I'm working on a my wife's 2009 Forester. 180k automagic. 

I've noticed a bit of what i would call gear noise while driving. The easiest i can describe it is the sound of knobby tires on pavement. its not *terribly* loud however it is noticeable. the sound doesnt appear to speed up or slow down depending on speed. Neutral doesn't change its pitch.  I also dont have anything special in terms of tires - just all-weathers. 

I checked the transmission dipstick and it was about half a quart low so i topped it off with the spiffy ATF-HP that is recommended for it. The noise seems to have gotten a little quieter but idk if its just a placebo or not. 

 

i feel like this is a silly question but - the ATF covers the front dif, no? 

 

 

-Justin

ATF does not do the front diff. There’s a separate dipstick for the diff and it uses regular diff oil. 

If you have an issue there it’s usually a speed related noise. 

Cheers 

Bennie

look on the right side of the rear engine bay, lower and further back than the ATF stick. No need to idle the car like for ATF. Just pull and check level. If you decide to drain/fill, wipe the metallic sludge from the drain plug magnet. Hopefully no 'pieces' are on there. I think you you need a T-70 Torx bit IIRC.

I pulled it's dipstick (definitely gear oil in this one) it's looking pretty full. Considering I checked it on my inclined driveway..

 

Back to the drawing board. 

 

-Justin