olehippy Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Hello,i'm new here and in need of help,,,,I have a 93 Loyale with auto trans,,,while driving home today the thing acted like i had slipped it into neutral and just would not move.When i pulled the thing home i started checking things and it seems like linkage is moving and going through gears when looking under car......My question is ,,,could the modulator valve have just went out ,,,,,and will this cause trans. not to work in any gear ???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 The modulator valve can suck the ATF out of the tranny and make it too low to shift well. So, the tranny would not work in any gear, not even 1 or R? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Sounds like the govenor got apple cored. Heres a few threads about it. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/search.php?searchid=304355 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olehippy Posted July 21, 2006 Author Share Posted July 21, 2006 Thanks for the reply,,i'm at a loss with this,,1st subaru i've worked on,,,i sure hope this works,,,it just will not move in any gear at all and this started just all at once and tranny just stopped working....Thank you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olehippy Posted July 21, 2006 Author Share Posted July 21, 2006 Well,a friend has a Subaru and he took the modulator valve off of it and put it on my car and still will not go in any gear:mad: Also when it removed the one from mine ATF ran out,is this normal, the fluid,,, and when i removed the rubber hose fluid came out of it too,,I didn't remove the pin cause ATF was flowing out...Now this apple core thing has got me.I don't have a clue what to do with that.I'm going to try a search here to get more info......Any help finding pic and info would to great,,,thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Here you go Hip..... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/USRM2/Transmission/Governor/ATgovenorclean.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olehippy Posted July 21, 2006 Author Share Posted July 21, 2006 Thanks alot,,,removed the governor and looked at it,now i'm not real sure about the apple core look but it was not worn down bad in the middle of gears, it had a clean look but not worn that i could see. This is really starting to bite.Must be something else inside trans now like gear this works on.... I'm at a loss now as to the fix for this,,,,anyway,,thanks for the info looks like i might have a parts car now........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 An "apple-cored" (worn-out) Governor valve driven-gear will only effect the tranny's ability to automatically shift while in the "D"rive position. If you are unable to select Reverse or first with the gear selector, it is not likely that a damaged driven-gear is the main issue. The vacuum modulator is attached to the tranny below the ATF level, so when you remove it ATF will flow out. Your rubber hose dripping ATF shows that the diaphram in your vacuum modulator had ruptured (VM needed replacing). What a bad vacuum modulator can do is suck the ATF out of the tranny until the fluid is too low to allow the tranny to function, or so low that the tranny fluid doesn't have a chance to cool and overheats and degrades, or a bit of both. If the ATF degrades, it can gum-up all sorts of parts, especially the Governor Valve (which hides under a dome on the US-passenger-side of the tranny roughly above the axle stub). I have also had it disable the forward/reverse-band actuator. Most "failures" of the 3AT can be resolved with a little maintenance and/or $20-30(US) parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olehippy Posted July 21, 2006 Author Share Posted July 21, 2006 Cool, Thanks alot for input that helped.I even removed a Gov.valve from a friends and put it in,,,no luck,,,,removed his mod. valve and put it in,,no luck,,but i did notice it was a bit different on end where hose plugs in so might not be same. Going to parts store to spend some money now. Its just got me going crazy,,,, it will go from P,R,N,D,2,1 but will not go into any gears and move... ..Thanks everyone for the help,, ,,now another friend gave me one just a bit older 80 something different model same motor just to get out of his yard,,,timmimg belt gone in it....Sounds like the start of a Subaru graveyard......Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Have you checked the level and the condition of your ATF? Look at the color and smell it. I would start by a drain/refill (maybe with some SeaFoam tranny additive), run it for a while, drain/refill (with Seafoam). The drain only removes about half of the ATF, so a couple cycles are needed to get most of the old crud out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olehippy Posted July 21, 2006 Author Share Posted July 21, 2006 called the parts store to see if they had mod.val. and was told it sounds like axle came unplugged,,,,i asked parts guy if he was for real and asked no questions and hung up....Was this a bad joke or could it be true,i pulled the car home (about 5 miles) and all was good driving here......Anyway,y'all have been great here with help..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbone Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Most folks in a parts store dont know squat about Subaru's. Its sometimes questionable at the dealership even. Does the tranny make any noise when you put it in gear? I've spun the splines of a hub before and the car went no where. But that was a 5spd, never encountered it in a AT (yet). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olehippy Posted July 21, 2006 Author Share Posted July 21, 2006 No noise when i put it in gear,no sounds at all,,,just when i take it out of park you can hear it and feel it ,,,when you move shifter it just runs through all gears,R,N,D,1,2,,,,like its in "N" all the time going nowhere.....was told by another parts place that if modulator valve was shot it would still go into a gear.....$17.95 for new one here ....but was also told that prolly was not the real problem,,mod.val. Guess will just spend a 20 and find out if that works or not.......I hope its the problem here...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misledxcracker Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 Does the speedometer move at all when you have it in Drive? If so, its something with the axle. I've spun out a hub before with an AT, it doesnt move for nothing, and it will SAY its going 55, but its not :-p And if you did spin out the hub or axle splines, it may not make noise at all... Mine didnt. If your modulator went out, it'd still move... it'd slip slightly, and it would most likely blow massive amounts of white smoke out of the tailpipe.. (burning your ATF out the exhaust) Governor or other transmission problems, no clue... Never had either one of those problems... Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWet Posted July 22, 2006 Share Posted July 22, 2006 Vacuum Modulator valve problems effect whether the car will "kick down" to a lower gear when you romp on the throttle. It is not directly involved with making the car go. Fluid... check level and quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarnkm Posted July 28, 2006 Share Posted July 28, 2006 4 days and no answer? I'm always interested in what someone else finds, especially when I've had the same/similar problems. New here myself and I found answers I've tried to find for years. I have a back yard full of mid-late '80s DL & GLs with tranny problems ... lost high in drive but would pull off in low and shift to drive 2 with no problem. I have started pulling the governors on the trannies that are out and found them to "all" be "apple-cored". IF one only knows where to look, he can save a lot of wasted time and money. From experience, I knew the answer had to be simple and we tend to overlook the simple things, right in the beginning. THIS is why the "speedo" working/not working is important. IF the "speedo" is working ... it shows that the tranny is working, it just isn't being transmitted to the wheels. Given that the wheels are free to rotate and the "speedo" is turning, with it in gear and at a high idle, place it in Drive 2. IF neither wheel is moving but, they will easily move by hand ... from under the car, check both axles for rotation. No Rotation? Hold the palm of your hand, lightly, on the underside of each inner joint, at the same time. You are feeling to see if there is any apparent movement inside the differential and, if so, which side is more sensative than the other. You can also get a cheap stethiscope at Auto Zone, etc. and "listen" to different areas around the differential. Believe me, crazy things happen to cars, just ask any mechanic. Also, drain the differential oil and see if it has a shiney metallic look. In '84, I had a customer's Audi that ended up having an inner CV Joint that split in to, from a hair line crack adjacent to the splined section. Once ... in over 40+ years of turning wrenchs and owning a shop. Just because nobody's seen it, doesn't mean it won't/can't happen. Excuse the length and good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tlake Posted July 29, 2006 Share Posted July 29, 2006 I just had the same problem with my 89 and it was the torque converter that had stripped splines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olehippy Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 Part two,,,,I have replaced the Modulator valve,,,,put Sea Foam and drained tranny fluid,,,replaced tranny filter,,,Still the thing will not move in any gear,i can shift through all the gears just fine but the car will not move,,its still like its in *N *...I removed the top hose that connects to the radiator that comes from the tranny and nothing came out of hose nor radiator,,seems to me that ATF should have been pumping out,,i blew through hose and air came out the dipstick hole,,,The tires will spin freely when jacked up,,can't use the speedo thing cause its stripped and won't stay in hole. When i removed the line that comes from the tranny to top of radiator,shouldn't ATF came out it ? Now i'm thinking its the pump or something i can't fix myself.... I have another Subaru,,but it is 4WD,,,it is a 80 something GL,can i swap parts out of it if i need or will all be different, its body is rough but i did drive it here,just needs tuned up but looks really bad.Was given to me to get out of neighbors yard,,parts car,,,as the one i'm having trouble with looks great,,,just won't move Ok,,,so thats what i've done and no good yet,,there are 2 lines going to radiator from tranny,,just pulled top line and nothing came out of it or radiator and it was clean inside hose,i thought ATF went through to cool. Anyway what do y'all think problem is now,,on fixed income and still owe on this dang nightmare,,making payments to person :mad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 it has fluid in it right? does the transmission pump fluid when it's in neutral? i'm wondering if your shift linkage is busted or something wrong with it? in other words you're putting it in neutral sitting in the car, but it's not actually changing it at the transmission. look under and make sure it's actually moving the gear selector at the trans. check it all and make sure it's all golden and looks normal. after that i'd be suspecting something with the TC or oil pump unfortunately but a trans expert i am not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olehippy Posted August 10, 2006 Author Share Posted August 10, 2006 while i replaced the tranny filter i had friend shift through gears and looked under car in tranny to make sure linkage was moving inside of trans and all was working from under,,,,,and yes has correct level of fluid ....when i removed the line that runs from trans to radiator shouldn't fluid come out when running or not,,,as in above post ,,,dry If i have to rip into this dang thing is there a post here with pictures of transmission i can look at too?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted August 10, 2006 Share Posted August 10, 2006 yes, fluid should definitely come out in large amounts. sounds like the oil pump or TC is bad. rather than tear into the trans often it's easier to just find a used transmission for cheap. who knows what went wrong or if any little tidbits went through and damaged the trans even further. used transmissions can be had cheap, might be worth having a look. you can get transmission for under $100 sometimes. the pull it yourself yards have them for $50 some places and even have sales lower than that. worth a look at least. i have a couple transmissions i'd let go for $100 that i know are good. find someone like me with the trans you need and you're golden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nug Posted August 11, 2006 Share Posted August 11, 2006 Before I yank the tranny out, I'd make sure an inner CV joint didn't grenade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olehippy Posted August 12, 2006 Author Share Posted August 12, 2006 What is the inner CV joint,,,and can i smoke it someone said its the front pump cause nothing is going through the cooler,,i removed the top hose and nothing came out,,bottom is harder to get to but will do it....$100.00 for tranny sounds good to me but only have money the first of month...That sounds like the way here cause i really don't know anything bout transmissions.... How much will it cost to ship this,i live in N E Tn......email dwbrent@bellsouth.net I really need to get this back on road cause my old legs just don't like the walking....This sounds like its way to much trouble to repair this tranny,,i stuck about $75 in parts now and nothing works yet:horse: When i replaced the filter there was tiny bits of metel in bottom of pan too but someone had put a different bolt with a nut on it to replace one they stripped i guess... If someone has one that will work pleae e-mail me at above addy,,,i live in podunk Tn and there is not a junk yard around,,,well not one i'm use to,,everyone here has a mini junkyard in front yards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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