 

if it is the dropping resistor, is there a good place to buy that online, also im sick of autozone, is there a good online site for buying subaru parts. autozone sold me a transmission gasket that was total crap.

 

as well my car has a torn cv boot, another site said that they had a torn cv boot and it affected the trans sensor.

 

thank you for all the help

Edited March 28, 201115 yr by woodpb

no the 16 times at start up doesn't mean anything. it's kind of like the "Check Engine Light" in that it just indicates that there is a problem, but doesn't tell you what the problem is. you have to get it to flash the codes to you.

 

torn CV won't affect the trans at all.

 

is there a good online site for buying subaru parts. autozone sold me a transmission gasket that was total crap.

I answered that one already:

if it's a dropping resistor, just get a used one, they hardly ever fail. might even want to check to make sure yours is plugged in.

 

new would be a complete waste of money. it's so easy to replace and they don't ever fail...which brings us to the point that it might not even be that resistor so i wouldn't worry about it yet. the terribly dirty fluid makes me suspicious that it's going to be a solenoid in the trans, but the code will probably clear some things up.

 

as for parts, often times you're best bet is to search or ask here. there are some parts best to obtain from Subaru, some you can't get anywhere else, and some are best gotten elsewhere. depends on the year/model/engine/part.

Edited March 28, 201115 yr by grossgary

Gross on a 97 it is just trying to figure out which wires uunder the dash to connect and ground to read codes, though I prefer the older method myself (no wire hunting).

Gross on a 97 it is just trying to figure out which wires uunder the dash to connect and ground to read codes, though I prefer the older method myself (no wire hunting).

sweet, i edited it. when did that change happen? i must be confusing that with the keyless remote programming because i thought for sure i've done this before on a newer one...?

Edited March 28, 201115 yr by grossgary

thanks again for the help, one last question, could you explain in detail how i would go about reading the code my self. this area im a little confused.

Learn how to use the search function it is great

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=81497&highlight=Reading+Transmission+Codes

i have done some searching and still have not been able to find out how to read transmission codes manually on a 97 outback. can anyone give me instructions on how-to?

under the dash near or to the right of the steering column there is a 6 pin connector, B82? maybe, hooked up to nothing. (i do remember it is a 5 pin connector but it may not have all of the pin locations populated. ground out pin #5, i think, and the AT Temp light will flash the code.

 

for actual details search "transcodes" or maybe "readingtranscodes".

 

do not bother reading the info about the procedure mentioning the button on the shifter. is for earlier cars which have a power? or sport? or manual? button on the shifter.

 

i think this is what you want:

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=81497&highlight=readtranscodes

 

for 99s / phase 2? auto trans apparently this one:

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?p=967053#post967053

 

 

Edited April 2, 201115 yr by johnceggleston

OK i give up on this one. On the LINK i posted it pretty much holds you by the hand and tells you how to do it.

 

Good luck on your issue.

the connector under my steering is yellow and has two wires with green connectors. it looks different than the diagram shown in the thread posted.

keep looking. you want the black one that looks like the diagram.

 

or you can try the procedure for 99 but i don't know if it will work.

got it

Edited April 2, 201115 yr by woodpb

ok so i am an idiot, the connector was taped up good but i found it. So i plugged the ground into pin 5. in what position does the key need to be in for the code to flash. because as of now im not getting any flashing other than the 16 flashes from before.

Edited April 2, 201115 yr by woodpb

just a guess, but if the AT Temp light is not on when you connect the ground to pin 5, there is no chance in hell that it will flash the code.

Just a guess, but I don't think that helps me at all. If you are not interested in helping no one is twisting your arm. I'm trying to learn and help is really appreciated.

HEY, i was serious. turn the key to on and ground out pin 5. if that does not work, ask again. but i bet it will.

 

if i wasn't interested in helping i would not respond. i'm sorry my earlier response was too sarcastic.

 

good luck.

well i tried it again with no luck, the light stays solid. i tried both of the grounding pins as well. any ideas?

any ideas as to why my oil at temp light flashes when i turn it on but does not flash as code when i ground out pin 5? could my trans computer be bad?