Hi, another 2000 subaru legacy/liberty problem. So far i have researched as much as i can about this problem but just want to firm up my understanding in this post.

 

So the car has 145,000kms (90,000m) and has had full head gasket replacement along with timing belt ect ect.

 

The new problem has occurred probably two years following this which started with the engine light flashing on during start up or whilst driving with limited power and significant lag between pushing the pedal. The light would then go off and the car would function normally. I have been meaning to take the car in for service when today the car would jolt into the gears and not change during the same rpm that it usually does. 

 

I am pretty freaked out by the whole thing and want to confirm a few things before rushing and replacing the transmission which seems to be the consensus on these forums.

 

Initially i thought the O2 sensor could be the blame for the engine light and power lag problem if anyone could shed some light on this that would be great.

 

So my first question would be do i pursue the Trans X method and try that along with flushing the fluid and replacing. The car has had the delay between reverse and drive issue but the delay was less than one second and has never really been a concern.

 

Any advice is welcome, thank you in advance.

Get the CEL and Trans codes 1st!

 

Yes, a trans flush and new filter would be a good second step.

When I flush the trans I:

1- Drain

2- Pull the Trans radiator cooler line, put it in a gallon jug

3- Fill with new fluid

4- Start the car, the old fluid will pump out

5- Shut the engine off when you have about 1/2 gallon

Repeat steps 3-5 until you get new clean fluid out.

 

Larry

You have a "multiple cylinder misfire."

 

Common causes:

Spark plugs and wires need replaced with high quality NGK, OEM, etc.  (how old are the current ones and what brand?)

Oil leaking into the spark plug tubes - valve cover gaskets.  (were these replaced with the headgaskets and how many miles ago?)

Coil pack issue - swap in a used one is the easy/cheap test.

Other possible causes exist but let's get more info before we start guessing. 

 

As Lmdew said - read the codes and post the exact numbers here.  

 

This is one of the rare times driving with a check engine light isn't a good idea and prolonged could cause damage. 

Right on get the codes first, flashing check engine light is almost always misfire. What you are describing actually sounds like there is a good chance has nothing at all to do with the transmission. Are you getting a flashing AT temp light all?

Thankyou for your responses. Hopefully i can have the codes asap.

 

Are there any other brands that work as well as trans x, im from Australia and having a hard time finding some or anywhere that will ship?

Probably would have to just search online for getting TranX shipped or maybe check the manuf. web site and see if they distribute it there possibly under a different name. But - check those codes first. Adding Trans X will _not_ make a check engine light stop flashing.

Buy me a few XXX and put me up for a week and I'll fly down with some.

 

Larry

I might be able to consider it Larry if all my money doesn't have to be spent on this car!

 

Also no flashing at temp light, just the engine light that will come on and off whilst driving.

Okay, so i quick update, i have taken it to the mechanic and connected it to the scanner but we are having trouble reading the logs. There were no fault codes found immediately (im guessing this is because the problem is intermittent) he is taking it to a buddy of his who has a more sophisticated scanner to read the logs to get the codes.

 

On the other front, he has found a broken transmission mount which he believes is causing the tranny problems.

 

Only guessing at this stage until we get the codes but he has suggested the cam sensor causing the issue.

 

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

How old are the spark plugs and wires and what brand are they?

Plugs are two years old and got replaced with the head gaskets, not sure of the brand and i cant say if the wires were replaced but i don't think they were,