i have a 95 legacy auto. the trans has been shifting a bit weird to me. it likes to hang out of first gear until around 3500 to 4000 rpm even if im light on the throttle. and when it shifts from first to second its not as smooth as i think it should be. it also seems like it takes it a second to actually fully engage the next gear this issue happens with all gear shifts. does the trans-x stuff work with the older transmissions?

Edited November 21, 201510 yr by sirtokesalot

Not to sure about the trans-x but at my shop, we use BG products. And when we do a transmission flush we use a cleaning kit and a conditioner. 

I had a 97 OBW with 300k on it, and it had a similar trans issue. It wouldn't shift from 3 to 4th unless you were really light on the throttle. Every 25k I would do a trans flush with the kit and it would be back to normal for another 25k. 

It saved me from putting a tranny in it!

Change the fluid, as that can do wonders on a Subaru

Change the fluid, as that can do wonders on a Subaru

 but again so soon? the fluid only has about 5000 miles since i changed it last.

Oh kay ...

 

Lets start with this then, what have you done recently to it?

Last time t had a tuneup?

Have you had this car a while?

Does the fluid look healthy or smell burht?

...and how Much of the fluid got changed? Just the pan or ALL of it?

 

Td

I have heard great things about Lube Guard.

this is my second winter with the car. i changed the trans fluid during last winter did not drive the car much through the summer. ive put a new coil on it new wires new plugs. the transmission fluid is still bright red colored no burnt smell still right at the full mark. when i changed the fluid i drained what was in there refilled it drove it about 20 min and changed it again. ive done alot of other work on the car but none that i can think of that would effect transmission. such as replaced oil pan repaired trans cooler line brakes and such.

 but again so soon? the fluid only has about 5000 miles since i changed it last.

When you changed ATF 5K miles ago, did you change it 3 times?? If not, then you only changed about half the ATF, as only half will drain out at one time, the other half remains in the torque converter, so the 3 times change does a far better job of changing the ATF. You waste quite a bit of ATF with this approach, but it is worth it.

 

Don't think using Trans-X is the right product to help you. Trans-X is best used with a different type of problem. I would prolly recommend a Lucas AT product.

It should take a case (12 qts) to do a full flush. After that I do a drain and fill every third oil change to keep fresh fluid in the tranny. 

 

 

How does it behave when you shift manually?

The high rev shifting could be from the throttle position sensor being out of adjustment. I'm sure a search will get you the procedure for setting it.

In a nutshell if the trans cant tell where the throttle is, it assumes its wide open, and holds the gear longer.

 

The second, less likeley alternative is the brake band needing adjustment. Its a simple in car thing. Again, search is your friend. If the site search doesnt help, Google will.

it shifts through all the gears manually but acts the same when the shift happens. to me it just seems like its not shifting fast enough. first to second is the worst and also a kind of harsh shift 2nd to 3rd not so harsh but still slow 3rd to 4rth or overdrive not sure what it is is also not so harsh but slow to shift into the gear. all gears do feel like they fully engage just on their own time. i can feel the car let go of the gear engine revs slow down i feel it begin to grab the next gear then feel the clutches actually grab down and the gear fully engage. all shifts are like this.

What you just described...slow shifting...is more likeley as not a line pressure problem. If youve flushed the trans, and changed the filter, you may have a pump on its way out. You can save the trans if you have a pump put in. Otherwise you'll burn out the clutches pretty quick. High gear will be the first to go.

how much pressure should the trans make? can i rig a pressure gauge into the trans cooler line to see the line pressure on the trans?

Cooler line wont do it, it has to be one of the pressure taps on the transmission itself

This is common behavior for a cold 4eat. Does it still act the same when the trans gets warmed up?

This is common behavior for a cold 4eat. Does it still act the same when the trans gets warmed up?

 

i also have a 95 AWD auto, and 1st to 2nd shift is fine - even dead cold on 25 degree mornings. 2nd to 3rd, and 3rd to 4th do take a bit of warming up however...

slow/odd shifting between 1st & 2nd woud be a bit of an oddity....

 

sirtokesalot - are you 100% certain the odd shifting is between 1st and 2nd? is it possible it could be 2nd to 3rd (and up). 1st to 2nd usually happens pretty quickly, and on mine is quite smooth - pretty much unnoticable unless I am watching the tach.

yes first to second is a harsh shift to me. it does shift a bit better warm vs cold but i can still feel it. the first to second thing bugs me it waits until over 3000 rpm to shift usually around 3500 and then the shift is like a lurch sort of as it hits the next gear seemingly harder than it should. im probably just going crazy over how it works and its probably working normally. it doesent shift anything like the last few cars ive had. my bmw is a fast shift probably the fastest of any auto ive ever seen im talking like instant u can drive it in manual 321 on the shifter and it will respond instantly when the shift is made.the bmw also almost never revs over 2500 rpm. the lincoln i had was a very smooth shift almost like you couldn't feel it at all. i dont own the lincoln anymore though. it might just be that im so used to having a fast instant shift that i think this one is broken?

Edited November 27, 201510 yr by sirtokesalot

Subarus are hard shifters, especially when cold. Live with it till spring and if it doesnt get worse, its just the way a subaru shifts is new to you. On the plus side service it regularly, respect the AWD, and it will last the life of the car.