MicheleE Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 My recently purchased 1999 AWD automatic transmission Impreza wagon stopped going into forward gear. The transmission place said there was metal in the pan, and the fluid looked clear, so they believe the seller knew something was going, cleaned it up and got rid of it... They wanted $3400 to install a tranny - beyond my price range. I'm looking online for a rebuilt, but not sure what I need to know to be a responsible buyer - in fact, although I feel pretty silly, I can't even find the specifications for the transmission in the owner's manual, and don't know where else to look, so when I look online, the letters and numbers mean nothing. Any information, help, ideas, etc. greatly appreciated! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 first try a bottle of ''trans-x'' . it is a trans fluid additive. there is a long long thread with lots of folks having success with it. i may not help, but it may hael a lot and is less than 10 $$. if you have ot replace the trans , first post a wanted on the classifides here then look at www.car-part.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleE Posted May 29, 2011 Author Share Posted May 29, 2011 DEFINITELY worth a try! I'm not too hopeful, though, because at the transmission shop they took off the pan and said they found metal shavings... I'll post here how it goes. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 i'm not a trans expert, but i here that auto trans almost always have metal in hte pan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 the last mechanic probably smashed the pump when installing hte motor or trans for routine service. You can try a used one, vs rebuilt, as they dont usually fail unless not maintained, wrong fluids, no fluids. The worst you will find is one that needs a duty c colenoid, which can be swapped from your trans. you can find a used good one for about 300 bucks, if you know where to look Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 get a used transmission. they don't fail enough to warrant the price of new. demand isn't high (due to low failures) so the prices are low. although 99's tend to be problematic because yards don't cross reference what other years will interchange well. we can help you with that possibly. friend of mine in WV has a known good trans he'd sell cheap. surely someone out there will have one as well. call around for install prices too - particularly transmission shops. a local transmission shop in maryland would only charge $150 to install your supplied used transmission (that was 8 years ago). they were typically expensive for trans work but an install is easy for them since they have all the equipment. GD (username for someone on here) is in Portland Oregon, knows his stuff and would probably fix this car for you. he's reasonable, knows how to do it right, and how to spend money wisely on stuff like this. it'll be worth the effort to get the car to him if you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 GD (username for someone on here) is in Portland Oregon, knows his stuff and would probably fix this car for you. "General Disorder" is the user name Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted May 29, 2011 Share Posted May 29, 2011 (edited) first try a bottle of ''trans-x'' . it is a trans fluid additive. there is a long long thread with lots of folks having success with it. i may not help, but it may hael a lot and is less than 10 $$. if you have ot replace the trans , first post a wanted on the classifides here then look at www.car-part.com. Trans-X works well on 99 and 00 model trannys, that become slow to engage in D, after backing up in R. Slow forward engagement can be 3, 5, 10 seconds maybe more. Adding Trans-X has gained a reputation of permanently fixing this problem. My 99 still engages well after adding Trans-X to the tranny. If you are unaware, Subaru has a trany drain plug on the tranny pan. The plug looks exactly like the plug on the pan to drain oil. Depending on how clean looking your tranny fluid looks on the dip stick.......if dirty, then drain and add Trans-X. If looks pretty clean, drain a pint, add Trans-X. See if this helps to get tranny to forward engage. Since you can't get D (forward) to engage, you may need to back up, push car forward, several times to get Trans-X to circulate in the tranny hydraulic system. A can of the stuff it is worth a try. Tranny shops will show you metal grit on the drain plug, and tell you the tranny is bad........not necessarily so. Over time, all ATs will put some metal grit in the pan or on the magnetized drainbolt. Often times, it is a trick by a crooked tranny shop to talk you into a new or replacement tranny, when you really don't need one. Edited May 29, 2011 by Rooster2 add more info Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleE Posted May 29, 2011 Author Share Posted May 29, 2011 Great ideas. I will start with the trans-x - if that doesn't work, I'll contact General Disorder. There's a tranny in Hood River for sale on Craig's List for $300. You folks have really brightened my day with options and possibilities. Thanks to all of you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MicheleE Posted June 11, 2011 Author Share Posted June 11, 2011 Update: My mechanic said that Trans X would only work for external leaks. He suggested instead a tube of shudder fix and Lucak Transmission stop leak. A friend helped, and we drained out some tranny fluid and put those in. It's not a complete fix, but it's MUCH better - and hopefully it will continue to get a bit better as the additives circulate. Thanks to everyone for your help! Michele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Please keep us updated on your performance for archival sake, as it is cases like yours that are documented are the best kind of knowledge to help people that search here to know what works or doesn't work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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