When I'm going up a moderate hill on cruise control, freeway, 75-85mph, the car seems to downshift when it really doesn't need to.

 

I can cancel the cruise, use my foot, and maintain whatever speed I want with it in top gear, maybe having the converter unlock.

 

If I 'follow' the gas pedal with my foot with the cruise on, get into the hill, it downshifts, I hold the pedal in the same spot and kill the cruise, and the trans upshifts right back up.

 

So it seems when the cruise is on, its more sensitive to thinking it needs a downshift.

 

It'd be nice to find the magic wire to cut to make that stop!

 

 

 

Is there a clymer manual with full schematics for an '03 outback? Love to get a full shop manual, but I'm sure that's pricey...

 

 

Dave

Hi. Hm, interesting. That seems backwards from the way they describe it working in the service manual. It's supposed to be more prone to hold top gear with the cruise on to improve fuel economy.

 

Factory service manual can be had on CD for about $200 from techinfo.subaru.com or there are other subscriptions available like 72 hours where you can download the portions you really want/need. If you want print manuals often the OEM manuals can be found on eBay for maybe $200/set. Or alldatadiy.com has subaru oem service info on a subscription basis. Of course there are the $5 ebay cd's.

What year is your car?

 

My wifes '03 is like that. Unless you have the cruise set at 90+ it shifts down on every little hill, drives me crazy. My '98 only does that on step hills or if you have the cruise set below 80 mph.

They all are like that, and it seems "all" means japanese 4 cylinders with cruise.

 

This is what helped blow my original engine (granted it already had rod knock).

 

For some reason, the cruise computer tells the car to downshift. If you cancel the cruise, and hold the gas pedal in the same place the car upshifts.

 

my 1997 does the same thing.

 

The reason why i love the DOHC is that it has plenty of torque not to downshift when i go up hill using my right foot alone.

 

If the car hunts alot using your right foot alone, downshift manually to D3, it saves alot of wear and tear on the engine.

 

There is no way around this problem, since its not the TPS or the gas pedal telling the tranny to downshift, but the cruise control logic.

 

nipper

Sometimes it's nice to be the only "brain" telling my transmission what to do... :-p

 

- Scott

Is it downshifting or just unlocking the torque converter? If it's the TC unlocking. Check your TPS, if it is out of adjustment or bad it will cause that problem.

Is it downshifting or just unlocking the torque converter? If it's the TC unlocking. Check your TPS, if it is out of adjustment or bad it will cause that problem.

 

Its downshifting to second gear. Go out and try yours, youll see it too.

 

Its not the TPS, ist the programming of the cruise control logic. There have been several threads on this before. Maybe the japanese dont have long rolling hills?

 

 

nipper

Def. downshifting to 3rd in my case. I can see the converter unlock as a small increase in revs.

 

Its really frustrating with the 3L 6 because it will sail up those same hills if you don't use the cruise.

 

It'd be nice if there were a magic wire from the cruise logic to the trans logic.

 

Do these haver a seperate computer for the transmission, or all-in-one computer?

 

 

Dave

Well, i'm not 100% sure about this onthe older ones, but on the newer automatics, in cruise, they actually try to optomize the combustion (aka trying to burn 100% of the gas), i've found that the milage is way lower w/ cruise on than off... but i also have a 5MT... but the g/fs is alot different, it also does that whole downshifting thing.

Another note, my cruise won't set over 87mph :-\

Well, i'm not 100% sure about this onthe older ones, but on the newer automatics, in cruise, they actually try to optomize the combustion (aka trying to burn 100% of the gas), i've found that the milage is way lower w/ cruise on than off... but i also have a 5MT... but the g/fs is alot different, it also does that whole downshifting thing.

Another note, my cruise won't set over 87mph :-\

 

 

Mine wont set over 90mph

 

nipper

When I'm going up a moderate hill on cruise control, freeway, 75-85mph, the car seems to downshift when it really doesn't need to.

 

I can cancel the cruise, use my foot, and maintain whatever speed I want with it in top gear, maybe having the converter unlock.

 

Dave

 

I get the same kind of behavior from the 2000 Outback. What I do is watch for the TC to unlock, then pop it out of cruise and finish the hill with my foot. It's sort of a PITA to do this, but I don't like it downshifting so much either.

I get the same kind of behavior from the 2000 Outback. What I do is watch for the TC to unlock, then pop it out of cruise and finish the hill with my foot. It's sort of a PITA to do this, but I don't like it downshifting so much either.

 

This is what I do, have to do it once on the way to work, 3x on the way home.

 

Dave