Hi,

i recently bought a 1995 subaru Legacy L 2.2L 4 cyl

the guy said i had to let it warm up before i drove it, do to it wont like to shift out of 1st when its dead cold even when warmed up for lets say 2-3mins its still hard at shifting but after temp gauge is in middle it does ok.

latly ive been hearing a verrryyy slight knocking noise i have no clue what it is. i want to say it started after i noticed i was a tad bit low on oil about at Low dot but its filled now and im just worried. any help would be very much appreciated cause if i lose this car i lose my job : /

Welcome to the message board!

 

How many miles does it have? Have you serviced the transmission?

 

If you start a Subaru in 2 on the shifter it should start out in second gear. I'd be curious to find out if it does start in 2nd and what happens when you shift into 3rd after you get rolling.

 

You should get some good ideas and advice here as soon as a few more members reply.

Real experts will have more specific advice, but in general a transmission flush may be worthwhile first. Not just a drain and fill, the oil shops pump tranny fluid though the system to flush out allthe fluid in the torque convertor as well. It's about 14 quarts, so the typical cost of about $70 is pretty worth it.

If that doesn't fix it, they mention additives (Trans-X?) that have fixed poor engagement, but after that it is probably internal parts or seals.

well it has just over 150k i did a trany filter replacement and full fluid change. i can take a video tomaro morning of the knock and the 2nd start. and another thing is when i start it up when its dead cold it will sound like its lugging really bad for about 35seconds then it will idle normal. but the main thing im worried about is the slight knocking noise its not very loud atall

Subarus can tend to knock a little. Have you changed the oil yet? That's always a good first step.

A transmission fluid change should be done as well. Do that three times and drive 100 miles or so in between changes. If it still shifts weird a bottle of Trans-X might help.

Fresh fluid makes the biggest difference though.

ive only had this car for about 11/2 months i did the tranny filter replacement with new fluid about 3 weeks ago and oil change at walmart at about the same time and i think a week after that i noticed i was low on oil. it just used to idle real quit.

oil change at walmart

 

I found your problem

yah thats what i was thinking too cause after i added the oil after i saw it was low its still at right levels to this day. i also tightened the filter a little more after i saw the oil was low.

Gte real oil. Does the knocking go away after the engine warms up? Does it sound like it is coming from the front middle or rear of the engine? Will the car move in R of 1st when cold.

im not sure if it goes away i think it just gets a little quiter. can i post a video on here tomaro? its hard to explain and yes the car does go in r and d when cold and moves it doesnt jerk when going into d or r either its just when i go down the road in d when i just start it after sitting for hours it will sit at 1st gear and rev and usually if i let off the gas softly itll bog into second with a slight jerk but once it warms up and temp gage is in normal it goes away but theres still the slight shift jerk not too noticable but it varries. theres usually not much shifting jerk if i let the care fully warm up to norm temp before driving.

Start off in D1 when it wont go and let me know what it does. (shift to D once underway)

itll drive in all gears d d1 d2 d3 it really doesnt make a difference. im sorry but im a little confused by your request xD

I just wanted to say thank you very much to uniberp, Suzam, Fairtax4me, and Nipper especially, i will get back with you tomaro after i take a video and get it scanned at autozone. btw very nice car nipper ^^

Yeah it sounds like the 1-2 shift solenoid is slow. Change the fluid again, and put in a bottle of TransX and that should help it. These typically shift slow when cold. It's just normal for this transmission. The TransX additive helps with the shift delay, and will help smooth out the "jerk" when it shifts.

 

Autozone won't be able to help you unless you have a Check Engine light on. They can scan engine codes, but won't be able to tell you anything about the transmission.

 

Knocking noise started after a wal-mart oil change? Change the oil and filter again. I use 5W30 Valvoline Max-Life and Purolator filters on both of my cars.

Transmission codes have nothing to do with ECU codes. They seperate computers with different ways to read them.

ok i found out my #2 cylinder is misfiring, catalytic diffiency below threshold, and knock sensor 1 was triggering my check engine. will a new coilpack eleviate the misfire i have new plugs and wires.

Replace the knock sensor first. A bad knock sensor will cause misfires to occur. One of our members sells brand new ones for under $25. http://ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=128092

And this thread has the nitty gritty on inspection and replacement. http://ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=120610&highlight=KNock+sensor

 

Plugs and wires are always a good idea if they haven't been done recently. 2.2s aren't as picky as the 2.5s, but quality spark plug wires are recommended. And the cheap $3 NGK plugs seem to work the best.

The P0420 is likely due to the misfire. Replace the knock sensor, erase the codes and see what comes back.

I changed the plugs and wires already one of the first things I've done. So I was going to buy a new coil pack I already ordered it. Was that a bad decision? And is it difficult to replace the knock sensor?

Knock sensor couldn't be easier to replace.

 

ok so i wish i would asked you guys about the cei first cause i now have a coilpack coming monday...(100$) and i just ordered a new knock sensor it should be here by weds i hope but i still have to drive atleast 25miles a day round trip to work is that a bad idea? ohh and another question im also looking around for a used transmission i saw some on ebay for 300-500 some with free shipping.

i was just wondering what your guys thoughts were on were to get one and how much i should pay and what mileage i should look for. any websites you guys know of that r reputable?

Bump? rlly need some incite : /

Replaced the coil pack today. this morning when i was letting my car warm up before work i noticed it was idling very weirdly. i looked under the hood and sure enough sparks were jumping out of one of the wire plug ins on the pack. sigh now waiting on the knock sensor hopefully thatll fix the rest, sigh : /

Put some silicone di-electric grease in the wire end boot and that may stop the arcing.

Sometimes removing the plug wires can damage the ends, it would be a good idea to pick up a new set.

 

Sorry that you ordered a new ignition coil. They rarely fail on these cars, and if they do a used one from a junkyard car usually works just fine and costs $15-20 if you go to a U-pull-it place.

Also if necessary as a temporary fix, I have used good (Scotch) electrical tape to prevent the arcing. That usually works if it is arcing to the intake manifold.

on one of my cars, cant remember which, the boot had slipped down too close to the coil end of the wire. this left not enough wire end to insert fully into the coil causing problems. once i adjusted the boot and inserted the wire more it was all good.