xafosx Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 So.. im sure this has been discussed and debated a couple times over now. I have recently-ish acquired a beautiful 1997 Legacy GT automatic. Its clean inside and out unlike anything iv seen in the state (subaru wise). 202xxx on the clock and iv owned it for almost a year now. I couldnt tell you when/if at all the previous owner has had the diff/trans fluid changed. The trans fluid still looks clean and red-ish? I have yet to check the diff fluid. So.. main question. If i were to just assume the trans fluid hasnt been changed is it safe to change? I get wide arrays of answers mostly from my old relatives sportin old dodge and chevys and they swear by not changing it. It will cause trans issues/failure. But then i hear oh its "dead fluid" in there get it out asap. Should i change the gear oil or is the murky metallic oil just filling in the gaps between the teeth that have been created by decades of use. I wanna keep this beauty around forever and prevent any major seaps any time soon. i appreciate you reading my lengthy question<3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 (edited) If the present trans fluid looks pretty good, you could do a single drain/fill. That gets you about 40%+ new fluid. many folks will then drive a little, do it again, drive a little, do that a 3rd time. 3 d-f cycles get you over 80% fresh fluid. Or, do it once, maybe again next year, then do it every 2 years...? w'ver you're comfortable with. The tourque conv. holds a lot that won't reach the drain plug. There are slightly more complicated ways to to do a full change. Remeber to shift thru each gear after top-up, and check while IDLING on level ground. Also. the marks on the stick are only a few ounces apart - NOT a qt like on the eng. oil dipstick so, fill slowly. Also, fill the front diff slowly - I use a funnel that has a hose attached. For the front and rear diffs - you might check into a WalMart semi-synthetic/synth'blend' GL-5, affordable and reports are it's OK fluid. If you do the rear diff, take the FILL plug out first. Don't want to drain it and then have no way to move/drive it if the fill plug is stuck. I had to use my floor jack on a breaker-bar handle. A gear oil pump will help fill it. some cars go to their grave without getting diffs serviced. But, if you do it, probably never have to do it again. Edited August 21, 2019 by 1 Lucky Texan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 (edited) Change it. It's no big deal. People often ignore fluids until there's a noise, shifting weird, vibration, etc. *Then* they decide to change fluids in a desperate attempt to avoid an expensive repair. They change the ATF and the trans gets worse and the ATF is blamed. This is a common scenario but as usual people are terrible at assessing causation and correlation. The transmission was going to fail anyway, no matter what they did and the ATF change had nothing to do with it. Edited August 21, 2019 by idosubaru 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 What he said - you can generally get an idea of the condition of the ATF by looking at it. if it's never been changed it'll probably look and smell terrible compared to fresh ATF. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xafosx Posted August 21, 2019 Author Share Posted August 21, 2019 I love tf outta you guys i was worried id get flamed for digging up an old dead topic thats probably been discussed a bajillion times over. It doesnt smell like rump roast or look bad but i dont see any paperwork pertaining to it in the pile the previous owner handed me. Im gonna argue with my ol stubborn granpappy about doin a couple drain and fills just for piece of mind. It does shift really hard coming into 2nd at low rpms(usually in parking lots and heavy traffic) but i read thats common and can have an array of causes like poor grounding or whatever. Im considering just paying out of pocket for mechanics classes simply so i can do my own work/mods soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xafosx Posted August 21, 2019 Author Share Posted August 21, 2019 This is the best forums source iv found so far and im gonna dig a little deeper and explore. Im huntin for some compatible front seats. A how to on how to change fog light bulbs (theyre the rectangular ones not the big round caged lamps) and install auxiliary fogs in the center of the bumper cover so if thats been discussed here id love the links Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 Fresh fluid will often clean/open-up any gummy valves so, fingers crossed the issue gets better. Some folks have also had luck using a product like TransX so, you could try that on a future fill if fresh fluid doesn't help. Valvoline MaxLife DexIII/VI compatible, w'ever, auto trans fluid is what I would use. this topic does come up a lot, but most of the guys here aren't cranky most of the time so, you don't get 'as much'; "Use the search function NOOB!!!" -type responses as you might at some other forums. