1996 OBW- A/T light flashing

[anspaugh777]

Okay....so as of right now it runs BEAUTIFULLY!!!

I'm not sure if it will slowly downgrade and get back to what it was (excessive shift shock), or it will stay this way.

 

But here's what I did:

 

1. Located the TCM and the ECM.

2. Disconnected the circuits to the TCM and the ECM.

3. Under the hood I disconnected the air flow pipes.

4. Disconnected one circuit and one ground wire.

5. Blew on circuits, and tightened ground wire.

6. Reconnected the air flow pipes and tightened them down.

7. Reconnected the TCM and ECM circuits.

8. Put everything back together.

9. Prayed to Jesus.

10. Did the self-diagnostic test to see if the A/T temp light would flash a code.

11. The A/T temp light just flashed normally after self-diagnostic.

12. Drove over 5 miles, fast and slow.

 

And the car shifts perfectly!!!

 

We'll see what happens. Thanks for all of your help everybody! I'll let you know how it goes.

[idosubaru]

awesome - good job!

 

"air flow pipes" - is that the vacuum lines or something else?

i would guess this did the trick. hopefully it doesn't come back once the TCU and ECU *relearn* and populate all the tables/fields in the controller.

[anspaugh777]

awesome - good job!

 

"air flow pipes" - is that the vacuum lines or something else?

i would guess this did the trick. hopefully it doesn't come back once the TCU and ECU *relearn* and populate all the tables/fields in the controller.

 

 

Yeah, I'm guessing they are the vacuum lines. When you're looking under the hood from the front, they are the wide plastic black pipes going from the air filter to the left side of the front of the car.

[OB99W]

[...]hopefully it doesn't come back once the TCU and ECU *relearn* and populate all the tables/fields in the controller.

Not to rain on anspaugh777's parade, but that would also be my concern. Disconnecting the TCU and ECU means they'll run on default values for a short while, possibly masking certain problems. On the other hand, perhaps everything will be fine from now on.

 

 

Yeah, I'm guessing they are the vacuum lines. When you're looking under the hood from the front, they are the wide plastic black pipes going from the air filter to the left side of the front of the car.

That's the air intake. Vacuum hoses are also typically black, but much thinner and usually made of rubber; the source of vacuum is ultimately the intake manifold.

 

If anyone is interested in some pretty good online general automotive info (assuming you don't mind a Toyota emphasis), take a look at http://www.autoshop101.com/ . The page there that probably best links to the tutorials is http://www.autoshop101.com/autoshop15.html .

[anspaugh777]

Not to rain on anspaugh777's parade, but that would also be my concern. Disconnecting the TCU and ECU means they'll run on default values for a short while, possibly masking certain problems. On the other hand, perhaps everything will be fine from now on.

 

So if they go back to what they were, wouldn't that mean that we have found the problem? The TCM or the ECM?

[nipper]

So if they go back to what they were, wouldn't that mean that we have found the problem? The TCM or the ECM?

Just the act of diconnecting them is sometimes enough to clean the terminals.

 

 

We shall see what happens after a few tanks of gas .

 

nipper

[idosubaru]

So if they go back to what they were, wouldn't that mean that we have found the problem? The TCM or the ECM?

not exactly, TCU's and ECU's very rarely fail. but of course it could happen. if there's an input from a sensor causing the TCU to act erratically and that data isn't used right away after clearing the TCU (running in a default mode)....then it could rear it's ugly head later.

[Herm99]

Follow the procedure as in the attached chart. The light should blink -- it might be eight times per second, four times per second, or a series of long and short blinks. Make a note of the result, and get back with that info.

 

Hey guys, I did this method on my 99 OBS, and I got code 38. (3 long pulses followed by 8 fast pulses) Can someone tell me what this code means?

 

Really appreciate any help!

[johnceggleston]

From the www.endwrench.com 4EAT phase I diagnosis&service article:

 

1995-98 Legacy, 1996-98 Impreza,

1996-97 SVX, 1998 Forester, Diagnostics

(OBD -II Vehicles)

The AT Oil Temperature light operates under the following conditions: Ignition switch ON/engine OFF is the bulb check mode, the light remains ON. Normal:

Ignition switch ON/ Engine ON, light remains on for two seconds from engine start.

