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subaru transmission problems

124 messages,  Last post on Jan 24, 2011 at 8:16 PM

You are in the Subaru Forester Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Forester, Transmission, Wagon

Messages Page 10 of 13

#85 of 124 Re: Subaru Transmission problem [pfrommer] by ateixeira

Jun 01, 2010 (12:20 pm)

Replying to: pfrommer (May 29, 2010 9:16 am)
Sounds like it could use a rebuild.
 
It'll probably cost you what 6 car payments would cost, though, and you'll probably keep it a lot longer than 6 months!

#86 of 124 Could transmission pump be out? by quincy3

Jun 10, 2010 (4:29 pm)

I have a 2003 Forester 2.5x with 151,000 miles. Yesterday my car started slipping into neutral while driving until it would not go into gear at all. It seemed to be leaking fluid as well. Today the mechanic said that the transmission pump inside the transmission went out. He recommends putting in a replacement transmissions rather than replacing the pump due to the mileage and not knowing if there was damage. Does this sound like a reasonable diagnosis and method of repair?
Thanks for any help or suggestions.

#87 of 124 Re: Could transmission pump be out? [quincy3] by aatherton

Jun 14, 2010 (5:42 am)

Replying to: quincy3 (Jun 10, 2010 4:29 pm)
Unless the transmission shop is very good, and you are willing to pay for them to find and repair all the damage that high miles and low fluid might have caused, an exchange for a remanufactured transmission is best.

#88 of 124 2003 Forester Kick Down Issue by larrylarry1

Jul 11, 2010 (10:59 pm)

First off,I get in my friends forester and back out of driveway(facing up hill) and come to a complete stop and pull it into drive and release the brake pedal and apply no throttle and the unit starts rolling backwards.So I apply throttle and it seems to engage and slip momentarily before it grabs a hold and in a lunging fashion lurch forward(as you would expect when you engage drive 2800rpm's)it acts as if it could not engage or it slipped momentarily...So I start a new procedure unique to this vehicle of two footing it when I back out and am ready to go forward: back out pull down into drive left foot on brake,right on gas and gently make sure it is pulling forward before disengaging the brake...I can live with that,so can she...
 
So we are heading to ride K-1 electric go carts from hell and I hop on the 210 with the unit in "D" and apply a little more throttle to merge w traffic and next thing it acts as if I went WOT spins up to 5K plus RPM and does not find a gear until I take foot off gas and re apply....
 
I am very hesitant to recreat this scenario as it just plain does not seem healthy and or long term...
 
Help...Any thoughts,suggestions,links,people with similar issues?
 
Thanks for any replies!

#89 of 124 Re: 2003 Forester Kick Down Issue [larrylarry1] by xwesx

Jul 13, 2010 (10:29 am)

Replying to: larrylarry1 (Jul 11, 2010 10:59 pm)
Have you checked the fluid level or condition? It sounds like the system does not have adequate hydraulic pressure, but the cause is difficult to guess without further investigation.

#90 of 124 Re: 2003 Forester Kick Down Issue [larrylarry1] by aatherton

Jul 20, 2010 (1:29 pm)

Replying to: larrylarry1 (Jul 11, 2010 10:59 pm)
"... I get in my friends forester... and it seems to engage and slip momentarily before it grabs a hold and in a lunging fashion lurch forward... I hop on the 210 with the unit in "D" and apply a little more throttle to merge w traffic and next thing it acts as if I went WOT spins up to 5K plus RPM and does not find a gear until I take foot off gas and re apply...."
Sounds like the transmission has lost a lot of fluid. Not good to drive it like that.

#91 of 124 auto trans problem by boofhead

Aug 16, 2010 (9:08 pm)

Just started problem. Subaru Outback 97 140,000 miles. Gearbox seems to change up but not down. If I go up the driveway in First it pulls OK but when I select 2nd gear it seems to go right to Top gear and engine rpm drops, will not pull. If I try to go up in D it seems to go right to top gear, same result. Engine runs great, accelerates and runs smoothly but cannot pull the car when in gear; it chugs and almost dies.
On the flat it does not accelerate well, even if I try to change manually. It seems to go right to top gear. Can hold it in first, but cannot hold it in 2nd or 3rd gear.
I have checked the fluid but it is hard to do; it does not show a positive level, but seems to be reading only the fluid in the filler pipe that is draining down, not a solid red fluid level like engine oil. I have put 3 quarts in already and it still does not show a solid color, although there is oil showing way above the top mark, with gaps in the oil as shown on the stick. I don't want to overfill it. No signs of any fluid leak externally and not long since I had it checked, but am not too confident in the shop that checked it, they screwed up a few things during the oil change and lube and could have missed this part.
Do I check it when the engine is running?
The car was bought used a month or two ago.

#92 of 124 Re: auto trans problem [boofhead] by xwesx

Aug 17, 2010 (9:24 am)

Replying to: boofhead (Aug 16, 2010 9:08 pm)
Yes, you should check it with the engine running, after engaging reverse and drive a couple times each. It will not be a perfectly clean dip, but it should show solid below the point where top of the fluid pool rests. What is the color of the fluid? Is it a bright red or a dull red / brown color?
 
I agree with you on the vote of no-confidence in the shop. If they did not get an oil change right, don't trust them with anything else! There should be a good independent shop in the area that can properly diagnose your car.

#93 of 124 Re: 2003 Forester Kick Down Issue [aatherton] by larrylarry1

Aug 17, 2010 (10:47 am)

Replying to: aatherton (Jul 20, 2010 1:29 pm)
The fluid level was fine...
 
So I dropped the fluid and spun a new filter on and did not make a difference.So I went for the "strainer" inside the pan and it was a mess lots of little black debris that I could only describe as looking like abrasive clutch type material...This bebris had to have benn slowing the fluid flow at the least and I would guess even enough to cavitate the pump...Put it back together and still the same performance wise.She is just gonna baby it along... Any other input would be appreciated as I appreciate your previous comments...Good stuff,great resource this site is! Lawrence

#94 of 124 Re: auto trans problem [xwesx] by boofhead

Aug 17, 2010 (11:57 am)

Replying to: xwesx (Aug 17, 2010 9:24 am)
Its a good color. I did drive it, and left it sit for hours, but the stick still does not give a good indication, there is fluid up to a point above the top mark, but it is not solid. There are gaps in the fluid. There is only a small part of the lower stick that shows a good color and I think that is because the fluid drained down while I was pulling the stick out. As if there was fluid all down the tube from when I filled it.
I still have the problem, the engine rpm will drop and no amount of throttle will bring it up. As if the engine is losing power or the gear is too high. If I manually select first gear it runs OK, accelerates and the rpm goes up to 6000 or whatever, but when I move the lever to second gear or higher the rpm drops and the car stops accelerating, as if the gear is going to 4th immediately. Once or twice it stalled out going up the drive even with first gear selected so i am not sure of the problem. I hope it is fluid loss or low level of fluid but am afraid it is worse.
No gear noises, and engine appears to be normal.

Messages Page 10 of 13

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