I recently purchased a 91 Legacy L AWD Automatic. It has what appears to be a pretty common problem-torque bind. It has 226k miles.

 

So, I have been reading on this forum and posting. You folks have been a great help.

 

Anyway, I decided to SeaFoam the trans and change the fluid to see if that helped the problem. I have a Chilton's manual and it said the fluid capacity was 8.8 qts. I drained the pan and also disconnected the cooler lines from the remote filter and drained the torque converter by starting the car and putting it in drive while the hoses were disconnected. BTW, for those who haven't done this, don't do this alone. The fluid went everywhere.

 

Then, like a good pupil, I refilled the trans with approximately 8.8 qts of Dexron III as per the manual. 2 Gallons of WalMart fluid plus the majority of another quart.

 

Of course then, the dipstick read WAY high. Then, I looked in the owner's manual and it confirmed the 8.8 qt capacity. But then, it goes on to say that when servicing, you will only add 2.6 to 3.2 quarts.

 

What kind of trans service is this where 63% of the old fluid stays in the transmission? How do I get it ALL out?

 

Anyway, naturally, the trans acted really weird with that huge overfill, so I have drained out the fluid again and am reservicing it. Even at WalMart fluid prices, this is getting expensive.

 

I need help to tell me what I am missing here.

 

Thanks,

Dale

I recently purchased a 91 Legacy L AWD Automatic. It has what appears to be a pretty common problem-torque bind. It has 226k miles.

 

So, I have been reading on this forum and posting. You folks have been a great help.

 

Anyway, I decided to SeaFoam the trans and change the fluid to see if that helped the problem. I have a Chilton's manual and it said the fluid capacity was 8.8 qts. I drained the pan and also disconnected the cooler lines from the remote filter and drained the torque converter by starting the car and putting it in drive while the hoses were disconnected. BTW, for those who haven't done this, don't do this alone. The fluid went everywhere.

 

Then, like a good pupil, I refilled the trans with approximately 8.8 qts of Dexron III as per the manual. 2 Gallons of WalMart fluid plus the majority of another quart.

 

Of course then, the dipstick read WAY high. Then, I looked in the owner's manual and it confirmed the 8.8 qt capacity. But then, it goes on to say that when servicing, you will only add 2.6 to 3.2 quarts.

 

What kind of trans service is this where 63% of the old fluid stays in the transmission? How do I get it ALL out?

 

Anyway, naturally, the trans acted really weird with that huge overfill, so I have drained out the fluid again and am reservicing it. Even at WalMart fluid prices, this is getting expensive.

 

I need help to tell me what I am missing here.

 

Thanks,

Dale

 

proper term is flush, if want it all out off there. But why cant we just follow the dipstick thats what i did. And if u have torque bind after ur done, try to put in the FWD fuse, that should test the electronics, if it doesnt work, u need a new solenoid, and usually a new clutch packs. Good luck!

I recently purchased a 91 Legacy L AWD Automatic. It has what appears to be a pretty common problem-torque bind. It has 226k miles.

 

So, I have been reading on this forum and posting. You folks have been a great help.

 

Anyway, I decided to SeaFoam the trans and change the fluid to see if that helped the problem. I have a Chilton's manual and it said the fluid capacity was 8.8 qts. I drained the pan and also disconnected the cooler lines from the remote filter and drained the torque converter by starting the car and putting it in drive while the hoses were disconnected. BTW, for those who haven't done this, don't do this alone. The fluid went everywhere.

 

Then, like a good pupil, I refilled the trans with approximately 8.8 qts of Dexron III as per the manual. 2 Gallons of WalMart fluid plus the majority of another quart.

 

Of course then, the dipstick read WAY high. Then, I looked in the owner's manual and it confirmed the 8.8 qt capacity. But then, it goes on to say that when servicing, you will only add 2.6 to 3.2 quarts.

 

What kind of trans service is this where 63% of the old fluid stays in the transmission? How do I get it ALL out?

 

Anyway, naturally, the trans acted really weird with that huge overfill, so I have drained out the fluid again and am reservicing it. Even at WalMart fluid prices, this is getting expensive.

