Impreza/Baja Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 My girlfriends recently purchased 2003 Baja suddenly has a new glitch in the tranny. it seems to waiver back and forth between gears when driving on undulating terrain. Especially, when in Drive. between 3rd and Overdrive is where its happening. it ends up stuttering between the two for a bumpy couple of seconds..? Somebody advised me that the "Sylenoid" might need to be replaced and that the part was only, $30 bucks! Any help in this matter will keep a great school teacher from having to spend too much $ on an expensive alternative diagnosis. Thank You! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bheinen74 Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Sounds like the issue is the normal going in and out of torque converter lockup. lockup occurs in 4th, and is like and overdrive to the trans. Going up hills will pull it out of lockup ad RPM will change slightly like 250 rpm higher when its not in lockup. many things are determining when it goes to lockup, constant RPM, TPS level, etc. and hills will definitely mess with it. If you haven't done so, have the standard maintenance of drain and fill ATF, followed by another drain and fill in another 15 miles. Make sure you have correct fluid levels on the ATF and it is tricky to measure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 The noticeable TC lockup occurs in 4th. I can't remember if it was for Subaru's or not but something I read indicated some transmissions can detect sense if the drivetrain is backlashing such as on rough terrain and unlock the TC to help absorb some of the shock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 When it starts happening put the car in D3 and see if it goes away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impreza/Baja Posted November 18, 2011 Author Share Posted November 18, 2011 Thanks! the problem is radically reduced when driving in D3 and usually only occures under re-acceleration in D4. The area we live in is very hilly and curvy so for now D4 is being avoided. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Sounds like normal operation, but the subaruis much different than the average car. my 94 legacy will go in and out of torque converter at lower highway speeds, and sometimes i can trick the TC to lock up by feather ing the gas. IF the traffic is too slow i would drop into 3 to stay out of the overdrive. The nice thing about the electronic trans is you have a fair amount of manual override to make the best performance with it. In winter driving, downhill speed control can be managed by manually shifting down to 3 or 2 to stay off the brake when making turns on a downhill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Thats normal. When you find the car hunting a lot in rolling hills put the car in D3 and everyone and everything will be happier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impreza/Baja Posted November 20, 2011 Author Share Posted November 20, 2011 "Thats normal. When you find the car hunting a lot in rolling hills put the car in D3 and everyone and everything will be happier." There is no way the condition we are experiencing here is normal.a total loss of power with car trembling stutters for as many seconds as you leave it in D4.now it has progressed to doing the same in D3.the car was functioning like you'd expect any AT vehicle to for the 1st 6 weeks of ownership and is progressively getting worse.a mechanic told us that the Catalytic Converter wasn't functioning at full capacity recently. Any chance the loss of back pressure from this is the source of the issue? The car has only 126,000 miles...I appreciate all the clues I'm getting on USMB! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilesFox Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 Try inspecting the knock sensor. It could be faulty, causing the ECU to retard the timing under heavier loads. The trans is hunting around trying to compensate for the output of the engine under load. Aside from your trans hunting, the symptoms are conducive with a faulty knock sensor. The mileage on your car would be right for this part needing a replacement, as it is a fairly common occurrence woth others's mid-mileage subarus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nipper Posted November 20, 2011 Share Posted November 20, 2011 "Thats normal. When you find the car hunting a lot in rolling hills put the car in D3 and everyone and everything will be happier."There is no way the condition we are experiencing here is normal.a total loss of power with car trembling stutters for as many seconds as you leave it in D4.now it has progressed to doing the same in D3.the car was functioning like you'd expect any AT vehicle to for the 1st 6 weeks of ownership and is progressively getting worse.a mechanic told us that the Catalytic Converter wasn't functioning at full capacity recently. Any chance the loss of back pressure from this is the source of the issue? The car has only 126,000 miles...I appreciate all the clues I'm getting on USMB! You never mentioned anything about a total loss of power in your original post, you really need to be more specific. Is there a CEL on? Is there a flashing ATF light onstartup? Lets throw everything out the window and start over, and make sure you are NOt leaving out any other details. Is the car hot or cold or does it not make a difference. Is the weather humid or dry or doesnt make a differnece. When is the last time the car had a tuneup when is the last time the PCV valve was replaced Has the timing belt ever been chainged The issue going away in D3 rules out a catalytic converter issue. A cat issue would not go away in a lower gear, in fact it would be a little worse due to the incresed exhaust volume of the higher rpm. Also a good tech can check a cat really easily with a vacum gauge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impreza/Baja Posted November 21, 2011 Author Share Posted November 21, 2011 (edited) Yeah, I apoligize for the weak opening description. The CEL did come on very close to the time this problem arose. The timing belt was replaced soon before we bought the car.It is "studdering" in low rpm's in D4 and D3 now. Weather temps and humidity do not seem to influence. The PCV valve has not been replaced recently to my knowledge. I'm liking the knock sensor as the culprit theory, due to the low rpm's and D4, D3 non discrimination. Sometimes the CEL will go off for a day or two and then return..no other lights are coming on.it just had a tune-up.in fact, it was after the tune-up that the CEL came on. Again, thank you all for helping us out!! Can't wait to get the Baja rollin' like she should be. Edited November 21, 2011 by Impreza/Baja Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted November 21, 2011 Share Posted November 21, 2011 Best place to start is with the CEL. What is the code? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impreza/Baja Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 Best place to start is with the CEL. What is the code? The 1st and only mechanic, thus far, that ran a diagnostoc on the Baja said it was the the cat conv.but, I've learned on here that the symptons are inconcistant with that diagnosos.I am making an appt with my local mechanic tomorrow for a second opinion.That 1st guy was set on replacing the cat. at $1500.00 even though the car had passed smog 2 weeks before that. He ended up taking $100 from us too by saying he'd have to return the cat and we'd pay the "handling fee" as we didn't want to commit to the work after thinking it over. Total lie, as there was no way the part was even mailed out yet. Aaarg! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted November 28, 2011 Share Posted November 28, 2011 Well what code did he read? P0420 would be a likely reason he'd want to replace the cats. Sometimes it fixes the problem, sometimes it doesn't, mainly depending on whether the cat was really spoiled to begin with. Lots of places like to use the cheapest cats, but they have little catalyst in them, since the precious metals are of course expensive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impreza/Baja Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share Posted December 5, 2011 I had the Baja hooked up to the diagnostic machine and the results were as follows; Quick Test Results- PO 303 PO 420 Catalyst System Efficiently Below Threshold Bank 1 The O2 Sensor Bank 1-#1 =2.12 Volts O2 Sensor Bank 1-#2 =0.75 Operating Temp = 165f The computer also said the car was missing on the 3rd cyclinder. His theory is the O2 sensor#2 is the culprit and by replacing it the #3 cylinder's richness will be remedied. This theory works for me.. Anybody care to agree or disagree? Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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