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xafosx Posted August 21, 2019 Author Share Posted August 21, 2019 Lol i took your advice and used the search function for a high pitched rattly/whining noise while under heavy acceleration approximately 3500-4000 rpms usually when im gettin on any freeway. Havent tried to find the noise stationary yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 31 minutes ago, xafosx said: I love tf outta you guys i was worried id get flamed for digging up an old dead topic thats probably been discussed a bajillion times over. we have a two hugs for every 5 kicks rule. once we suffer ourselves to be nice two times we then let you really have it.... For the ATF looks can be deceiving and you have an existing issue - change it. It's really easy to do, a class isn't needed for anything, you can learn all this stuff on your own. Put pan under transmission drain plug. Remove drain plug and let fluid drain into pan. Screw drain plug back in place. Fill ATF through filler tube in the engine compartment. Because the fulid doesn't all sit in the transmission pan you need to repeat this step 3 or so times to get a significant amount of fluid changed in aggregate. It's kind of time consuming and fluid management heavy and the expense of all that fluid without a complete fluid change due to mixing - sometimes something like this might be best done at a shop who can flush it for $75-$100 for a first timer who's going to end up paying half that or more for transmission fluid anyway. Here's your steps to learning how to do this stuff yourself: 1. download a free Subaru FSM (factory service manual) online for your vehicle, they're available with minor searching for free. 2. look for what you want to do - and read through the procedures. 3. ask here about anything that doesn't make sense or for tips (there's often a number of steps you can skip, specials tools often aren't needed, etc) 4. be wary of rust - that's the biggest show stopper to DIY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xafosx Posted August 21, 2019 Author Share Posted August 21, 2019 Yeah the typical fluid changes and preventative/regular maintenance brakes/rotors and suspension components are pretty straight forward with the help of good ol youtube. But im more interested in powertrain /drivetrain specialty and have been researching the process of gettin this baby swapped over to a 5mt when my trans inevitably poops itself in the future this is my first official car and i wanna bring her back to factory mintyness Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 check for loose heat shields on that rattle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xafosx Posted August 21, 2019 Author Share Posted August 21, 2019 Yessss that is what im hoping for i read thats a common issue and its super duper easy to solve comapred to the other possibilites. So in theory it should make the same audible whining noise stationary as well then right? And if it is maybe some washers or even tearin it out and wrappin it up in heat shield might suffice?. I really wanna get a set of uel's and a nicer muffler but then i gotta remind myself its an automatic and i dont want people to hear that but oh buy its tempting to make it grumbly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xafosx Posted August 21, 2019 Author Share Posted August 21, 2019 Again i really do appreciate you guys takin the time and holding off on the hugs:kicks ratio 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted August 21, 2019 Share Posted August 21, 2019 1 hour ago, xafosx said: Yeah the typical fluid changes and preventative/regular maintenance brakes/rotors and suspension components are pretty straight forward with the help of good ol youtube. But im more interested in powertrain /drivetrain specialty and have been researching the process of gettin this baby swapped over to a 5mt when my trans inevitably poops itself in the future this is my first official car and i wanna bring her back to factory mintyness Ah yeah. You can also look for one that's already an MT that needs some simpler work - like a bumper or doors to be swapped from a wreck and come out ahead with almost no work. or needs an engine and just swap yours in place. Although if it's a rust free MI gem then i suppose you want to try and keep it, or look further south/west for a rust-free option. Easiest swap solution is to find a rust bucket manual transmission for cheap and you'll have all the components - cables, brackets, mounts, instrument cluster, driveshaft, interior shifter and surround and center console to match, cruise control computer (they diff auto to manual). Then it's just a massive amount of time to swap it all, the only non plug and play part is wiring in the reverse lights which is easy. They're really cheap - rusty or blown engine stuff sitting around until the owner finally realizes it's worthless and needs to go. $200-$500 and you'll have all the parts, plus any extra parts, and you can recoupe some of the cost when you scrap it and sell the converter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xafosx Posted August 21, 2019 Author Share Posted August 21, 2019 Yeah this is her first year in the salty state of Mi and the previous owner had the underside coated.. the only crusty part is right by the license plate and that is gonna get taken care of soon i was hunting around for some southern donors. I need to dig thru the parts compatibility lists a bit more to see which models/years share the most common components. Like i said a mechanics cert would deffinitely come in handy... or i could just buy my buddies beautifully crusted out 99 outback leggy for the sake of having my 1st 5spd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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