hey there...

 

I bought a 99 Outback (manual transmission) in the spring and have been having an absolute blast with it...especially now that we have some snow on the ground!!

 

Lately i have been noticing what i will call a grinding noise when I downshift. Does anybody have any idea what this could be? Its nothing brake related because when i release the brake after shifting and decelerating...it still occurs. is there a fluid i should be checking?

 

Thanks

mark

Im sure that your problem lies in your syncros. When its cold out they are a bit slower than normal. Its just that the syncros cant line up the gears in time so u get a little bit of grind when u downshift. Does this happen only when the car is still cold? I will be willing to bet the "grinding" goes away once the car is fully warmed up. If you dont like the grinding while downshifting i would double clutch it when its really cold out ( ie. going from 4th to neutral...letting the clutch out in neutral...then pushing the clutch again and shoving it into 3rd).

 

You might want to also think about changing your tranny fluid. Not sure if an outback takes auto tranny fluid or manual tranny fluid in their manual trannys.

Try changing the gear oil in it, its pretty straightforeward to do. Just kind of a pain to fill back up, a long funnel will help a lot. It does NOT! take auto tranny fluid, its just gear oil. If i remember correctly its GL-5 80w-90 or so. I forget the quantity though, check the manual for that.

I'll have to take notice of it tonight once the car has warmed up. When I say grinding noise...it doesn't sound like grinding gears...it sounds more like the sound brake pads make when they are worn. I know it seems to be directly related with the colder weather...so chances are that is the case. I will look into changing the transmission oil in the next little while.

 

Thanks for help!

For some reason the trannys in 99 Outbacks whether manual or auto have the worst fail rates I have ever seen in Subes next to the SVX.

For some reason the trannys in 99 Outbacks whether manual or auto have the worst fail rates I have ever seen in Subes next to the SVX.

 

Sadly this is true, when did GM first buy into subaru?

 

maybe its related

 

nipper

after shifting and decelerating...it still occurs.

 

Thanks

mark

 

This part of your statement leads me to believe that this is not a syncro problem.

 

Does the transmission shift OK whithout "grinding the gears"?

 

If the noise is occuring on deceleration, after the gear change has been made, and you are useing "engine braking" to further slow the car.....................Then I would suggest.

 

1) Loose exhaust heat sheilds.

2) Front crossmember for the rear differentail making contact with the mounting plates on the body.

3) Ice and/or dirt between about mentioned crossmember and mounting plates.

4) I'll put this next to last, although I don't see bad MT mounts.

4.5) Broken transmission mount.

5) Internal transmission wear.

 

Never hurts to change the fluid though:)

Sadly this is true, when did GM first buy into subaru?

 

maybe its related

 

nipper

 

No doubt! And being assembled in an Isuzu plante.

Well my problem seems to be getting progressively worse. Over the weekend the car has developed a ticking or knocking sound that is most noticeable when decelerating, along with the constant howling or whirring noise, both of which sound like they are coming from the front end of the car...gearbox area. It did slip out of reverse once when backing up...and I'm trying to figure out if that was when the noise actually started. It still shifts gears normally, including reverse. I took it to a garage and they checked all the fluids and said that everything seemed to be ok in that department. They diagnosed it as a front differential problem...either bearing or the whole front differential needs to be replaced. i was quoted $1800 CAN (for a used transmission + labour).

 

Does any of this sound familiar? Could this be related to it slipping out of gear?

 

I'm in a bad way really because there are no real subaru experts around other than the dealer who is over an hour away.

 

Sorry for digging up an old thread...i thought this would be better than starting a new one.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

mark

It's cheaper to get a used tranny, as the diff is part of the transmision (you buy a tranny it comes with it)>

 

How are your lubricant levels?

 

Howlinfg is unique to a diff, so I wont argue with that.

 

How are the front drive shafts?

 

nipper

It's cheaper to get a used tranny, as the diff is part of the transmision (you buy a tranny it comes with it)>

 

How are your lubricant levels?

 

Howlinfg is unique to a diff, so I wont argue with that.

 

How are the front drive shafts?

 

nipper

 

The fluid levels are good. i can't say how the front drive shaft is for sure. is there something in particular one should be looking for? I'm taking it to another mechanic in the next day or so to get a second opinion.

 

Should I just stop driving the car until I have it resolved or is it ok to continue driving it for a little while?

The fluid levels are good. i can't say how the front drive shaft is for sure. is there something in particular one should be looking for? I'm taking it to another mechanic in the next day or so to get a second opinion.

 

Should I just stop driving the car until I have it resolved or is it ok to continue driving it for a little while?

 

You cant make it worse. I wouldnt take any long drives. Pop the hood and inspect the CV boots, turn the wheels and inspect the boots behind the wheels, what condition are they in.

 

 

nipper

You cant make it worse. I wouldnt take any long drives. Pop the hood and inspect the CV boots, turn the wheels and inspect the boots behind the wheels, what condition are they in.

 

 

nipper

 

 

Thanks for the tips...I will look into these.

 

Appreciate your help.

 

Mark

Sily me, also see if they click when you make a slow tight turn.

 

nipper

Could be your throwout bearing they make grinding / ratteling / scraping nosies depending how they fail

Well I took it to another mechanic over the weekend and he diagnosed that the front and rear are going in the car. Ugh. He says it wouldn't be worth it to fix...just to drive it till it fails. I'm just sick about it...I bought the car last April...and paid $6000 CAN for it.

 

What are my options with year and model of subaru legacys and outbacks to look for parts from to repair? A friend of mine has a 1999 Outback limited (auto)...will the rear swap out with mine (5spd)?

 

Subaru parts are a rare find in my neck of the woods (Truro, Nova Scotia)...the closest used 5spd transmission I could find was out of Ontario...which was $1000 delivered...but I'm leary about that since someone posted that for that yr of the vehicle...they had the worst fail rates.

 

If anyone has any tips or ideas...i would really appreciate you input.

 

Thanks again.

 

mark

Thats almost unheard of for both (diferentials) of them to go bad. That can happen by way of the car being abused, low lubricant, or really bad torque bind. This is something that subaru can't be blamed for, but the previous owner can.

 

You spent 6000 canadian (which is 6000 us i think) for the car, its worth fixing.

 

You can get parts for it used.

 

Get another opinion, and ask them how they came to that conclusion.

 

nipper

Well...after some searching...i came across a used transmission and rear differential. Swapped out both, replaced the oil separator (had a small oil leak), fixed up my emergency brake and the car drives like new...so happy!!! All of the above cost me $1500 taxes in with parts and labour included...so all worked out in the end. Funny....when my car was in for repair...i borrowed a friend's 2002 Outback (5 spd)...and I found it drove nowhere as nicely as my 99 OBW. But maybe that's just me being excited to have my car back.

 

Anyway...thanks for everyone's input...I appreciate your help!