 

Note: A failure is never reported via the AT oil temp light during current operation.The TCU waits until the next ignition cycle to display the following AT oil temp light condition.Therefore the driver may detect an abnormal driveability condition (fail safe operation) with no AT oil temp light indicating a failure.

 

Abnormal - With the ignition switch ON and the engine running, the light remains ON for 2 seconds from engine start. OFF for 0.25 seconds, ON for 0.25 seconds 4 times, then OFF for 2 seconds. Cycle repeats 4 times for a total of 16 Blinks.

 

Abnormal - ATF Temperature is too high The AT temp light comes ON and stays ON until the ATF temperature returns to normal.

 

Trouble Codes

Trouble code retrieval is similar to previous models, except for grounding terminal # 5 of connector B82 a 6 pole black, right side of steering column. Trouble codes will be displayed through AT Temp light with the following differences. There are 14 possible trouble codes communicated from the TCU.

 

They are displayed in the same format as old fuel system trouble codes, long Flash = 10, short flash = 1. For example: 2 long and 4 short = code 24, Duty Solenoid C. The clear memory procedure is simple and quick, just remove fuse No. 14 for at least one minute.

 

OBD-II Operation Overview

The system monitors components and their operation, conducting continuity and performance checks. The check engine light or MIL illuminates when a code is set into ECU memory. Problems with the 4EAT are communicated from the TCU to the ECU.

 

There are 2 trouble codes that are generated as soon as a problem occurs, turning on the MIL.With 22 others requiring a fault or error during two consecutive trips, before turning on the MIL. A trip is defined as a driving pattern in which test parameters are reached for a given time. A failed trip will be erased if the next trip is a good one.

 

Transmission codes generated in OBD-II have freeze frame information available on the Select Monitor in the fuel system section of data display.

 

also see the attachment in this post from this thread: (i would be interested to know if both processes work on the 95 - 99 cars)

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=729049&postcount=37

 

taglines: reading transcodes, flashingATTemp light, readtranscodes, flashing ATTemplight

Edited September 14, 2010 by johnceggleston

[OB99W]

Hey guys, I did this method on my 99 OBS, and I got code 38. (3 long pulses followed by 8 fast pulses) Can someone tell me what this code means?

Code 38 indicates a problem with the "Torque Control Signal". This can be due to an open or short circuit, and may be affecting lines between the TCU and ECU, or a bad transmission ground connection to the body. It's possible for the problem to be internal to the trans, but I'd start by looking for corrosion or disconnection at external grounds.

 

Did the problem show up without any obvious cause, or has the car seen recent service or been driven off-road?

[jasonkwills]

So to get the codes to flash do I need to connect the two diagnostic wires together and ground terminal #5 to any old ground?

So, The A/T temp light is flashing 16 times consistently every start-up, starting tonight.

 

I have no drivability issues, and don't feel anything wrong. No torque bind noted. Also, putting the fuse in the FWD socket definitely turns it to FWD, and I get a the FWD dash light to come on.

 

I've tried to get it into diagnostic mode to pull the code following the directions attached to this thread, but it doesn't seem to work. Did something change? Is this an OBD2 car where you can no longer pull the codes from the light? I'm not sure when that changed.

 

http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=72486&highlight=pull+trans+code

 

If so, how do I go about pulling the code?

[leow1]

I am not fully understanding how to read the code.  I believe I have connected one of the grounds to terminal 5 of B82.  I don't see any blinks after I do this however.  Do I need to drive the car until a code is triggered and then it'll start blinking?  Should I connect the grount to terminal 5 while the car is running and has already shown the 16 flashes indicating an A/T issue?  It seems like order of operation is important, so please let me know what the correct sequence is.  Thanks!

[palfer]

Getting the AT OIL TEMP light on my 97 Impreza OB.  Question on the "secret handshake".  Does pin 5 of B82 need to be grounded the entire time I go through the various handshaking steps or do I ground it at the end of that sequence?

 

thanks