have 2001 subaru outbackwith/73000 miles/1st trans. went out at 59000 miles/2nd one at 73000/3rd one still good. anyone with similar problem? Dealer has been great,and is taking care of business.

Try the new Gen forum, they should be able to help you there.

 

 

your transmission life seems a bit low, like really bad, is it an MT or an Auto? do you do a lot of towing?

It's an Automatic and all I've ever towed is a 14ft

 

aluminum boat w/25hp motor

When you say "went out", what were the symptoms?

 

Did it give any warning?

 

Did both suffer the same problems?

any chance the tires don't match....like different size?

very weird to keep going through that.

 

i'd install an aftermarket transmission cooler. very easy and very cheap, i do it to all of my automatics.

 

does the boat have a 8 inch thick cast iron hull?

My 2002 outback with 72000 miles had the transmission go as well. I was told that the differential and tranny fluids were mixing since the internal seals were bad. So the tranny fluids would get low and the tranny failed to engage properly or would slip. My other thread has details. I would like to ask the experts here if it is even worth re-sealing or better off getting a new remanufactured tranny. I don't want the symptoms showing up again in a short time.

Thank you for the replies.

there were no symptoms, they both just quit. Dealer called it massive transmission failure. Denil of Green Bay is taking care of business. Its just a regular everyday 14Ft Alumicraft that I'm pulling. See my thread to "Stoneman"/ OUTBACK WOES posted 1/23/06 for full story from Subaru. Also all my tires match. My Hull isn't Cast Iron but I am towing 2 13 lb anchors in it but have since moved them to the rear of the boat. I should probably take them out because just maybe..................

Mismatched tires would affect the center differential, not the AT itself. What is the total weight of the passengers, cargo, boat, trailer and motor? Is it over 2,000 pounds? Are you towing over hilly terrain when towing with the boat?

 

The 4EAT is generally considered to be a reliable AT. Something is up with your car, driving style, or towing use. My concern? The next time your tranny takes a dump you'll be way out of warranty, and even a great dealer will have a hard time giving you a break.

 

BTW, I got 200,000 miles on my 99 Forester AT without a hiccup. I have a gross towing weight of about 2,000 pounds when I hook up my 19' sailboat.

 

I tend to put the AT in neutral at a stoplight, especially in hot weather. It's better to wear out the cheap shifter than let the engine and torque convertor fight against each other.

Is there a snorkel that is getting under water? maybe it's pulling in some water during boat launches?

 

 

I got nuthin'

Hey...my 2000 OBW is also on its third transmission! At 110K, 150K, and so I hope I don't have to put in another!

I've pulled well over 2000lbs w/ my 4EAT... it wasn't happy at all, but i just changed the fluids after that... it's very odd that it's happening to more than one person, perhaps a bad batch of trannies?

i'd have an aftermarket transmission cooler installed. i install one on every auto trans i own. well worth the $30. bypass the stock crap cooling lines through the radiator, they may be your problem. i'd probably source another TCU at this point to that way most everything trans related is replaced. not sure if a TCU can cause issues like early failure but i'd consider replacing it.

 

are they replacing the torque converter when they replace the trans? are they inspecting the flexplate too? i suspect they'd pick up on that if it had issues.

I had to replace the 4EAT trans on my 2000 OBW at about 150,000 miles. I GUESS that's a reasonable lifetime, but both me and my wallet would have sure liked to have seen a lot more miles out of it. These things are expensive to have replaced.