My friend has a first generation legacy AWD with an auto trans. He can start it up and put it in reverse, it will work, but he says it is weak at best. once the car warms up, it won't even move in reverse. Any ideas?

is the fluid level good?

 

unless this is a temporary fluid issue, which i doubt, this will only get worse.

 

start looking for a new trans.

 

http://www.car-part.com

 

i drove my 95 with no reverse for over 6 months. you just have to plan ahead.

Just did that one its the low reverse clutch pack is at the very bottom of trans and needs to be torn down bummer check if it has manual low if not clutch pack is done

There are two very common things that cause this on older Legacy transmissions:

 

Brake band. It probably needs replacing.

Paper gasket on rear tail housing: these just plain wear out. New style is either fiber or metal (I forget which).

 

You won't need to remove the transmission to do either of these fixes.

 

However, if he's been revving it hard to try to get it to move in reverse, it's possible he's worn out the reverse clutches. We just had one in our shop for exactly the same issue as a favor to another Subaru shop.

Edited May 5, 201213 yr by ccrinc
addition

If it's a legacy, it's a 4eat, not a 3at. I have not had luck fixing a weak reverse with transmission work you can do with it in the car. The 4eat's are pretty reliable though so it's easy to find a good one to replace it with in junkyard.

the deardown takes about half hour about an hour to put back together no specalty tools needed you dont even have to remove the pan the low reverse clutch is the very last one at very bottom you whould need low reverse clutch pack and steels a new band whould be good idea to and mabee forward clutch pack and steels the 4eat is one of the easyest tranys i've ever rebiult i do alot

If its a 90 or 91 I have a spare trans we pulled at Colorado a few years back from a wrecked one with 114K on it. Id sell it to you for $100.

How about this one a 2003 Outback that has a perfectly good trans but the trans cannot be put into 1th gear manually with shift lever and no reverse lights, have been thinking its the inhibitor on side of trans but when its cold and you first start the car and get ready to go it will go into low and the light in the dash for 1st will light up but after a few stops try putting it in low no light and usually in 2nd gear or sometimes the light will come on and it will shift down into 1st gear is an AT, I have another post on her about it and have not had many answers, Thanks for any reply s.

will it not go into 1st or will the dash indicator not show it is in 1st.??

 

how does it drive?

how does it shift?

 

if you move the shifter in to 1, what does the car do?

When its a cold morning it goes into first and the light is lit in dash no issues but after driven which it shifts and drives just fine the light does not come on and you can get it to go into first but you have to play with the shifter and give it some throttle at the same time, if that helps Starting out in D or 3 it goes through the gear into lock up no issues getting 24-25 mpg running around town back and forth to work.

After warm up when put in 1 it is in second still and you start out in 2nd gear or sometimes I can get it to go into 1st by putting it all the way in Park and then going all the way down to 1st, this is when the light tries to come on and will blink not as bright as it is usually when it goes right into 1st. If the light in the dash is not on it is not going into first to answer the other question. The cable end on the select lever by inhibitor is also stuck on the pin will not come off without pulling it over the rubber grommet to remove it completely, just trying not to buy an $83.00 part at Subaru or $60.00 part of the Internet from anther dealer. Thanks for all your ideas. Car runs great even with the fact its a 2003 body with a 2004 engine ( which I have for parts car is in great shape) with only 84000 non egr with the original engine being an egr equipt engine but i think the computer got used to the non egr fact and the car runs and shifts great to answer other question and I am going on and on . Thanks.