Jump to content
Ultimate Subaru Message Board

Recommended Posts

hi all....

 

someone soooo kind told me about your group.  i am having a huge deliema (sp?).

 

i have a 94 sub leg touring wagon turbo automatic.  i thought it was having a transmission

issue (is what my hubby and son) told me.  but now after talking to john he isnt sure.  it is

the turbo model.....it has all of its org parts (you know...).... the mileage is like 165,000.  

 

my hubby just wants it towed to a junk yard but we bought it brand new and after 20 yrs it

feels like it is a part of me (even tho i have another car, i love this thing).  my hubby was in 

the military and it has done every single move w/us and now that we are retired it is just

part of the family too.  we have done allllllll of the required maintenance on it as well as

the book calls for and 3000/3ms oil changes.

 

and how would you know if it is turbo or tranny?  we prob should have towed to our reg.

mechanic since hubby can do most of the small things but he wont tackled the big stuff.

 

should we keep it, should we sell it..... any offers or suggestion, we are near pittsburgh.

 

thanks for your time.

 

God bless.

 

anne

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi Anne,

 

Welcome to the board. I'm not one who can offer much advice for your problem since I have little experience with automatic transmissions and no experience with turbos.

 

But I can say - that a turbo touring wagon is a bit of a rare thing. If you decide to part ways with it, please sell it through the marketplace of this forum, craigslist, ebay etc. so that it may live on and be appreciated rather than being crushed, melted down and made into Kias.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi and welcome to the USMB!

 

If the car is in otherwise good condition (not rusting apart) I personally would keep it and fix whatever the problem is - 165K is low mileage for a 94 - only a about 8250 miles/year... I have a 1990 that has over 265K on it and still runs/drives great, and a 95 with 212K and going strong.

 

just to clear the obvious, has the auto tranny fluid level been checked? (dipstick for this is on drivers side)

car needs to be fully warmed up (drive it a little to get tranny fully warmed up) before checking level with engine running, and parked on flat, level ground.

 

Does the 94 have the external tranny filter? if so, when was that last changed?

 

What does the fluid look/smell like? should be fairly bright red - if you have a bottle of tranny fluid, compare what is in the bottle to what is on the dipstick - they should be very close in color, smell, and consistency.

Dark and/or stinky is dirty or "burned"

pinkish is contamination with other fluids (gear oil, water, etc)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If it is finally determined that your automatic tranny has problems that can't be solved by changing the fluid, then give consideration to replacing the tranny. Good used Subaru transmissions are available from wrecking yards for around $200. These days you don't even have to go to the wrecking yard to find one. Check out www.car-part.com on line for part listings from wrecking yards all over the country. Use a credit card for payment. They even come with a short term guarantee. Simply have the tranny delivered to a repair shop for installation. Be sure that your mechanic knows how to properly "seat" the tranny to the torque converter to prevent damage to the transmission. Your car will continue to live on for not much money.

 

Well maintained Subarus can easily travel 300 thousand + miles during their life time. Yours is barely over the half way mark. Repair your car and drive on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the car may just need a mechanic to check it out, let you know what needs immediate attention, what you can live with, and what you need to save your money for in the future.

 

people often swap used transmissions and other parts into otherwise serviceable cars - but a 94 could be at an age where several items need to be attended-to at once, along with a true repair of some type.

 

Hopefully, you have a good mechanic, if not, start a new thread and ask for s shop suggestion in your city and have a discussion with a mechanic.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The turbo transmission is different from the non-turbo cars. I have always put my faith in this forum, but dedicated information on the turbo legacy along with a huge group of owners can be found at bbs.legacycentral.org

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...