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Tranny governor?


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I know this issue has been addressed I just wanted to see if it is reasonable or if there is something else I should be looking at. The car shifts fine from 1st to 2nd as long as you are doing it manually. From 2nd to D the engine rpms raise quite a bit and the gear never catchess. If you are cruising in 2nd the car stays in second, ie it doesn't start in 1st and shift to 2nd. I have switched the fluid in the diff and the tranny, both look good. I have adjusted the brake band with no effect. And I have also switched out the transmission modulator and double checked the vacuum lines. Problem still remains.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Joel

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It was indeed a apple cored gear. I felt the one on the inside and it felt ok. Replaced with a used part and car shifts fine, albeit maybe a little slower than I expected but probably just readjusting the brake band should fix that. Thanks.

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Well less than 500 miles later and the problem is back...bummer. Anyway I guess I will need to get my hands on the internal gear, or is swapping the whole damn transmission recommended? Any thoughts about and or on this and the easiest way to fix the situation, and or estimates on how much time it takes would be appreciated. Off to the junkyard to see if they will let go of just the internal gear...

Joel

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Gear "apple coring" can be a problem but wont cause your up shift issue. Check this page for the fix on the classic governor valve sticking...

 

http://www.usmb.net/repair/?CurrentDirectory=FOLDER_3f29b58f50d9b8.15492800/&FileType=Article&File=ARTICLE_3f57fdb83de231.34713659.art

 

My '87 GL wagon gave me up shift troubles a few years back, preformed this repair and has been fine since.

 

Gary

 

P.S. How did this thread get this far without somebody thumping him sotfly with the search stick or bringing up this fix? :-\ :-p

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I am suprised that the apple coring is supposedly not the problem...As I replaced the whole valve and the replacement was clean and in great shape. However I will pull the whole thing apart again.

P.S. When the tranny drops out of third it makes an aweful ratcheting noise. Actually it makes the noise anytime you are decelerating. Again thanks for the help.

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The only interesting thing is that the tranny only makes the noise when it isn't shifting...ie after I replaced the valve it made no extra noises at all actually it functioned extremely well. Oh well I will wake up and do it all again and see what happens. Thanks again, from the subaru novice.

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kibs

please read the article Gary pointed you to

 

you will note that possibly the problem

(outlined in a Subaru Service Bulletin (SSB))

is with the shuttle valve in the governor

not the gear that sometimes gets worn in the middle.

 

I used the SSB to write the repair article.

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UPDATE: Pulled it all apart again and new governor gear is apple cored...cleaned the rest of the valve assembly (as per instructions) and put it all back together, car will still not shift. I am assuming that the other gear is bad enough to simply eat the new governors. Anyway I might be able to prolong this until I can get another transmission?

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What material was your governor gear? {Plastic, steel, ?) From what I understand, the turbos tended to get the steel gear.

 

Regardless, when asked by me my local dealer's chief mechanic felt that it was unlikely that the gear on the pinion shaft was damaged by the apple-cored (steel) driven gear.

 

My personal theory is that the apple-coring is a symptom rather than a direct cause. I think that the valve shuttle (that Skip referred to) sticks in its bore, creating an unbalanced rotating mass that wobbles at higher road speed (not much support for the valve shaft). This wobbling eventually wears the governor's driven gear.

 

And I am pretty sure that the apple-cored gear will prevent the tranny shifting into high gear, as if it doesn't spin the valve body the valving can't sense the road speed necessary for shifting into high.

 

But my opinion is that the sticking shuttle/valving is the root of all governor "evil". It is not enough that the valve mechanism move, but it needs to move "like a knife through hot butter". I take mine apart (I have a couple...), debur/dress the edges against a honing stone, and sand/polish the sliding parts with 600 grit or crocus cloth using a cordless drill. Makes a WORLD of difference.

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Well I just tried a second (after the one that was already in it) valve, and this time it didn't even shift. Instead I hear a whining and pull the valve back out and yes it is apple cored as well. This is within minutes of installing it. By the way all three gears were steel. So my guess is the internal gear is apple coring the new gears and it never spins fast enough to shift, the ratcheting sound I am hearing I would assume is the gears eating away at each other or at least jumping teeth. I guess my biggest question at this point is can I get another differential without the transmission and swap just that out (I think that valve is in the differential? Correct?) or is really all thats left swapping the transmission and that differential. By the way I live in Portland Oregon if anyone has one nearby I would definitely consider taking it off your hands.

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