Tranny Problems (+ radio/electrical?) -97 Outback

[NameTaken]

Hi guys,

 

SO I've had my 97 Subaru for about two months now, and the transmission has some weird problems. It seems to be an overdrive problem, as it only happens when at higher speeds.

 

When: After I have been driving a highway speed for a while. Or when the car has been in the sun.

Noise: louder almost turbo like, but grind-ier (bad) noise.

Other Symptoms: loss of power and pickup. Car stereo turns on and off when the car is doing this. I sometimes can stop the radio malfunction (and the tranny problem), by turning the car off and on.

Doesn't happen all the time just sometimes.

 

Tranny fuid is light brown and smells slightly burnt.

 

I will be dropping the pan tomorrow, as I hit a rock square on and dented the ATF pan. Now the car is stuck in 2nd gear. I had a mechanic look at it, and he said that the linkage connector (i think) was frozen in place by the dented pan, and if I removed the pan and hammered out the dent it would work fine again.

 

HOPEFULY this will kill two birds with one stone, as the fluid will have to be changed after I drop the pan.

 

Any ideas about why the radio turns off/on? Seems related, but I don't know why. Also, the radio occasionally will turn off when I change some electrical thing in the car (turn on headlights, activate wipers, etc.)

 

Any help would be MUCH APPECIATED!

 

Thanks y'all!

 

P.S: Does what the mechanic said about hammering the dent out seem legit? I really hope so, as I don't have a ton of cash.

[GeneralDisorder]

Hammering out the dent is a good plan. I think your "mechanic" is on the right path with that reccomendation. Change the fluid (obviously) but then drive it about 10 miles, and change it AGAIN (just a drain and fill of the pan) to get a good percentage of the TC fluid out of there.

 

The electrical issue is strange. I don't know what to make of that - I would say the radio itself must have a malfunction - possibly the power button is screwy and shorting out.

 

GD

[Rooster2]

Suggest drain and fill 3 times on the ATF, as only about half the ATF will drain at one time. The remainder stays in the torque converter, and won't drain out. Drive 2-3 miles between drains to get a good mix of new and old ATF available to drain.

 

The old AT pan gasket will be nasty to remove. It really needs to be ground off, but be careful not to grind metal off any surface. Maybe removing pan dent and adjusting linkage will help. Did your tranny problem start immediately after hitting the rock?

 

Crazy radio sounds like a wiring short. Pull out the radio, and check power wire going to the radio, maybe it is loose or frayed. Also, maybe the radio has just gone a bad with an internal short. You can prolly pick one up for cheap at a wrecking yard.

[idosubaru]

there isn't much clearance between the pan and the sump inside the transmission that pulls fluid out of the pan. if the dent is bad enough it could be restricting flow to the trans.

 

if the fluid is that bad it needs changed immediately. one drain and refill is only going to get %40-%60 of the fluid out. jack up the front of the car and you can get up to %60 out. that is why multiple changes are often recommended.

 

it needs fresh fluid and an undented pan, see what you got after that.

 

is the AT light flashing 16 times on start up?

 

radio sounds whacky - just pull the fuse for it for a couple days and see what the trans does. that would isolate the radio circuit so it can't "be the issue", not that i can picture how it could be anyway, but just to rule it out for you as you're driving with crazy twilight zone stuff happening to you.!

[NameTaken]

Thanks so much guys! Is the pulling the tranny pan doable on the side of the road? I am going to try and do it today, I'll be buying an oil change pan and some sealant for reattaching the pan. Anything else needed besides a 10 mm socket wrench? if it's really stuck on there what should I do? Pb blaster?

 

One more thing: Adjusting the linkage, easy or hard?

[idosubaru]

it's just really annoying, nothing that hard about it. remove all the bolts, drop pan, clean both surfaces, reinstall with new sealant and/or gasket.

 

if it's an emergency and it looks doable - how about using a self tapping sheet metal screw into the pan, then pull the dent out - or a spot welder to weld onto the pan and pull - like body work. then worry about it later. ghetto, but i'd be wanting a new pan later anyway and do it when it's easier...besides if the trans is toast then who cares?

[1-3-2-4]

For the radio stuff does the tach drop to zero when this all happens with a loss of pickup? I had that happen on my Legacy turns out the output was grounding to the alternator body which really did it in.. any type of load I had on the car the lights would turn off, or my radio would turn off then back on.. Or the car acted like it wanted to turn off.

[NameTaken]

So tranny fluid drained, bolts removed, and the pan is still wedged on there bc of the gasket stuff. Tried a putty knife, it still won't budge. Any other suggestions on how to get the pan to drop?

[NameTaken]

Well I got it off. Two questions: 1. Is this cleanenough? The gasket stuff is mostly off. And does anything look wrong in pic number 2

http://db.tt/9QK16eV

 

http://db.tt/QbMfm1l

[GeneralDisorder]

I would get all the RTV off. Down to bare metal if you have to. Wire wheel works great, etc.

 

Can you shift it now that the pan is off?

 

GD

[NameTaken]

I. Was always able to

Move the shifter, it just wouldn't change gears.

[GeneralDisorder]

Ah indeed. Well hopefully it was starving for fluid, etc. Worth a try for sure.

 

GD

[Rooster2]

Thanks so much guys! Is the pulling the tranny pan doable on the side of the road? I am going to try and do it today, I'll be buying an oil change pan and some sealant for reattaching the pan. Anything else needed besides a 10 mm socket wrench? if it's really stuck on there what should I do? Pb blaster?

 

One more thing: Adjusting the linkage, easy or hard?

 

The difficult part is cleaning off the old gasket off both surfaces. The old gasket is a bear to remove. It really bonds itself to the metal surfaces. A rotating metal brush head on an electric drill is the best way to remove the old gasket. Gentle work with a putty knife helps also to remove the old gasket. Just don't grind or gouge into the metal. You want smooth surfaces afterwords. PB blaster won't work.

 

Replacement gasket is sold for pan replacement. I don't think that using only a sealant will work. Pan replacements are very prone to leak. I know mine leaked, and became a pain in the butt to stop the leak. Simply snug up small 10 MM head bolts upon reassembly. Don't super tighten, or you will bend and distort the pan and cause ATF to leak.

 

Adjusting the linkage is not really an adjustment on automatics. Just look to see if anything is bent or binding with the shift linkage at the trany. If linkage looks okay, don't mess with it. Bending the linkage when it looks correct will just cause more problems.

[NameTaken]

It WORKS! hooray! Now hopefully the fluid change fixes the loss of power problems.

 

Thanks guys!