 

I need help to tell me what I am missing here.

 

Thanks,

Dale

 

 

So, then where do I get the solenoid and clutch packs? Is this a DIY job for an average mechanic like me?

 

Thanks

Hi Dale. The 2.6 to 3.2 quarts you mentioned is probably what you would get with just the drain plug. The rest is in the TC and such. Just pull a cooler line somewhere and slip/couple some vinyl hose on both ends that you disconnected and stick them into a jug or something to catch the fluid, that way it doesn't go all over the place.

 

Plus then you can measure exactly what you got out so you can put that much back in as a starting point (provided it was about the right level before you started).

 

I wouldn't put it in drive, the Suby's I have pump the ATF just fine in park; in drive once it starts to suck air the clutches are going to start slipping. Plus I never run it 'dry', I pump out maybe 2 quarts, shut engine off, add 2 quarts, repeat til I'm happy, then reconnect hoses and finalize level.

 

People sometimes get the center packs from a salvage yard trans. Try the ATF first and give it a chance to work and it might solve your issue if it's just some gunk on the clutches. If they're welded or your solenoid failed then just changing the ATF won't work.

 

Does seafoam say it's safe to use in a trans? usually those things don't like stuff like that.

Hi Dale. The 2.6 to 3.2 quarts you mentioned is probably what you would get with just the drain plug. The rest is in the TC and such. Just pull a cooler line somewhere and slip/couple some vinyl hose on both ends that you disconnected and stick them into a jug or something to catch the fluid, that way it doesn't go all over the place.

 

Plus then you can measure exactly what you got out so you can put that much back in as a starting point (provided it was about the right level before you started).

 

I wouldn't put it in drive, the Suby's I have pump the ATF just fine in park; in drive once it starts to suck air the clutches are going to start slipping. Plus I never run it 'dry', I pump out maybe 2 quarts, shut engine off, add 2 quarts, repeat til I'm happy, then reconnect hoses and finalize level.

 

 

Cool, thanks Porcupine. That's probably where my problem started, doing it in "D".

 

Dale

Hi Dale. The 2.6 to 3.2 quarts you mentioned is probably what you would get with just the drain plug. The rest is in the TC and such. Just pull a cooler line somewhere and slip/couple some vinyl hose on both ends that you disconnected and stick them into a jug or something to catch the fluid, that way it doesn't go all over the place.

 

Plus then you can measure exactly what you got out so you can put that much back in as a starting point (provided it was about the right level before you started).

 

I wouldn't put it in drive, the Suby's I have pump the ATF just fine in park; in drive once it starts to suck air the clutches are going to start slipping. Plus I never run it 'dry', I pump out maybe 2 quarts, shut engine off, add 2 quarts, repeat til I'm happy, then reconnect hoses and finalize level.

 

People sometimes get the center packs from a salvage yard trans. Try the ATF first and give it a chance to work and it might solve your issue if it's just some gunk on the clutches. If they're welded or your solenoid failed then just changing the ATF won't work.

 

Does seafoam say it's safe to use in a trans? usually those things don't like stuff like that.

 

yes there is two seafoams i beleive, one for the tranny and the engine. see

 

http://www.seafoamsales.com/products.htm

You wold do better by adding a limited slip additive I believe. It is designed to help clutchs like this work smoothly and most auto dealers have something similar. Some folks change the oil several times over the course of a few months to get it all out, or at least enough to get oil with decent additves in it. There are a ton of threads on this you might want to read. One of the more logical and readable threads on this was posted in the last couple of weeks by a newby.

If his car is an auto, wouldn't he would have a viscous coupling instead of a clutch pack?

Hi BKDR and welcome! I believe the MT's have the 'viscous coupling' and the AT's have the 'clutch pack' with some duty c solenoid to control the applied pressure.

 

Ah ok, there is a seafoam for the trans I was just thinking the regular seafoam for gas and oil which doesn't seem like it'd be good for an AT.

 

Do you guys think any of the LubeGuard additives would be anything like the friction modifier?