I got rid of the torque bind ,but now the car downshifts quicker when coming to a stop ,and lost the 1-2 upshift.I changed the trans fluid and was doing good for a couple of days until now.The car has 240 k miles on it and i just did the headgaskets,ive put about 300 miles on the car myself since i bought it. Should i just get anouther trans ? or is there any hope for this trans? also what years cars would be interchangable with my 96 outback? I will be scouring the pick and pulls for subarus in the sac area for good 1. steve

i'd start sourcing a new trans. time means alot. if your trans goes out then it's hit or miss to get a good deal. if you look over a couple weeks or months and just keep your antenna's out there you can usually get one much cheaper and lower miles. that's great mileage out of the original auto AWD trans. i'd expect some seals and internals are compromised. it could run a very long time like it is (or it may not!).

I think i can get anouther 1000 miles out of it,its not slipping yet so i have some time.The trans is less than a $100 at the wrecking yards.The car was running good till i changed the trans fluid and put the lucas additive in it.I should have just left the old fluid in.cant expect much out of a 250$ car.

if you did a drain and refill, it may help to do that a couple more times. once doesn't get much of the fluid out like an engine oil change.

 

i disconnect all the shift resistors on my subaru's (except the wifes). it firms and quickens the shifts, i think it feels better. it's on the front passengers side strut tower on the older subaru's, not sure about yours. i dont' have my impreza on me to look at.

 

i bet you have WAY more than 1,000 miles left on it. without driving it, i'd guess it may even be fine. deteriorated and gunky internals may cause slow shifting or engaging but without any damaged or faulty parts the trans may be fine for a long time.

When i pulled the trans dipstick there was some dirt in the end of it, im thinking the lucas freed up the dirt and maybe plugged the filter.

i highly doubt your filter is clogged. i'd drain and refill again. i'd refrain from the lucas myself but i'm not trying to debate that point here.

 

the filters in these things are really not much of a filter at all, that's why i say i wouldn't replace it. they are only screens and they set such that they really only prevent things from entering the trans oil pump, they don't "capture" much and i've never pulled one out that even had a shred of clog or dirt on it. the on in my fried transmission was even fine. particles come out with a fluid change, the screen only prevents them from getting sucked up and circulated. okay i've said enough...but i wouldn't waste my time replacing the filter unless it's the screw on type...and i don't think those came out until 1998.

ok ,im gonna just drain the fluid and see if that will do anything.When i first drained it ,there looked like there was some watter in it.

if it's never been changed, a few changes may be in order. too bad ATF is expensive! hate to do it on a questionable trans!

the last time i changed it less than 4 quarts came out and the old fluid smelled burnt.I like that these trnnys have drain plugs,all the gm cars that i owned you had to take the pan off and get a new gasket.

well, with a Subaru, u definitly need to do it more often, like MIN every 100k.

The guy that owned the car before me drove the car on a blown headgasket for over a month so im sure that didnt help the trans.

yep, overheating coolant can affect ATF temps since the ATF cooler runs through the radiator side tank. heat degrades the ATF and trans for sure. if the transmission has problems you'll know very soon, it'll degrade quickly. i suspect no major issues though and it may run for a while if it's not "getting worse".

does anyone no what years subarus i could get a auto trans for the 96 legacy outback?they just put out 2 92 legacys,1 90 legacy and a 02 imprezza wrx out at the pick and pull,the 90 legacy was in a wreck so that might be a good 1,the wrx was burnt out.

You can use any year Legacy/Outback transmission. You'll just need to get a matching rear differential (final drive) and preferably one with the same time of speedo sensor (cable or electronic). The speedo part though can be gotten around either way.

You can use any year Legacy/Outback transmission. You'll just need to get a matching rear differential (final drive) and preferably one with the same time of speedo sensor (cable or electronic). The speedo part though can be gotten around either way.

does that mean i have to take the rear diff along with the tranny ? the only way to tell the ratio on the rear diff is by counting teeth on pinion and ring.how do i find out what tre front diff is?

The front diff is irrelevant. The final drive of the tranny has to match the rear diff. The rear diff usually has a sticker on it stating what its ratio is.

does that mean i have to take the rear diff along with the tranny ? the only way to tell the ratio on the rear diff is by counting teeth on pinion and ring.how do i find out what tre front diff is?

unless you know more than most of the people here, follow this rule when swapping trannys:

 

get the exact same year and model as the one you have!!!

OR

get the rear diff that goes with the new trans.

AND MAYBE

get the TCU, especially if the model, year and engine are different.

 

you can't make a mistake if you do. you can get a rear diff for 50$ to 75$, i don't know how much TCU's cost.

my outback is a 2.5 and all the 1 s at the wrecking yard are 2.2 s,is the stall different on the torque converters installed on the 2.2 s? if so i will just use my old 1.