Toadspit Posted May 22, 2023 Share Posted May 22, 2023 I am pondering getting this outback. 2011 as stated. The owner says the valve body is in need of replacement. I don’t know these newer transmissions at all so what I need to know is what is the potential that it is more than a valve body ? Should I just plan on replacing the transmission if I make this purchase ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daskuppler Posted May 23, 2023 Share Posted May 23, 2023 I would plan on a remanufactured transmission. Is it the CVT? How many miles? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadspit Posted May 23, 2023 Author Share Posted May 23, 2023 Yes, it’s the CVT. It has about 200,000 miles on it i was thinking I’d just replace the transmission but this forum has been a valuable source of information and idea sharing so I couldn’t not post about it lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadspit Posted May 23, 2023 Author Share Posted May 23, 2023 I just spoke with the owner again and he said that the motor was replaced and then the next day it went into limp mode. Also said that a local Subaru shop told him it was the valve body. I think I’m gonna go ahead and get it and just not be mad if it needs a new transmission. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daskuppler Posted May 23, 2023 Share Posted May 23, 2023 11 hours ago, Toadspit said: I just spoke with the owner again and he said that the motor was replaced and then the next day it went into limp mode. Also said that a local Subaru shop told him it was the valve body. I think I’m gonna go ahead and get it and just not be mad if it needs a new transmission. That's definitely at EOL for the transmission. A remanufactured CVT is 6500 for the unitm 8k installed if you don't do it yourself. The valve bodies are a problem, but so is the whole unit. If you're going to do the work, I would just replace the whole transmission. Good luck! For what it's worth, I had a block replaced due to oil consumption. I'm on the 4th block including the original factory block. Two failed ib less than 300 miles due to bad rod bearings. My CVT has 133k on it and is starting to show signs of doom. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted May 23, 2023 Share Posted May 23, 2023 Pretty common to have issues with the solenoids (usually torque converter) in the early CVTs. Subaru does not sell the solenoids separately, and the chinese solenoids you can find on Amazon and such only last a few months. I got my hands on a used valve body and used the good solenoids (there are 3 that are identical), which worked great for a year or so until the rest of the CVT gave up the ghost. That was with about 220k on a 2012 Impreza. I really should start parting out that car.... good news is the valve body is on the top, accessible right below the airbox. Really not too bad of a job. But consider that the best case scenario, and assume the worst. Good CVTs are expensive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadspit Posted June 3, 2023 Author Share Posted June 3, 2023 Just to fill those of you in and took the time to provide input on my decision, I did not purchase the above car semi-locally I drove out to Colorado Springs and picked up this beauty for $3k!! 2011 Outback 2.5i limited with all the bells and whistles. It does need a valve body or a fluid change. It has a momentary lunge and low speed/rpm but doesn’t have any other symptoms such as posted CEL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Numbchux Posted June 6, 2023 Share Posted June 6, 2023 On 6/3/2023 at 8:11 AM, Toadspit said: It has a momentary lunge and low speed/rpm but doesn’t have any other symptoms such as posted CEL That was how my mom's 12 Impreza started. I think it made it about 8k more miles before it was terrifyingly bad. And now it's parked in my yard awaiting partout. I hope your experience goes better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted June 6, 2023 Share Posted June 6, 2023 Yeah those cars have BAD transmission issues. Valve bodies, torque converters, wiring harnesses, and often times the whole transmission. About $8500 for transmission replacement. I tell customers to avoid those models like the plague - the 6 speed manual is the way to go for those years. But they also frequently have head gasket failures resulting in overheating - they used the 770 gaskets from the factory but something about the installation of them didn't work out I guess. Kindof odd actually - it's just the 10-12 Legacy models with the weird final years of the SOHC belt engine that have that problem. Then you stack the CVT failures on top of it and they are absolute piles of trash. Incidentally Subaru is now ranked like 20th for reliability - even below Mercedes an Volkswagen. 😂 https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2022-us-vehicle-dependability-study 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toadspit Posted June 7, 2023 Author Share Posted June 7, 2023 (edited) Well I’m sure I’m in for an interesting venture with this one. I did however have a small win so far. All of what I was thinking was a transmission problem was cleared up by removing the throttle body and hitting it with some CRC throttle body cleaner and a nylon brush. I drove it around for about 2 hours afterwards. I just got it home and it runs like a new one. I am going to go ahead and change the fluid in it the day after tomorrow though. For $3k I’ll make whatever repairs I need to make on it. Edited June 7, 2023 by Toadspit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.