northgeorgiaroo Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 My Legacy Wagon has started something new to go with all her other quirks.:-\ It is staying in low gear waaay longer than I would like (4EAT), even when I am barely pushing down on the gas pedal. In park, the engine seems to rev normally with steady pressure on the gas, and comes right back to idle when I lift my foot. While driving, I can force it to shift by putting it in MANUAL and moving the selector to 3. I don't think there's a problem with the throttle, so the TPS is what's left, right? But shouldn't it be throwing a CEL if that's the problem? Could it be the TCU instead? Thanks! Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skip Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Hi Dan, The ECU and TCU communicate and the ECU knows the engine temp. When the engine is cold it will cause this to warm up faster. You don't say if this happens all the time but I'll assume it does? The shift points are a combination of TPS, VSS. and other factors. (input from the MAP sensor) Most of these will turn on the CEL if their outputs are out of range. How many miles? maybe the pump is getting tired thus the line pressure is low. Change the tranny fluid comes first on the list. Get it flushed if possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Usually sensors do throw a CEL if they're out of range as skip says. I've seen a couple times where a bad sensor never caused a CEL but did cause problems with the car. i doubt this is your issue though. i would change the fluid if it hasn't been changed recently. it does sound like something transmission related. i'd swap the TCU, but mostly because it's easy and i have extras. is your POWER or transmission light blinking 16 times on start up? that's the TCU's "CEL" equivalent, telling you there's a stored code. last fall mine started something similar and got worse. it would run fine for 10 - 15 minutes and then start sticking in gears. at first it would take awhile to get out of second. then it took awhile to get out of first. finally it would not come out of first. here's what i did. as a last resort, if it gets worse you can unplug your transmission harness and run it. it will always be in third gear and the 4WD will be "locked". i powered the Duty Solenoid C which controls 4WD lock up so it's not binding anymore. so now i'm just always in 3rd gear, been driving for a while like that including a few highway trips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northgeorgiaroo Posted February 11, 2008 Author Share Posted February 11, 2008 Thanks, guys. I changed the fluid about 2,000 miles ago. (Not flushed, but changed with the pan off, run a couple days, then drained and changed again.) Many thanks to Gary for reminding me. The POWER light does flash, (it's been flashing most of the time because of the failed duty C solenoid, and I got used to ignoring it.). I checked it this afternoon -- the weird thing where you hold your tongue just so while moving from 1st to D, pushing the Manual button on and off, and after about 15 tries, it started flashing codes. First one was still Duty C solenoid. Then it said, throttle position sensor. Arggh! That is the one sensor I don't have from the harness that came with my boneyard engine. My extra is in two pieces. If anybody needs me, I will be in the WTB forum, trying to get someone to trade sensors with me. I might just drive it like this for two or three weeks until I get that wonderful check from Uncle Sam. Alternately, Has anyone had a TPS from an EJ22 opened? is there anything in there I might be able to service or clean up? Thanks, Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 [...]First one was still Duty C solenoid.Then it said, throttle position sensor. Arggh![...] Yes, that's the risk of ignoring the flashing -- thinking it's only due to a trouble/code you already know about. Alternately, Has anyone had a TPS from an EJ22 opened? is there anything in there I might be able to service or clean up?Unfortunately, the TPS is more likely to be worn (think of the number of times the accelerator pedal has been pressed) than just that the contacts are dirty. But do make sure that there's no corrosion at the connector. By the way, "Excelsior, you fathead!", indeed! I just had to smile, thinking of Shep. For those of you too young or otherwise unaware: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Shepherd This is somewhat on-topic; Shep was, among other things, a bit of a "car guy". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northgeorgiaroo Posted February 13, 2008 Author Share Posted February 13, 2008 By the way, "Excelsior, you fathead!", indeed! I just had to smile, thinking of Shep. For those of you too young or otherwise unaware: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Shepherd This is somewhat on-topic; Shep was, among other things, a bit of a "car guy". A brass figlagee to you for spotting it I just changed it yesterday, after finding a podcaster (The Brass Figlagee) who is posting as many old shows as he can on Itunes free! One of my favorites is still "Working on the old man's car" Oh yeah, and by the way, I am still having the problem, I am trying to figure out exactly what is going on while driving short trips. Just to see what would happen, I disconnected the TPS and drove about 1/2 a block. CEL was on, and the old girl would barely move. So it is sending something to the ECU and TCU, it just may not be correct. Looking at a tranny when I get the tax refund check anyway, so I'm just keping an eye on it at this point. Thanks, Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northgeorgiaroo Posted March 14, 2008 Author Share Posted March 14, 2008 Fixed! Thanks go to Blackbart! There are a lot of great folks on here who sell used parts, but Frank is one of the best! He get me the part, and probably saved me a lot of trouble (by selling me the TPS attached to a throttle body -- saved me trying to get the TPS installed and aligned correctly). Shipped fast and well packed every time. The transmission is shifting a lot better, although still have TB, and tax refund went to pay down debts, etc. Sooo... Maybe when I get the "stimulus" check, I can get a new-to-me tranny.:-\ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 Fixed! Thanks go to Blackbart! There are a lot of great folks on here who sell used parts, but Frank is one of the best! He get me the part, and probably saved me a lot of trouble (by selling me the TPS attached to a throttle body -- saved me trying to get the TPS installed and aligned correctly). Shipped fast and well packed every time. The transmission is shifting a lot better, although still have TB, and tax refund went to pay down debts, etc. Sooo... Maybe when I get the "stimulus" check, I can get a new-to-me tranny.:-\ Did you try putting the FWD fuse in?? If the torque bind goes away after that then you can try changing the fluid a few times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northgeorgiaroo Posted March 15, 2008 Author Share Posted March 15, 2008 Did you try putting the FWD fuse in?? If the torque bind goes away after that then you can try changing the fluid a few times. Yep. FWD fuse in, same as when out -- TB about 75% of the time, rest of the time no. The Duty C solenoid is bad. Fluid changed,-- all stayed same. Covered here: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=77162 In other news... Drove a little further tonight, and shift points still seem off. A lot better than before, but still not quite right. I guess I'll be flushing the tranny soon. After that... TCU? Tranny has about 225k miles. I am leaning towards the used because I live in an apartment (=no garage or driveway). I can drop tranny and put in another one at work in a few days, I hope. Can't work on the car in front of the apartment without catching major flak from the landlord. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted March 15, 2008 Share Posted March 15, 2008 I am sure you can find a good working low mileage one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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