I helped a friend pickup a 2004 Legacy Outback Wagon.  PO said the trans was bad.  No fluid in the Trans.

 

We go it back to work, cleaned the Trans and added fluid.  Sure enough, fluid is running out the trans.  It's coming from the front of the filter housing.  We shut it off and back off the filter.  You can see a hairline crack about the 7 o clock position on the filter housing on the trans.  It's about a 3/8" thick casting that the filter screws up to.  Very strange.  I don't know why that thick casting, part of the transmission case would ever fail.  Anyone ever seen this?

 

Thanks,

Larry

Nope, never seen that. Impact damage?

 

GD

It doesn't look like impact damage.  It's a hairline crack, no visible damage.

Thanks.

I wonder if a H6 trans filter blockout could be put on, and lines run to a remote filter? Of course with what that filter does, probably little risk of harm in no filter.

JB weld! 

 

pics would help

+1 on JB weld. Especially if it's not impact damage (are you sure?) and nothing has been bent out of spec. Flush thoroughly with brake clean first.

Picture?

 

Is it the trans case or an insert?

 

I'd clean it and squish some right stuff down the crack. I've done it on EJ rear cam cap plugs without issues.

Well, since they ran the trans out of fluid, and I have a spare good trans.  It will be replaced.

 

I just have to verify the FDR is the same.  If not I have the matching rear diff.  The spare trans came out of a 2002 Legacy Sedan.  Once I'm back from Seward, AK fishing.  I'll get to it.

 

Thanks,

Larry

Well, unless they really revved the crap out of it, trying to get it to go when the fluid got too low, it's probably just fine.

Well, since they ran the trans out of fluid, and I have a spare good trans.  It will be replaced.

 

I just have to verify the FDR is the same.  If not I have the matching rear diff.  The spare trans came out of a 2002 Legacy Sedan.  Once I'm back from Seward, AK fishing.  I'll get to it.

 

Thanks,

Larry

 

 

Incorrect Ratio.  Legacy is 4.11, outback 4cyl is 4.44

 

You can swap the rear diff too, but the TCU will not like seeing different speed/tach ratios than it expects.  It will throw codes and possibly torque bind.

JB Weld seems to be working for the crack/leak.  

 

He got fluid back in it and it shifts fine R, and all Drive gears when first started.  It will hard shift about 3000 RPM and then it is like it's in N.  No forward or reverse.  

 

Stop the car, restart - still no go.  Rev it long enough 10 minutes or so and we got Reverse but slipping.  Reverse got us back to the parking lot.

 

Shut it off for an hour or so and it will go into Drive again.  Same symptoms.  It's a long shot but I told him to try the Trans X treatment.  We'll see.

 

Thanks for the JB Weld idea.

Are you sure he added enough fluid? Checked the level with the engine running? If so, I'd say the previous owner did rev the crap out of it trying to get it to go and burnt the pump. Does it make a whining noise?

No sounds pretty good.  Fluid is correct.  Trans-x seems to have helped some.  Time will tell.

 

Thanks

Larry

Changed out the trans today with one I had from a 2000.  Shifts great.  When I jacked one side and put it in drive the rear wheels did not turn.

 

Not AT Temp flashing 16 times after start.

 

I put the FWD fuse in and I got the light.

 

I told my co-worker to drive it a bit, I hope the rear clutch pack engages.  

 

The PO of the trans said it worked great.

We checked it yesterday and the AWD seems to be working fine.

 

We put a bulb back in the CEL and its working, no codes.

 

Thanks

If you put a 2000 trans into a 2004, the transfer solenoid may function backwards. Not sure if this is H6 cars only or H4s as well.

On mine:

I put a '04 trans into an '03 and the AWD only kicked in when the fronts spun a lot, then it banged in.

 

03 trans, +12V to solenoid releases the rears, 0V locks the AWD.

04 trans, +12V to solenoid locks the AWD, 0V releases the rears.

 

If this is the case on yours, for low lockup the TCU will be sending out short pulses that average out to a low voltage, which the older trans will see as signal for a lot of lockup.

For high lockup it will be disengaging the AWD.

 

If you put in the FWD fuse and the AWD is locked you know it's reversed.

 

On mine, I had to swap the solenoid and solenoid valve (and the valve plate) in the tail section.